The field for the 2026 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is beginning to take shape, with the event set for July 13 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, according to the announcement. Tampa Bay Rays prospect Junior Caminero was the first player to commit, followed by New York Yankees slugger Ben Rice.
Caminero enters the Derby with 26 home runs this season and a longest blast of 463 feet, according to the report. He has posted the average fastest bat speed in the majors (80.0 mph), was the AL player of the week and month, and has produced a recent stretch that included six straight games with a home run. Caminero was the runner-up in last year’s Derby.
The report also notes a potential obstacle for Caminero: his age. No player as young as he is has ever won the Home Run Derby, and, if he were to triumph in Philadelphia, he would be 257 days younger than Juan Gonzalez was at 23.
Rice comes to the Derby with 25 home runs this season and a longest drive of 433 feet. The report says he has hit 51 homers since the start of the 2025 season and has nearly matched his career high despite only 315 at-bats in 2026. Rice’s average exit velocity is 91.8 mph (87th percentile) and his barrel rate is 14.7% (89th), figures that the report cites as evidence of his power potential. The past two Derby champions, Cal Raleigh and Teoscar Hernandez, were first-time participants.
The report also flags Rice’s contact issues as a concern. He has struck out 86 times in 85 games this season and carries a 24.9% whiff rate, which could hinder the consistency needed to string together multiple rounds in the Derby format.
