The Yankees lead MLB with an absurd 27 World Series championships. While not as high-profile, the New York franchise also leads the league with the most Home Run Derby winners in history.
The Yankees have had four sluggers to win the Derby: Aaron Judge (2017), Robinson Cano (2011), Jason Giambi (2002) and Tino Martinez (1997). Even though the Yankees already lead the league, they will have the chance to extend their lead in 2025 as second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. will participate in this year’s iteration of the event.
This marks the first Derby of Chisholm’s career. He doesn’t project as your prototypical power hitter as he’s listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds and has never hit more than 24 home runs in any of his five seasons so far. Still, the second baseman has been tearing the cover off the ball in 2025. It could be because he used a torpedo bat at times, but Chisholm has 17 home runs heading into the weekend before the All-Star break.
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The lefty should have an advantage if he can lift the ball, thanks to the shorter porch at Truist Park in Atlanta, where this year’s Derby will be held. Still, he is seen as a dark horse to win the competition going against Ronald Acuna Jr., James Wood, Cal Raleigh, Byron Buxton, Junior Caminero, Brent Rooker and Oneil Cruz.
Here is how Chisholm can join some elite company and help the Yankees extend their record for most players to win the MLB Home Run Derby.
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When was the last time a Yankee won the Home Run Derby?
Four Yankees players have won the Home Run Derby. The most recent victory belongs to Aaron Judge, who won the 2017 Home Run Derby. He clobbered 47 home runs in total. Judge wasn’t the only Yankee in that Derby either, as former catcher Gary Sanchez was the eighth seed in that year’s field and upset No. 1 Giancarlo Stanton in the first round. Judge was the No. 2 seed at the bottom of the bracket.
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Yankees Home Run Derby champions
The Yankees lead all teams with four Home Run Derby winners.
| Year | Player | Home Runs |
| 2017 | Aaron Judge | 47 |
| 2011 | Robinson Cano | 32 |
| 2002 | Jason Giambi | 24 |
| 1997 | Tino Martinez | 16 home runs |
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Aaron Judge, 47 home runs (2017)
Judge was the No. 2 seed in the 2017 Derby field. The MLB still used a head-to-head bracket for its format that year. The Yankees slugger matched up with No. 7 Justin Bour of the Marlins in the first round. Bour went first and launched 22 home runs. The pressure was on, but Judge hit the 23 home runs he needed to advance.
In the second round, he faced future teammate Cody Bellinger. The outfielder was the No. 3 seed and beat Charlie Blackmon in the first round. Bellinger knocked 12 home runs, and yet again, Judge hit the one extra home run he needed to advance.
In the finale, Judge was expecting to see No. 1-seeded Giancarlo Stanton, but he had been knocked out in the first round by No. 8 Gary Sanchez. No. 5 Miguel Sano then beat Sanchez in the second round to make the finals against Judge. Sano hit 10 home runs in the finale, and for the third time in the Derby, Judge took advantage of going second and hit one extra home run than his opponent to win.
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Robinson Cano, 32 home runs (2011)
In 2011, MLB was still doing its 10-out format, where players got as many pitches as they wanted and only accumulated an out on balls they contacted that didn’t result in a home run. It was a lawless format, that tended to result in some huge outputs, but that wasn’t necessarily the case in 2011. Cano hit only eight home runs in the first round, but it ended up being the second most. He, Adrian Gonzalez, Prince Fielder and David Ortiz hit the most home runs of the first round and advanced.
Cano launched 12 home runs in the second round, the most among the quartet, so he secured his spot in the finals. He took on Gonzalez, who hit 11 in the second round. The duo repeated their performances in the finals, leading to Cano’s 12-11 victory with an overall total of 32 home runs.
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Jason Giambi, 2002, 24 home runs
2002 was the first year that MLB tried a new format in the Derby. Eight competitors would start, but only the batters with the four highest home run totals from the first round would advance to the second round. Then, the second round was bracket-style. Giambi matched up with the White Sox’s Paul Konerko, and the Yankee hit six home runs to advance.
He then matched up with Sammy Sosa, who had been tearing the cover off the ball the entire Derby. Giambi hit seven home runs in the final round, and a tired Sosa ran out of steam and only hit one.
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Tino Martinez, 1997, 16 home runs
Martinez barely made it out of the first round in the 1997 Home Run Derby. He only hit five home runs, but it ended up being tied for the second-most in the round. Martinez trailed Larry Walker, who hit nine, was tied with Mark McGwire, who hit five and was ahead of Jeff Bagwell, who hit four.
Martinez did better in the second round, hitting eight home runs. He cruised to the finals against Walker since McGwire only hit two home runs and Bagwell only hit one compared to Walker’s nine. Similarly to Giambi beating Sosa, Walker ran out of steam in the finals. He hit only one home run in the final round, while Martinez hit three for the win.
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Other notable Yankees Home Run Derby moments
Gary Sanchez upsets Giancarlo Stanton
Judge won the 2017 Home Run Derby, but you could argue that it was partially because he didn’t have to face the No. 1-seeded hitter in the bracket. Sanchez was the lowest seed in that year’s field of participants. Despite being the No. 8-seed, he clobbered 17 home runs. Stanton, the No. 1-seed, went second, but was only about to hit 16 and couldn’t match Sanchez’s performance.
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Nick Swisher
Despite how prolific the franchise is, the Yankees have only had seven participants in the Home Run Derby, and that includes Jazz Chisholm Jr. in 2025. Four of them resulted in wins, and Sanchez had an admirable performance in 2017 when Judge won. The lone outlier was Nick Swisher in 2010.
He was in that year’s Derby against eventual winner David Ortiz, Hanley Ramirez, Corey Hart, Miguel Cabrera, Matt Holliday, Vernon Wells and Chris Young. Swisher didn’t make it out of the first round, hitting only four home runs and needing at least seven.
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MLB teams with the most Home Run Derby winners
Here are the MLB teams with the most individual Home Run Derby winners. Players who have won multiple Home Run Derbys for their team, like Ken Griffey Jr.’s three for the Mariners, only count as one.
| Team | Winners |
| Yankees | 4 – Aaron Judge (2017), Robinson Cano (2011), Jason Giambi (2002) and Tino Martinez (1997) |
| Reds | 3 – Dave Parker (1985), Eric Davis (1989), Todd Frazier (2015) |
| Cubs | 3 – Andre Dawson (1987), Ryne Sandberg (1990), Sammy Sosa (2000) |
| Angels | 3 – Garrett Anderson (2003), Wally Joyner (1986), Vladimir Guerrero Sr. (2007) |
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