The 2025 MLB All-Star Game is officially one week away, as fans will get to watch some of the top names in baseball compete in Atlanta, Ga. As is the case every year, there is a full weekend-plus dedicated to the Midsummer Classic, with a variety of events taking place. There's the All-Star Game itself as the main event, the celebrity softball game, the MLB Draft, and perhaps the most anticipated, the Home Run Derby.
In 2025, the Home Run Derby is in the spotlight, but for the amount of players who declined invitation to participate. The likes of Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Schwarber, Elly De La Cruz, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Pete Alonso, and the 2024 Home Run Derby winner Teoscar Hernandez all announced they won't participate in the event. With the amount of name-power on that list, it does sting for MLB and puts them in a bit of a bind.
So far, the only players announced to compete in the Home Run Derby are Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves, Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, and Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates. That leaves MLB with four more spots to fill.
While it will be a tough task for MLB, let's take a crack at predicting the final three participants in the 2025 Home Run Derby.
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3. Juan Soto, OF, Mets
One player that was snubbed heavily from the MLB All-Star Game was New York Mets star Juan Soto. Even though he did have a slow start to the season, Soto has been on a heater as of late. Soto was named the NL Player of the Month for June after recording a .322 batting average, a 1.196 OPS, 11 home runs, and 20 RBI. He led all NL outfielders in on-base percentage and runs scored, yet couldn't crack the roster.
If MLB wants to add as much star-power as possible, their best choice might be convincing Soto. That could be difficult, considering he already won a Home Run Derby before, and he may be focused on keeping himself ready for the Mets' World Series push. But it doesn't hurt to ask.
This season, Soto has 21 home runs and a .904 OPS this season.
Out of the remaining names who haven't said no to the Home Run Derby, Soto is the biggest star currently.
2. Seiya Suzuki, OF, Cubs
Much like Soto, the fact that Seiya Suzuki of the Chicago Cubs didn't make it onto the NL All-Star roster was shocking. The Cubs are in the position they are right now due to their slugging abilities between Suzuki, Crow-Armstrong, Kyle Tucker, and Michael Busch.
This season, Suzuki hit 25 home runs, which is fourth-most among all National League players. Additionally, Suzuki has a .561 slugging percentage, 77 runs batted in, and 91 hits on the year. In fact, that RBI total is the highest Suzuki has had in a season in his entire career! Yet, it wasn't enough for the players to vote in Suzuki over the likes of Kyle Stowers of the Miami Marlins or Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres.
Suzuki seems to have accepted the All-Star snub, as evidenced by his tongue-in-cheek comments about looking forward to vacation during All-Star weekend. Maybe MLB can convince him to compete in the Home Run Derby?
1. Eugenio Suarez, 3B, Diamondbacks
One of the major surprise players so far in the 2025 season has been Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez. The former Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers, and Cincinnati Reds infielder has been absolutely raking in the desert this season. The shame of it all is that even with all of the star-power on the roster, the Diamondbacks are in fourth-place in their division.
Suarez is going to be the top player available if the Diamondbacks opt to sell at the trade deadline on July 31, and it's easy to see why. Through 89 games, Suarez hit 28 home runs while posting a slugging percentage of .561. Suarez's home run total is the second-most in the National League, behind Shohei Ohtani's 30.
Suarez has said he is open to competing in the Home Run Derby if he's asked. This should be a no-brainer decision by commissioner Rob Manfred.