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Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 Home Run Derby: Live updates, highlights as Cal Raleigh, James Wood, other top sluggers seek the title
MLB's best sluggers will go head-to-head Monday night during the 39th Home Run Derby at the 2025 MLB All-Star Week in Atlanta. Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh will headline the bunch, competing against James Wood (Washington Nationals), Byron Buxton (Minnesota Twins), Oneil Cruz (Pittsburgh Pirates), Junior Caminero (Tampa Bay Rays), Brent Rooker (Athletics), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (New York Yankee) and Matt Olson (Atlanta Braves). Advertisement This year's competitors have a combined 176 homers this season, led by Raleigh's 38. Boston's Alex Bregman was meant to join the competition but pulled out due to injury and was replaced by Caminero. Atlanta's Ronald Acuña Jr., who was the first commit to the derby field just a month after returning from an ACL tear, was replaced by teammate Olson due to back tightness. Last year's winner, Teoscar Hernández, is not participating in this year's competition to avoid aggravating a recurring groin injury. Other notable sluggers who aren't participating include Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso, who has been part of the event every other season of his career. Advertisement The Home Run Derby introduced a new format in 2024, which it's running back this year. All eight hitters compete to reach the top four, who will then be seeded for the semifinal and final rounds. The round of eight features a limit of 40 pitches across three minutes, plus three bonus outs. The round of four is two minutes or 27 pitches, whichever comes first. Date: Monday, July 14 Time: 8 p.m. ET Location: Truist Park | Atlanta, Georgia TV channel: ESPN, ESPN+ Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more from the 2025 Home Run Derby:
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
MLB Home Run Derby primer — everything you need to know about the slugfest
ATLANTA — MLB All-Star week is finally here, and things are kicking off with the annual Home Run Derby. This year's host will be the Atlanta Braves, which means all the action will take place at Truist Park. If you've never watched the Home Run Derby, or are looking for a quick refresher on how things work, who's participating and everything in between, The Athletic has you covered. Advertisement Let's get started. The Home Run Derby comprises three rounds: the first round, semifinals and finals. In that first round, each of the eight participants will have exactly three minutes or 40 pitches (whichever comes first) to mash as many homers as possible. All players are granted a 'Bonus' round that lasts until they record three outs (swings that don't end up as homers). That said, there's a bonus to the bonus round if a player manages to hit a ball at least 425 feet, resulting in a fourth out. The four players with the most homers advance to the semis, with tiebreakers determined by the longest batted ball. In the semifinals, the four players are matched up based on the number of homers they hit in the first round (No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3). In this round, players have two minutes or 27 pitches to mash even more homers. Unlike the first round, a tie in the semifinals is broken by a 60-second 'swing-off.' The finals pit the two remaining players in a two-minute, 27-pitch competition, with the winner being crowned Home Run Derby champion, along with taking home the annual prize. Yes, the winner also takes home a $1 million prize. The bonus was instituted in 2019 after an agreement between MLB and the MLBPA, with the runner-up taking home $750,000. It was designed to incentivize players to participate, largely those still in pre-arbitration, by offering a sum greater than the average annual salary. There's also a Home Run Derby chain that the winner gets to add to his jewelry collection. The 2025 Home Run Derby chain 🥶💎 The chain will be presented to the winner of this year's Home Run Derby — MLB (@MLB) July 10, 2025 As far as park factor is concerned, Truist Park is middle of the road at 100, with only two percent more homers above average being hit there since 2023. Here are the dimensions: Left-field corner: 335 feet Left field: 375 feet Left-center field: 385 feet Center field: 400 feet Right-center field: 375 feet Right field: 325 feet Advertisement Great question. Here is the field broken down with info on each player, their team, handedness, a tagline about them and how they stack up against the field. Player: Matt Olson Team: Atlanta Braves Bats: Right Tag: The replacement