The Home Run Derby may be all about the swings, but the men on the mound matter more than people remember. By the time the lights come on and the first round starts, every hitter in the 2026 field has already made a choice about who they trust to feed them pitches.
This year’s group leaned into familiarity, family ties and a little bit of proven Derby experience. Some stuck with the people they already know best.
Others went with a coach who’s been on this stage before. Either way, all eight hitters made the decision with purpose.
Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone is going with his father, Jeff Caglianone. Jac called the Derby a "bucket list" item and said, "having my dad throw is a huge reason why I’m doing it in the first place."
Jeff Caglianone coaches at H.B. Plant High School and has thrown batting practice for notable players, including Plant alum Pete Alonso.
Yankees first baseman Ben Rice is also keeping it in the family. He picked his father, Dan Rice, who pitched at Brown University in the 1980s.
Ben has continued taking batting practice from his dad every offseason all the way through his climb to the majors. "He always went the extra mile; he’d drive an hour-plus or two hours from Cohasset, and we’d go hit at a local field to get our swings in for the day," Rice told MLB.com.
Bryce Harper needed a solution before he could even commit. The Phillies first baseman said his participation depended on finding a pitcher, since his dad - who threw to him when he won in 2018 - hasn’t thrown batting practice in years.
Harper landed on Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel, who served as Teoscar Hernandez’s Derby pitcher in 2024. Ebel has never coached Harper at the MLB level, but he was on the Team USA staff at the World Baseball Classic and has been Dave Roberts’ third base coach since 2019 after 13 years on Mike Scioscia’s Angels staff.
Kyle Schwarber is taking the straightforward route. He’ll hit with Phillies assistant hitting coach Rafael Pena, the club’s regular batting practice pitcher.
Schwarber didn’t see a reason to change anything. "I’ve hit off him in the cage the last two years, and he makes the most sense," Schwarber told MLB.com.
Junior Caminero is going back to a familiar face as well. Rays field coordinator Tomas Francisco will throw to him for the third time in four years.
Francisco pitched to Randy Arozarena in 2023 and was Caminero’s Derby pitcher last year, when Caminero finished second. Francisco also works with Rays catchers on Kevin Cash’s staff.
Willson Contreras chose someone he’s known since his minor league days with the Cubs: Jose David Flores. Flores began the year as Boston’s first base coach before moving into the interim bench coach role after manager Alex Cora and other coaches were fired.
"I’ve known Willson since he was a puppy," Flores told MLB.com. "I’ll try to throw cookies and hopefully put them on the barrel and he gets into a good rhythm and it’s all about good rhythm."
Cardinals breakout star Jordan Walker will work with bullpen catcher Kleininger Teran. Walker said, "He throws it middle-in.
He’s got really good accuracy," and added, "We’ll see when it comes down to the Home Run Derby time, but that’s why we’re going to practice." Teran spent six seasons in the Cardinals’ minor league system from 2006-11 and previously threw to Albert Pujols in the 2022 Derby.
The final pairing sends White Sox pregame instructor Luis Sierra to the mound for rookie first baseman Munetaka Murakami. Sierra is Chicago’s regular batting practice pitcher and already got a warm-up run by serving as the pitcher for the White Sox Alumni Home Run Derby on Saturday. Murakami will be hoping that built-in comfort translates when the real thing starts on Monday.
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The appeal here is straightforward enough: the Phillies want a possible low-cost addition who can strengthen the platoon picture without forcing them into a major trade haul. Even with the market offering pricier outfield options, Philadelphia appears to be keeping its focus on value and fit as it weighs how aggressive to get over the final stretch before the deadline. [Read more 🡒]
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What makes the idea intriguing is the blend of upside and caution attached to it. The bat has not been at its peak this season, with modest power production and a batting average that sits well below his standard, but the glove remains elite and the postseason rsum is real. For a Phillies club trying to balance present urgency with long-term flexibility, the question is whether that profile is enough to justify a serious push before the deadline. [Read more 🡒]