The Home Run Derby is one of my favorite baseball-related events of the year. Why wouldn’t it be when I run a website dedicated to honoring MLB’s home run history, right? This page will be your go-to guide when it comes to finding content that highlights Home Run Derby performances.
If you’re looking for:
- A list of Home Run Derby winners and complete standings
- The best single-round Home Run Derby performances ever
- Most home runs in a single Home Run Derby
- Most all-time home runs in Home Run Derby history
Then you’re in the right place. As I write more Derby content, it will be linked here. For now, get some frequently asked questions about the Home Run Derby answered below.
Where is the 2025 Home Run Derby and what time does it start?
MLB’s 2025 Home Run Derby is taking place in Atlanta, Georgia at Truist Park — home of the Atlanta Braves. The festivities will kick off at 8 p.m. ET and can be watched/streamed via ESPN.
Who is participating in the Home Run Derby in 2025?
We don’t know the answer to this yet, but it will start to crystallize as spring turns into summer. Once we get some official announcements on who will be joining the event, we’ll update it here.
What was the format for the 2024 Home Run Derby?
Recently, we’ve seen sluggers go head-to-head in a bracket-style competition from start to finish. The seeding was determined by their season-long home run total heading into the event. This approach happened again in 2024, but not initially.
Players with the top four home run totals from the first round automatically moved on to the semifinals. This is where the brackets came back into play. The player who hit the most first-round homers faced the one with the fewest, while the middle two will battle one another.
The first two rounds were three minutes long. A player’s round finished when his three minutes were up or he saw 40 pitches (whichever came first). This limit didn’t include the bonus round, which no longer has a time limit. Hitters got up to three outs within their bonus time to slug dingers. If they hit one at least 425 feet, they earned a fourth out.
Each slugger had one 45-second timeout to use. Two tiebreakers were in place. The first was a one-minute at-bat to hit as many homers as possible. If both players are still tied, they have a Swing-Off, where they get three swings each to see if the tie can be broken.
Has anyone won the Home Run Derby 3 times?
Ken Griffey Jr. is the only player in MLB history with three Home Run Derby titles. He won the event in 1994, 1998, and 1999.
How many players have won the Home Run Derby more than once?
Including Griffey, four players have won the Derby more than once. Other multi-time winners include Alonso (2019 and 2021), Yoenis Cespedes (2013 and 2014), and Prince Fielder (2009 and 2012). Alonso is participating in the 2024 event and will try to tie Griffey’s record.
You can see the full list of Home Run Derby winners in the event’s history here.
Who has hit the most home runs in a single HR Derby?
A player has surpassed 70 homers in a single Home Run Derby five times. It’s been accomplished by four different players. The five most powerful Home Run Derby performances include the following:
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 2019: 91 home runs
- Randy Arozarena, 2023: 82 home runs
- Julio Rodriguez, 2022: 81 home runs
- Pete Alonso, 2021: 74 home runs
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 2023: 72 home runs
Coincidentally enough, the only two times these performances ended in a title are the two lowest ones (Alonso in ’21 and Guerrero in ’23). Check out the top 16 single-Derby performances here.
Which player has slugged the most home runs in HR Derby history?
Pete Alonso is the all-time HR Derby home run king. Ahead of the 2024 event, Polar Bear has slugged 195 home runs across four appearances. He can only make his lead wider this year, too.
None of the top 13 players are participating in 2024. That includes his closest competition: Guerrero Jr. (163 total homers) and Rodriguez (142 homers). See the full list of the top 13 home run hitters in Home Run Derby history here.
What is the best single-round performance ever in a Home Run Derby?
The Home Run Derby has produced some insane performances in recent years. Julio Rodriguez holds the Derby record for the best single-round performance ever. He slugged 41 homers during the first round of the 2023 event. Guerrero Jr. is the only other hitter to produce a 40-homer round in Derby history. He did that during an epic second-round matchup with Joc Pederson in 2019.
You can read about (and watch) the 17 best single-round performances here.
How much money do you win for the Home Run Derby?
The total prize pool for Home Run Derby participants is $2.5 million. Whoever wins the event will take home $1 million of that, per MLB.com.
Want to see some homers in person this season? Of course you do. Grab MLB tickets from our friends at Vivid Seats. And before you get to the stadium, make sure you’re decked out in the right gear. Get your favorite team’s official merch from the MLB Shop or a ‘Big Dinger Energy’ shirt from our apparel store.