fan-favorite Originally, Ronald Acuña Jr. was supposed to be the Braves' representative for the derby. However, Acuña was scratched on Friday and replaced by his teammate. Monday's contest represents Olson's second foray into the Home Run Derby, and his first as a Brave. If it's any consolation to Braves fans, Olson is an Atlanta native, and his 134 homers since 2022 (the season he joined the Braves) are the fifth-most in baseball. Player: Cal Raleigh Team: Seattle Mariners Bats: Both Tag: MLB's home run leader 'Big Dumper' is in the midst of a breakout season as the Mariners' starting backstop. He'll be pitched to by his father, Todd, with his younger brother, Todd Jr., catching. Raleigh is a switch-hitter, though his right-handed power is certainly more pronounced. Should he win, he'd be the second Mariner overall to take home the trophy after Ken Griffey Jr., the contest's all-time leading winner with three victories. Player: Oneil Cruz Team: Pittsburgh Pirates Bats: Left Tag: Statcast savant Cruz is a Statcast darling for a reason. In May, his 122.9 mph homer was the hardest-hit ball in the Statcast era (since 2015), and just a few days ago, his 105.2 mph outfield throw was clocked as the second-fastest throw, also in the Statcast era. He has 16 homers to his name, and his ability to hit the ball at ridiculous rates (100th percentile exit velocity, barrel rate and bat speed) should have people in the outfield ducking for cover. A Pirate has never won the Derby. Player: Brent Rooker Team: Athletics Bats: Right Tag: MLB's most underappreciated slugger A late bloomer, Rooker clubbed 30 homers in his breakout age-28 season in 2023, then followed it up with 39 homers last season. With 20 homers under his belt so far in 2025, he'll likely make it three straight seasons with at least 30 homers. In other words, don't sleep on the former first-round draft pick. Should he win, Rooker would be the third Athletic to win the event, joining Mark McGwire and Yoenis Céspedes. Advertisement Player: Jazz Chisholm Jr. Team: New York Yankees Bats: Left Tag: King of cool Whether it's wearing anime-themed gear or hitting a Euro-step after his homers, Chisholm is as fun as it gets, so whether he wins or loses on Monday night, it's going to be a show either way. That said, his home run power is often overshadowed by teammate Aaron Judge, but the second baseman already has 17 to his name in 2025 to go along with a 98th percentile barrel rate. Chisholm is looking to be the first Yankee since Judge and fifth overall to win the contest. Player: Junior Caminero Team: Tampa Bay Rays Bats: Right Tag: Ascending slugger Caminero has quickly become one of the Rays' most formidable bats in his age-21 season, with 23 homers in 91 games so far. Having just turned 22 years old, Caminero not only stands as one of the youngest All-Stars this year in Atlanta, but he could end up being the youngest to win the Home Run Derby. No Ray has won the Derby in three tries. Player: James Wood Team: Washington Nationals Bats: Left Tag: Superstar in the making Two Nationals have previously won the Home Run Derby: Bryce Harper in 2018 and Juan Soto in 2022. What does James Wood have in common with them besides donning the curly W? He's also a young, athletic outfielder with superstar status written all over him. With 24 homers to his name, Wood has as good a shot as any. He'll look to make Washington's record in the contest 3-for-3. Player: Byron Buxton Team: Minnesota Twins Bats: Right Tag: Hometown kid A native of nearby Baxley, Ga., Buxton is currently in the midst of his healthiest season yet. With 21 homers to his name at the break, Buxton should easily clear his career-high of 28, but the real prize will be winning the Derby as a native and first-time participant. He'll be the eighth Minnesota player to compete in the Derby, and is hoping to be the club's second winner after Justin Morneau took the crown in 2008. (Top photo of Teoscar Hernández: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
MLB Home Run Derby: How to watch Cal Raleigh, Oneil Cruz and entire 8-player field slug it out
