The Home Run Derby field of eight is set, and some young sluggers are ready to compete for their first title.
No one in the 2025 Home Run Derby has won the event before. Of the active winners, none elected to participate, setting the stage for some new blood to wear the chain in Atlanta.
The field features two players who are just 22 years old, along with MLB’s home run leader, a former MVP, MLB’s exit velocity king, one of the game’s biggest personalities and two veterans enjoying terrific seasons.
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Here’s what you need to know about each Home Run Derby participant as the action gets underway at Truist Park.
MORE: Who will win the Home Run Derby?
2025 MLB Home Run Derby participants
Byron Buxton, Twins
- Age: 31
- Appearance: 1st
- HRs in 2025: 20
- Career HRs: 153
The oldest player in the field, Twins star Byron Buxton is making his Home Run Derby debut. Buxton comes with a lengthy injury history, but he’s closing in on playing at least 100 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in his career. A true five-tool player when at his best, Buxton is having one of the best power-hitting seasons of his career and earned his second All-Star selection to represent an otherwise middling Twins team in Atlanta. Buxton is looking to become the Twins’ first Home Run Derby winner since Justin Morneau in 2008.
MORE: Looking back at the youngest Home Run Derby winners in history
Junior Caminero, Rays
- Age: 22
- Appearance: 1st
- HRs in 2025: 23
- Career HRs: 30
Rays 3B Junior Caminero has the fewest career home runs of the eight Home Run Derby participants, but he’s a worthy choice. The 22-year-old former top prospect has broken out in his first season with an everyday player, blasting 23 home runs through his first 88 games. While Caminero can still round out his profile by becoming a more consistent contact hitter, the Rays look like they have a player worth building around. Caminero is looking to become the first player in Rays history to win the Home Run Derby.
MORE: Does the Home Run Derby actually ruin players’ swings?
Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees
- Age: 27
- Appearance: 1st
- HRs in 2025: 17 (missed 31 games)
- Career HRs: 94
Yankees INF Jazz Chisholm Jr. went on the IL with a dismal .181 AVG in April, but he has an OPS north of 1.000 since returning and has morphed into the power hitter New York hoped the former Marlins standout would become with 10 home runs in barely more than a month. An electrifying player and personality who will undoubtedly bring some flair to the derby, Chisholm is looking to become the Yankees’ first Home Run Derby winner since teammate Aaron Judge won in 2017.
MORE: Ranking the 13 greatest Home Run Derby performances in history
Oneil Cruz, Pirates
- Age: 26
- Appearance: 1st
- HRs in 2025: 16
- Career HRs: 56
Pirates CF Oneil Cruz hasn’t had anything close to the season he wanted to this point, barely hovering over a .200 AVG after hitting so well down the stretch in 2024, but he is one of the Home Run Derby favorites for a reason. The only non All-Star in the field, Cruz broke his own record this season for MLB’s hardest-hit ball of the Statcast era (2015-present), and he can mammoth home runs when he gets ahold of the ball. Cruz is closing in on his career-high of 21 home runs in a season, and a controlled environment in Atlanta without so much swing-and-miss potential should make him dangerous. Cruz is looking to become the Pirates’ first-ever Home Run Derby winner; he’s their first participant since 2013.
MORE: Complete list of the longest tape-measure shots in Home Run Derby history
Matt Olson, Braves
- Age: 31
- Appearance: 2nd
- HRs in 2025: 17
- Career HRs: 276
A late addition to the field after Ronald Acuna Jr. pulled out due to a back issue, Olson is both the only competitor who has participated in the derby before and the leading career home run hitter among the group. Olson’s power has been inconsistent over the last two seasons, with 46 home runs between 2024 and 2025 after he blasted a stunning 54 in 2023, but there is no doubt his swing is built to make him a contender in his home ballpark. Olson hit 23 first round home runs in his first derby appearance but fell to Trey Mancini, who reached the finals. Olson is aiming to become the Braves’ first-ever Home Run Derby winner.
Cal Raleigh, Mariners
- Age: 28
- Appearance: 1st
- HRs in 2025: 36
- Career HRs: 129
Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has had a sensational season, threatening the record for most home runs before the All-Star break and putting the single-season record for home runs by a catcher in serious jeopardy. Once an all-or-nothing hitter who was perhaps most valuable for his defensive work behind the plate, Raleigh has morphed into the complete package. Raleigh already averages the highest launch angle of any qualified hitter, so his swing will be ready to go as he tries to become the Mariners’ first Home Run Derby winner since Ken Griffey Jr. in 1999.
MORE: Why did Ken Griffey Jr. wear his hat backwards in the Home Run Derby?
Brent Rooker, Athletics
- Age: 30
- Appearance: 1st
- HRs in 2025: 19
- Career HRs: 98
Athletics DH Brent Rooker was one of the best stories in baseball over the last two years, morphing from a journeyman into one of the game’s premier power hitter for a franchise that badly needed something to root for. After nearly hitting 40 home runs last season, Rooker has proven his success is not fluke, and he is an All-Star in 2025 with 19 home runs before the break. Rooker is looking to become the A’s first Home Run Derby winner since Yoenis Cespedes in 2014; a win would tie the franchise with the Yankees for most derby wins.
MORE: Complete list of every Home Run Derby winner by year
James Wood, Nationals
- Age: 22
- Appearance: 1st
- HRs in 2025: 24
- Career HRs: 33
Nationals OF James Wood has the most recent debut of anyone in the field, only arriving to the majors a little more than a year ago, but what a year it’s been. The 22-year-old has quickly become one of the most feared hitters in baseball, and not just because of his size. With 24 home runs, an on-base percentage flirting with .400 and an OPS+ 65 points above league average, Wood is a bright spot on a Nationals team that has otherwise stalled since last season. Wood, a Maryland native, was acquired from the Padres as part of the Juan Soto deal in 2022 — he can now become Washington’s first derby winner since Soto, who won less than three weeks before the trade.
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