With the All-Star festivities just weeks away, the list of Home Run Derby participants is only starting to take shape. Ronald Acuna Jr., who has hit nine home runs since coming off the IL a month ago, will be joined by home runs leader Cal Raleigh, who has slugged 32. Thus far, these are the only two sluggers that have committed to the derby.
Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Elly De La Cruz and reigning Home Run Derby champ, Teoscar Hernandez, have gracefully declined their invitations. However, the man who hits baseballs the hardest is yet to participate in his first derby, and it doesn’t appear as though he’s received his invitation. It is high time for Rob Manfred to invite Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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Rob Manfred should send Oneil Cruz an invite to the 2025 Home Run Derby
Having hit 15 home runs on the season, Cruz’s home run total doesn’t immediately jump out of the crowd, at least in a crowd of heavy-weight home run hitters. Cruz doesn’t make enough contact to lead the league in long balls. Still, there is a more than compelling argument.
Earlier this season, Cruz launched a home run that was recorded at 122.9 mph, the hardest hit ball of the Statcast Era. This broke a record set by – oh, look at that – Oneil Cruz, who hit a 122.4 single back in 2022.
The Pirates centerfielder owns the highest average exit velocity this season at 96.1 mph. His hard-hit rate of 57 percent is the fourth-highest in the game, behind Shohei Ohtani, James Wood and Kyle Schwarber while his barrels over batted-ball events percentage (Brls/BBE %) of 21.8 is third, behind Aaron Judge and Ohtani.
Regardless of his staggering strikeout total, which hovers at 108, the most in baseball, the Home Run Derby is a soft-pitch event, giving Cruz an outsized shot at winning the crown. By thrusting Cruz into the spotlight, Manfred could easily make this year’s Home Run Derby must-watch baseball.