The 2025 MLB Home Run Derby will take place on Monday night, July 14, at Truist Park in Atlanta. Home to the Braves and one of the newest ballparks in MLB, Truist is a gorgeous venue in an upscale part of the ATL suburbs. It figures to leave visiting fans satisfied, but what about the hitters tasked with belting moonshots under the night sky? Well, there it gets a bit more complicated.
The eight-man field is already set. Washington's James Wood, Pittsburgh's Oneil Cruz and Atlanta's Matt Olson will represent the National League. New York's Jazz Chisholm Jr., Seattle's Cal Raleigh, Tampa's Junior Caminero, Minnesota's Byron Buxton, and Sacramento's (sorry, had to do it) Brent Rooker will represent the American League.
That is an impressive collection of raw power. We should be in for a good Derby, regardless of the ballpark in which it takes place. That said ... does Truist favor any of those names more than others? Here's everything you need to know.
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Truist Park dimensions: How home run distance compares to other ballparks
Left Field Distance | Center Field Distance | Right Field Distance |
|---|---|---|
335 ft. | 400 ft. | 325 ft. |
Truist Park has pretty standard dimensions. Their center-field wall is on the shorter end of the spectrum, with only three MLB ballparks dipping below the 400-foot threshold in dead center. But the Braves don't have a real short-porch phenomenon in right or left field like you might find at Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park. That said, their right-field wall is the eighth-shortest in MLB, while the left-field wall is tied for 19th. So there is a slightly lopsided quality, despite only a 10-foot gap.
What's the longest home run in Truist Park history?
The longest home run in Truist Park history fittingly belongs to Braves superstar and 2024 National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr., who belted a 495-foot moonshot off of Red Sox pitcher Chris Mazza in 2020. That is currently the fifth-longest home run in the Statcast Era.
Acuña was originally slated to participate in Monday's Derby, but he unfortunately will sit it out with back tightness. In his place, teammate Matt Olson will take a crack at bringing home the trophy in his own ballpark.
Which Home Run Derby hitters benefit most from Braves’ stadium layout?
Baseball Savant's Park Factor ranks Truist 16th of 30 MLB ballparks, which is effectively neutral (with a slight advantage to pitchers). That said, it ranks seventh in total home runs over the last three years (106), so it's not difficult to get some elevation in the muggy Atlanta air. Given the shorter porch in right, Truist will ever-so-slightly favor the lefties.
Jazz Chisholm and Matt Olson produce a lot of pop in that general direction, so there's a chance the hometown hero gets the edge on his home field. James Wood is another lefty with unbelievable power, but he tends to spread the baseball around the park a bit more. Olson and Chisholm will pull it hard and high. Oneil Cruz is superhuman and a lefty, so don't discount him either.
Cal Raleigh, the presumed favorite in most circles, is a switch hitter batting .229 against righties with 22 home runs in 245 at-bats, compared to .333 against lefties with 16 home runs in 102 at-bats. It'll be interesting to see which side of the plate he chooses to focus on with a Derby title on the line.