MLB's loudest tradition returns Monday, when eight of the game's most electric hitters step up to the plate at Truist Park in Atlanta for the 2025 T-Mobile Home Run Derby. Blending power and stamina, the derby remains one of MLB All-Star Week's most anticipated events. Here's how to watch everything unfold. Advertisement The event can also be streamed on ESPN+. The format has shifted: All eight players will compete in the first round, with the top four advancing to the semifinals based on total home runs. From there, a seeded bracket takes over. Batters will have three minutes each in the first round (or 40 pitches, whichever comes first) and two minutes in the semifinals and final (or 27 pitches). One 45-second timeout is allowed per round — but not during bonus periods or tiebreakers — and ties come down to longest homer (first round) or a 60-second swing-off (semis/final). Ronald Acuña Jr. (Braves) was supposed to headline the eight-player field, but he was replaced by teammate Matt Olson. The other sluggers who will compete Monday are Cal Raleigh (Mariners), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (Yankees), James Wood (Nationals), Byron Buxton (Twins), Oneil Cruz (Pirates), Junior Caminero (Rays) and Brent Rooker (Athletics). Raleigh, the current MLB home run leader, is the favorite to win the event at BetMGM. He's trailed by Cruz, who hit a home run 122.9 mph earlier this season. Olson hopes to join the short list of players to win the Home Run Derby in front of a home crowd, following in the footsteps of Ryne Sandberg (1990), Todd Frazier (2015) and Bryce Harper (2018). Last year's event featured 225 total homers, with Teoscar Hernández edging out Bobby Witt Jr. (14-13) in the final. The 2025 Home Run Derby has a few notable absences. Big names like Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto won't participate, but in turn, this year's field is stacked with rising stars and first-time mashers hungry to wear the chain. Recent Home Run Derby winners: 2015 — Todd Frazier 2016 — Giancarlo Stanton 2017 — Aaron Judge 2018 — Bryce Harper 2019 — Pete Alonso No Derby in 2020 (coronavirus pandemic) 2021 — Pete Alonso 2022 — Juan Soto 2023 — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2024 — Teoscar Hernández Streaming and ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Cal Raleigh: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Doyle among most likely to be in MLB soon
Follow live as All-Star Week begins with teams selecting tomorrow's superstars at the 2025 MLB Draft in Atlanta today Getty Images Getty Images Last year's draft has already produced six big leaguers in less than 12 months, with five first-round picks already debuting and one second-rounder (Ryan Johnson) taking the Angels Express from the draft to the majors. We'll probably see a few more before the 2025 season is out, as there are several others in Double A or Triple A right now who could at least get a September callup, all as teams are more anxious than ever to show off the fruits of their labors and also find cheaper reinforcements from within rather than having to pay the high cost of in-season trades. With that in mind, read below for the players in this year's draft class who I think have the best chances to debut within a year of draft day, health permitting. GO FURTHER Liam Doyle and 6 other 2025 MLB Draft prospects who might reach the majors fastest Getty Images Doyle transferred for the second time in as many years, moving from Mississippi to Tennessee (after starting his career at Coastal Carolina), and picking up some serious velocity along the way. He spent the spring of 2025 dominating hitters with his 96-99 mph fastball, striking out 42.6 percent of batters he faced. He throws the heater more than 60 percent of the time, and hitters just don't hit it — they whiff over 40 percent of the time they swing at it, even though he's throwing it so often they can frequently just guess fastball and be correct. He backs it up with a plus splitter up to 89 mph and an above-average slider in the low to mid 80s, both of which miss plenty of bats, with the splitter a weapon he'll use against hitters on both sides of the plate. Getty Images In the leadup to Sunday's MLB Draft, many pundits will note the Holliday family's deep baseball ties. Matt Holliday played 15 years in the major leagues and made seven All-Star games. His oldest son, Jackson, was drafted first overall three years ago and is now the second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles. Now, Ethan Holliday is next in line for a baseball dynasty forged under the endless skies of Oklahoma. He is a gifted 6-foot-4 shortstop with tremendous raw power from the left side. He has a chance to go to the Washington Nationals first overall, and if he doesn't go there, draft experts predict he will go fourth to the Colorado Rockies, the same organization that drafted his father. Some may mention that the line doesn't actually start with Matt, Jackson, and Ethan. Tom Holliday — Matt's father and Jackson's and Ethan's grandfather — was a longtime Division I baseball coach, including a seven-year run as the coach at Oklahoma State. His brother, Dave, is a veteran scout for the Philadelphia Phillies. Matt's brother, Josh, is now the coach at OSU. There are other families out there who have made baseball their