PHILADELPHIA — The Home Run Derby field just got its final two headliners. Boston’s Willson Contreras and Kansas City’s Jac Caglianone became the latest sluggers to commit to Monday’s T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park, joining a field that’s shaping up to be one of the most entertaining in recent memory.
Both announced their decisions on Instagram Wednesday, with MLB and Netflix — which will broadcast the event live at 8 p.m. ET — quickly making it official. They join Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero, the first player to commit, and New York’s Ben Rice as the four confirmed names heading into Philadelphia.
Why the Contreras Caglianone Home Run Derby Field Stands Out
Start with Caglianone, because his path here is almost unbelievable on its own. The Royals took him sixth overall in the 2024 draft out of Florida, where he was a two-way star, but made it clear immediately they saw him as a hitter first. That plan worked fast — Caglianone reached the Majors on June 3, 2025, less than a year after he was drafted.
He’s 23 years old, hasn’t made an All-Star team, and is still getting his footing at the plate, but nobody questions the raw power. Entering Wednesday, Caglianone was hitting .258 with 14 home runs, and June alone was a monster stretch: nine homers, a 1.036 OPS, and top-two American League rankings in runs, total bases, and home runs for the month. His numbers get sillier the deeper you go — an average home run distance of 418 feet, tied for the longest in the majors among hitters with at least 10 home runs, and an average home run exit velocity of 108.6 mph, trailing only Shohei Ohtani and James Wood. Nearly 79% of his homers this season have been no-doubters.
Caglianone will be the Royals’ first Derby participant since Bobby Witt Jr. finished runner-up in 2024 with 50 blasts. Witt, now an All-Star starter himself, plans to be in Philadelphia along with pitcher Michael Wacha to cheer him on. And there’s a bit of history on the line, too — Caglianone and Caminero are both 23, meaning either could become the youngest Home Run Derby winner ever, surpassing Juan Gonzalez, who was 23 years and 265 days old when he won it back in 1993.
Contreras Chasing a Career Year in Boston
Contreras’ inclusion tells a different story — a 34-year-old veteran having arguably the best power season of his career at the exact moment his team needed something to feel good about. Through 87 games, Contreras is batting .287 with 20 home runs and a .926 OPS, sitting just four homers shy of his career high. This will mark his first career Home Run Derby appearance, and he’s the first Red Sox hitter to take part since David Ortiz did it back in 2010.
What makes his power surge notable is where it’s coming from. Ten of his 20 home runs have come at Fenway Park, and 10 have come on the road — an even split that undercuts any easy explanation about the Green Monster inflating his numbers. His Statcast profile backs up the eye test: a .513 expected slugging percentage that ranks in the top 8% of MLB hitters, and a 114.4 mph max exit velocity in the top 6% of the league.
The Rest of the Field
Rice and Caminero round out the group so far, and both bring their own case for the trophy. Caminero enters riding one of the hottest stretches in baseball, homering in six straight games at one point in June and earning American League Player of the Week and Player of the Month honors along the way. Rice, meanwhile, has quietly become one of the sport’s true breakout power threats, hitting 51 home runs since the start of the 2025 season with an average exit velocity in the 87th percentile league-wide.
There’s a real swing-and-miss risk baked into Rice’s game — an 86-strikeout, 24.9% whiff rate profile that could work against him across multiple derby rounds — and Caglianone carries similar contact questions, ranking in the bottom quintile of hitters in squared-up percentage and chase rate. Derby success has always rewarded hitters who can stay locked in through fatigue, not just hitters with the most raw pop, so both youngsters will be tested in ways their regular-season swing decisions rarely are.
What’s Next
MLB is expected to add more names to the field before Monday, and this year’s event also comes with a format tweak that could shake up how deep power alone can carry a player through the bracket. For now, though, the Contreras Caglianone Home Run Derby matchup — a grizzled veteran chasing his best season against a 23-year-old prospect with generational raw power — is shaping up as one of the more compelling storylines of All-Star week.
Citizens Bank Park has hosted plenty of memorable Derby nights, and Philadelphia crowds have a reputation for making these events feel bigger than a simple batting-practice showcase. This year’s cast, still filling out, already looks like it belongs in that conversation.
Why Bracket Matchups Will Matter This Year
Derby history is full of favorites getting bounced early by whoever gets hot for four or five minutes, and that unpredictability is part of why this field is worth watching closely once seedings are set. Contreras’ Fenway-built swing translates fine to a neutral ballpark — his even home-road split this season is proof he’s not simply a product of one stadium’s dimensions. Caglianone, by contrast, has never had to sustain a Derby-style pace over multiple timed rounds against a live crowd, and how he handles that pressure as a rookie could say plenty about where his career power ceiling actually sits.
There’s also a generational contrast worth sitting with. Contreras broke into the league back in 2016 as part of a Cubs core built around contact and plate discipline as much as power; watching him now, a decade later, hunting souvenirs in a stadium built for a different franchise entirely, is its own kind of story. Caglianone and Caminero, both drafted and developed inside the current era of exit-velocity obsession, represent almost the opposite archetype — hitters built from day one around bat speed and launch angle data.
None of that guarantees anything once the clock starts Monday night. But it does mean this year’s derby field carries more contrast in style, age, and story than most recent iterations — and that alone should make it appointment viewing for baseball fans well beyond Boston, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, and New York.
FAQ
Q: Who has committed to the 2026 Home Run Derby?
A: Four players so far: Junior Caminero (Rays), Ben Rice (Yankees), Jac Caglianone (Royals), and Willson Contreras (Red Sox), with more names expected before Monday.
Q: When and where is the 2026 Home Run Derby?
A: Monday, July 13, at 8 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, broadcast live on Netflix.
Q: Has Willson Contreras competed in a Home Run Derby before?
A: No, this will be his first career appearance, and he’s the first Red Sox hitter in the event since David Ortiz in 2010.
Q: Could Jac Caglianone become the youngest Home Run Derby winner ever?
A: Yes — both Caglianone and Junior Caminero are 23, and either could surpass Juan Gonzalez, who was 23 years and 265 days old when he won in 1993.
