It's 2026 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby day in Philadelphia!
Some of the most dynamic home run hitters in baseball will be taking aim at the Citizen Bank Park stands on Monday (8 p.m. ET on Netflix) in one of the most anticipated events of the summer.
Though the prospect of a back-to-back champion is out of the picture -- 2025 winner Cal Raleigh is not a part of this year's field -- a number of exciting stars will be part of the event, including two of Philly's own, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. Will Schwarber show off the power that led to 32 home runs in the first half and make a run in front of his home crowd? Or will one of the younger participants, such as Jordan Walker or Junior Caminero, take the title?
We have your one-stop shop for everything Derby related, from predictions to live updates once we get underway to analysis and takeaways at night's end.
MLB Home Run Derby field
Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies (32 home runs in 2026)
Ben Rice, New York Yankees (29)
Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays (28)
Jordan Walker, St. Louis Cardinals (22)
Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies (20)
Willson Contreras, Boston Red Sox (20)
Munetaka Murakami, Chicago White Sox (20)
Jac Caglianone, Kansas City Royals (15)
Who is going to win the Derby and who will be the runner-up?
Jeff Passan: Caminero over Murakami.
David Schoenfield: I have Schwarber over Caminero. Obviously, the home-field advantage should help rev up Schwarber and Harper -- and the Home Run Derby is as much about channeling that energy as anything. Caminero's bat speed, power and youth create the perfect trifecta needed to win a Derby. So why Schwarber? The ball seems to fly a little better to right field at Citizens Bank Park, so I think one of the left-handed batters will win. It's Schwarber taking home the trophy.
Buster Olney: Harper over Caminero.
Jesse Rogers: Caminero over Schwarber. It's Junior's turn. The experience of finishing second last year will help propel him to a win over Philly's current HR king. Taking down Schwarber in his home park won't be easy but this is Caminero's time to shine. I picked him last year as he nearly pulled off the upset. I'm even more confident this time around. His star will shine even brighter after Monday night.
Jorge Castillo: Schwarber over Harper. I went out on a limb and went with the guy leading the majors in homers with 32. Schwarber has yet to win a Derby despite his power surge in recent years, but he came through for the National League in Atlanta last year in the first All-Star Game swing-off. He belted three home runs on three swings and became the first position player to win All-Star Game MVP without recording a hit in a game. In this year's Derby, Schwarber will outslug his teammate in friendlier confines to become the first Phillie to win the Derby since Bobby Abreu and Ryan Howard took home the crown in 2005 and 2006.
Who will hit the longest home run of the night -- and how far?
Passan: Caglianone, 486 feet.
Schoenfield: Caminero goes 489 feet.
Olney: Schwarber goes 511 feet.
Rogers: Caglianone, 506 feet.
Castillo: Schwarber, 492 feet.
Who is the one slugger fans will know much better after the derby?
Passan: In his short major league career, Murakami has 49 hits, and 20 of them are home runs. He holds the Nippon Professional Baseball record for home runs by a Japan-born player. He was, in other words, built for this event. Murakami wound up with the White Sox on a well-under-market two-year contract because teams worried about his propensity to strike out and ability to hit high velocity. The good news is neither presents a problem in the Home Run Derby. Murakami knows his zone, knows what pitches to swing at and can match the other leviathans of the competition in raw power. He's known plenty in Japan. Now is time for the United States audience, beyond Chicago, to wise up.
Olney: At the time that MLB announced that Caglianone was going to participate in the Derby, our ESPN broadcast team was just about to go on air, and Adam Ottavino said to the group: "That guy is going to put on a show." Caglianone is listed at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, with extraordinary power in his left-handed swing. Like Pete Alonso, he was raised in Tampa before attending the University of Florida, and like Alonso, Caglianone has wanted to be part of the Derby since watching the event as a kid. And, as with Alonso, who emerged as a star slugger with his win in the Derby in Cleveland, casual baseball fans will get to know Caglianone in this event.
What's the one moment we'll all be talking about long after this Derby ends?
Schoenfield: Schwarber, runner-up to Bryce Harper in 2018 when Harper won in front of his home fans in D.C., wins his first Derby and replicates Harper's hometown win. And, like Harper, Schwarber will do it in dramatic fashion with a final-swing home run to win it.
Rogers: It won't be just one moment but a lot of dead-air moments. Now that players can take pitches again without a clock running, they're going to take their sweet time to get in their 20 swings. Why not? It's such a grueling exercise, they might as well catch their breath. But it won't make for a quick watch, which could lose viewers late. Call me a Debbie Downer, but watching players take pitches in the Home Run Derby isn't what anyone signed up for.
Castillo: Schwarber and Harper slugging it out in the final round in front of their home crowd. The Phillies teammates -- and future Hall of Famers? -- will give fans a tremendous show with Schwarber edging out Harper to win his first Derby title eight years after Harper triumphed as the hometown hero in D.C.