business. The Alous, the Boones, the Griffeys. Thirteen pairs of brothers have been drafted as first-round picks. B.J. Upton went second in 2002, and Justin Upton went first in 2005. But if Ethan were to go No. 1, it would be the first time in baseball history two brothers have both been 1-1 picks. Only Peyton and Eli Manning have done that in any major American sport. Read more below. GO FURTHER Ethan Holliday could go No. 1 in the MLB Draft. It would be a pick 4 generations in the making Getty Images Holliday is probably the best-known player in the class, thanks to his famous father, Matt, and increasingly famous brother, Jackson, but also because there have been plenty of points in the past year-plus when Ethan has looked like the best prospect in the class. He has easy plus power already and projects to be more similar to his father in that regard than his brother, though he's not as advanced a hitter as Jackson was at the same age. Ethan has been inconsistent this spring at the plate, with his front side flying open as he tries too hard to get to that power, leaving him vulnerable to stuff on the outer third, although that's a fixable problem. Getty Images Now, let's shift your attention over to Keith Law's big board of top 100 prospects. We'll refer to this list throughout our coverage, so definitely check out the full list below, and keep it handy. But for now, let's focus on Keith's top 10, led by a high schooler with strong big-league bloodlines. While there are no salary caps in baseball for MLB rosters, there are caps on what a team can spend for its draft bonuses each year. Every draft pick is worth a specific 'slot' amount through the first 10 rounds. Teams add up the slot values for their top-10 round picks and that equals their draft bonus pool cap. Teams that have extra picks have extra-large bonus pools. Teams that lost picks for signing free agents have smaller pools. The Baltimore Orioles have the largest pool in this draft, while the Yankees have the smallest. Read below to see the full chart of every team's bonus pool in this year's draft. GO FURTHER A beginner's guide to the 2025 MLB Draft: Storylines, top prospects and biggest questions Getty Images If a player is a resident of or student in the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico, that player is eligible to be selected in the MLB Draft if the player is: 1) a high school graduate not currently enrolled in a four-year college who is at least 17 years old, or a player who dropped out of high school at least a year prior to the draft, or whose high school athletic eligibility has already expired 2) a community college or junior college student 3) a student at a four-year college who a) is either three years removed from first enrolling in college, or b) is or will be at least 21 years old within 45 days of the draft. Rounding out the picks before the second round is a group called "Competitive Balance Round A." These are picks either awarded to teams with the smallest markets and/or revenue pools from the previous season, as well as three first-rounders docked 10 spots from the three teams who exceeded a certain luxury tax threshold — the Mets, Yankees and Dodgers. Unlike the picks up to this point, these can be traded, and those trades are noted below. 33. Boston Red Sox (via Milwaukee) 34. Detroit Tigers 35. Seattle Mariners 36. Minnesota Twins 37. Baltimore Orioles (via Tampa Bay) 38. New York Mets 39. New York Yankees 40. Los Angeles Dodgers 41. Los Angeles Dodgers (via Cincinnati) 42. Tampa Bay Rays (via Athletics) 43. Miami Marlins As just mentioned, there are a series of picks after the first few rounds that are awarded based on various incentives and competitive balance mechanisms. We start with "Prospect Promotion Incentive" category. Only one team qualified this year — the Royals, who essentially earned this through the early-career success of Bobby Witt Jr.: 28. Kansas City Royals Next are the compensation picks, awarded to teams who lost free agents that signed elsewhere for $50 million or more last offseason. The names in parentheses are the players who triggered this clause and the teams they signed with: 29. Arizona Diamondbacks (Christian Walker, Houston) 30. Baltimore Orioles (Corbin Burnes, Arizona) 31. Baltimore Orioles (Anthony Santander, Toronto) 32. Milwaukee Brewers (Willy Adames, San Francisco) Getty Images There are extra picks after the first, second, third and fourth rounds based on various compensation and incentive programs built into the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Starting in the sixth round, the draft order is set by a complicated formula that includes the team's overall record in 2024 and when it was eliminated from the