The 2026 MLB Home Run Derby arrives Monday night, July 13, at Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia, and this year’s field brings plenty of pop both at the plate and in the hobby.
The lineup features Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies, Jordan Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals, Munetake Murakami of the Chicago White Sox, Willson Contreras of the Boston Red Sox, Jac Caglianone of the Kansas City Royals, Ben Rice of the New York Yankees, and Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays.
But the derby is not just changing in terms of names on the bracket. Major League Baseball has also overhauled the format, moving away from timed rounds and toward a fixed-swing setup designed around efficiency.
Each hitter gets 20 swings in the opening round, then 15 swings in both the semifinal and championship rounds. Every swing counts, whether it turns into a homer or not.
If a player goes deep on his final swing, he can keep hitting until he fails to leave the yard. MLB has also done away with bonus rounds, timed play, outs, and the traditional first-round bracket format.
If a first-round result ends in a tie, the winner is decided by total home run distance. Semifinal and final ties go to a three-swing swing-off.
From a collecting standpoint, the derby field is just as interesting. Schwarber, who leads the majors with 32 home runs, launched his longest shot of the season on April 3, a 460-foot blast against the Colorado Rockies. His top-selling card was his 2014 Bowman Chrome Draft - Draft Picks Autographs Superfractor BGS 9.5, which brought $37,200 on March 20, 2026.
Rice leads the American League with 28 home runs, and his biggest homer came on June 19, when he sent one 433 feet against the Cincinnati Reds. His highest-selling card was the 2025 Topps Update - MLB Debut Patch Autograph, which sold for $68,988 on March 30, 2026.
Caminero is one behind the American League lead with 27 home runs, and his longest of the year measured 463 feet against the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 28. His top card was the 2024 Topps Chrome Update - MLB Debut Patch Autograph PSA 9, which sold for $66,000 on December 20, 2024.
Walker has 22 home runs at the unofficial midseason mark, and his longest came on April 4, a 459-foot shot against the Detroit Tigers. His highest-selling card was the 2020 Bowman Draft - Chrome Draft Picks Autograph - Orange Refractor /25 PSA 10, which sold for $23,100 on April 23, 2023.
Harper has 20 home runs this season and hit his longest one on May 16, a 457-foot bomb against the Detroit Tigers. His most expensive card was the 2011 Bowman Chrome - Prospects Autographs - Superfractor BGS 9.5 Auto 10, which sold for $432,000 on November 18, 2022.
Contreras also sits at 20 home runs, and his longest homer traveled 449 feet against the Detroit Tigers on May 5. His highest-selling card was the 2016 Bowman Chrome Prospects Autograph Red Variation 5/5 SGC 9, which sold for $1,389 on March 22, 2022.
Murakami is coming off a stint on the injured list and has 20 home runs. His longest of the season came on April 22, when he hit a 451-foot rocket against the Arizona Diamondbacks. His highest-selling card was an unused redemption from 2026 Topps Chrome Black, specifically the Superfractor Autograph 1/1 Encased Redemption, which sold for $74,420 on June 6, 2026.
Caglianone has added 15 home runs for the Royals and hit his longest on June 21, a 444-foot drive against the St. Louis Cardinals. His highest-selling card was another unused redemption, the 2026 Bowman Chrome Rookie Autograph Orange Parallel Redemption, which sold for $935 on June 29, 2026.
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Joe Girardi was not having it, pushing back on the notion that the Yankees should be thinking that far ahead and making clear any change to Schlittlers usage would have to come down to workload, not gamesmanship. Fans mostly met the whole premise with eye rolls online, treating it as another example of overthinking from a team that still has plenty to sort out before anyone should be mapping out a World Series opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Ben Rices Home Run Derby Choice Carries A Powerful Yankees Twist
Ben Rices Home Run Derby plan comes with a family connection that fits the moment as well as anything in the Yankees recent run of feel-good storylines. The rookie has leaned on his father, Dan, for years as a batting-practice arm, long before the spotlight found him in pinstripes, and that old routine now has a chance to play out on one of the sports biggest stages. It is the kind of choice that says as much about Rices path as it does about the event itself.
Dan Rice has been part of that path from the start, a former college pitcher who kept showing up to throw to his son through the years and across plenty of offseason miles. Ben grew up in Cohasset, Massachusetts, and went from Dartmouth to the Yankees with a stop-and-start college career shaped by the pandemic, but the swing he brings to the Derby will have the same familiar setup he has known for most of his life. For a player still carving out his place in New York, it is a reminder that some of the most meaningful baseball moments still begin in the backyard. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees May Finally Have A Deadline Answer For Their Catcher Problem
The Yankees have not hidden their interest in adding a right-handed hitting catcher before the trade deadline, and Brian Cashman has already acknowledged the clubs concern behind the plate. With the current catching situation unsettled, the front office is looking for a player who can give the lineup a different look and help stabilize a spot that has become a real question as July approaches.
One name drawing attention is Jonah Heim, whose profile fits what New York is seeking because of his track record against left-handed pitching and his reputation as a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner. His overall offensive numbers have been uneven, which is part of why the Yankees are still weighing other possibilities, but the bigger issue now is whether they can find a deal that makes sense before the deadline market tightens further. [Read more 🡒]