postseason (if applicable). The Athletic Due in part to the MLB's lack of a salary cap, the league uses the draft as a major tool to ensure competitive balance. That means that there are essentially three mini-rounds after the first round that award picks for certain criteria (such as losing a free agent) that teams have met. Additionally, three teams whose payrolls exceeded a certain threshold of the league's luxury tax had their picks docked 10 spots. We'll get to all that in a moment. In the meantime, see above for how the rest of the traditional order in the first round shakes out. The Athletic And here's how the next 10 picks shake out. The Athletic Here are the teams at the very top of tonight's draft. Who's about to select a future superstar? Getty Images Yes to both questions! For those who have followed the MLB Draft for many years, this two-day, 20-round format will feel bite-sized. That said, though significantly shorter than its 50-round heyday, the MLB Draft still boasts the most number of rounds (20) of any of the drafts for the four major U.S. sports — at least for now. MLB has been chipping away at the size and scope of its draft for years, trimming it from 50 rounds to 40 in 2012 and from 40 rounds to 20 rounds in 2021 (there was a five-round draft in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season). There is talk that the league will be pushing to cut the draft even further — perhaps down to 10 rounds — when the next collective bargaining agreement is negotiated. If you're a baseball fan, there's no better place to follow your favorite MLB team as well as the league as a whole than The Athletic . And now is a perfect time to sign up with the All-Star Game right around the corner, quickly followed by the midseason trade deadline at the end of the month and then a push to the postseason that once again promises plenty of drama. If you're a fan of other sports, too, we've got you covered, whether it's the NFL, NBA, WNBA, men's and women's college sports, golf, tennis and international soccer (or, before my British colleagues can correct me, football ). And you're in luck, because you can sign up for The Athletic right now on an exclusive offer here! Getty Images We want to hear from you throughout the MLB Draft! Who do you want your team to pick? Which players do you believe are future superstars? And how many more elite prospects does the Holiday family have?!? Sound off on any of the above or any other draft-related topic that's on your mind, and you may be featured in our coverage! So get typing: live@ Getty Images Since 2021, the MLB Draft has taken place during All-Star Weekend in the All-Star Game's host city, usually at a venue near the stadium. That makes the Coca-Cola Roxy an ideal choice to host the draft. The concert venue sits in the middle of The Battery, which is the sports and entertainment district built around the Atlanta Braves' home of Truist Park. And yes, that's where Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game will be played. Getty Images That depends on the round and day. The first round tonight will be shown on ESPN and MLB Network, and streamed on MLB Network and will cover the second and third rounds tonight as well. Tomorrow, all the action will be streamed on
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 MLB Draft: Live updates, draft order, picks and more as Washington Nationals make No. 1 selection
The 2025 MLB Draft has arrived, and the next crop of young stars will find out where they'll begin their careers as the league kicks off All-Star week in Atlanta. The first three rounds will take place on Sunday, with rounds 4-20 continuing on Monday. The Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals own the first five picks, respectively. In addition to the first pick, Washington holds No. 49 and No. 80 through the first three rounds. Advertisement Washington was awarded the No. 1 pick in December's draft lottery, which involves non-playoff teams for the top six picks. The remaining selections were determined by the reverse order of winning percentage for non-playoff teams and postseason results for playoff participants. Among the top five prospects are two high school shortstops and three left-handed college pitchers. Yahoo Sports ranks them as follows: 1. SS Eli Willits, Fort Cobb-Broxton High School (Okla.) 2. SS Ethan Holliday, Stillwater High School (Okla.) 3. LHP Kade Anderson, LSU 4. LHP Liam Doyle, Tennessee 5. LHP Jamie Arnold, Florida State Date: Sunday, July 13 Advertisement Time: 6 p.m. ET Location: Coca-Cola Roxy in The Battery Atlanta | Cumberland, Georgia TV channel: ESPN | MLB Network Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more from the 2025 MLB Draft:
