1st-time Home Run Derby participants we want to see

It’s always fun to have new faces in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby.

It certainly was last year, when a field of eight sluggers -- seven of them new to the event -- put on a show in Atlanta. All four semifinalists were in the Derby for the first time, with the Mariners’ Cal Raleigh ultimately outlasting the Rays’ Junior Caminero for the title.

While it’s been a tough 2026 for Raleigh thus far, fellow ‘25 participants such as Caminero, the Twins’ Byron Buxton, the Nationals’ James Wood and the Braves’ Matt Olson have their power bats working again and could be in position to take another shot at the Derby crown -- if they so choose. As welcome as any of those players would be to return, we also can’t help but think about some other sluggers who have yet to participate, whether they be up-and-coming youngsters or established veterans.

So with the 2026 Derby now less than a month away (July 13 on Netflix), we tasked five MLB.com writers and researchers with each drafting a first-timer they want to see take their cuts at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park. Here are the results.

1. Nick Kurtz, A’s
2026 HR total: 19

The power is obvious with Kurtz, who last year became the first rookie in MLB history with a four-homer game. He recently hit his 53rd and 54th career home runs in just his 188th game. Only six players have had more in their first 188 games, led by Pete Alonso with 58. Kurtz was 98th percentile in bat speed and barrel rate last season. He’s 99th percentile and 97th percentile, respectively, in those this year.

But this pick isn’t primarily about that. It’s about the fact that Kurtz, from Lancaster, Pa., grew up a Phillies fan going to games at Citizens Bank Park.

“It’s almost cooler for me than the actual stuff I’ve done on the field,” Kurtz said of playing there when the A’s were in Philadelphia in May. “Sharing this moment with [my family] is really awesome. They took me to games, now they’re coming to watch me play here. It’s kind of crazy.”

Imagine him getting to crush homers there on a national stage.

-- Sarah Langs

2. Munetaka Murakami, White Sox
2026 HR total: 20

Murakami is currently on the injured list with a hamstring strain, but he’s slated to return sometime in late June or early July. When Murakami landed on the IL, his 20 home runs were tied with Yordan Alvarez for second most in the Majors and only two behind Kyle Schwarber’s MLB-leading 22 homers. For all of the dialogue surrounding Murakami’s free-agency case over the offseason, he’s proved to be one of the most prodigious sluggers in his early MLB career.

No matter which way you slide it -- whether it’s the 20 homers and .560 SLG in 57 games or the 99th percentile barrel rate or 100th percentile hard-hit rate -- Murakami rates as one of the game’s top sluggers. He has had some truly impressive home runs, too -- half of his 20 home runs have traveled at least 415 feet and eight of them have left his bat at 110-plus mph. This guy was literally built for the Derby.

-- Brent Maguire

3. Jordan Walker, Cardinals
2026 HR total: 18

Walker has always looked the part of a Home Run Derby participant. That remains true this season as the imposing, 6-foot-6 outfielder owns the second-fastest average bat speed (79.0 mph) and ranks fifth in highest average exit velocity (94.4 mph). The difference this year as opposed to previous seasons is that he’s making much more contact -- thanks to a seven-point cut in his strikeout rate -- and that’s resulted in a true breakout campaign for the 24-year-old.

He entered Sunday ranked 11th in the Majors in slugging percentage (.538) and tied for 15th in wRC+ (145). He’s obviously deserving of his first All-Star Game nod, but since he’s one of only four players with multiple homers that traveled at least 450 feet this season, he should be a lock for the Derby, too.

-- Brian Murphy

4. Yordan Alvarez, Astros
2026 HR total: 25

We’re certainly overdue to see a healthy Alvarez compete in the Derby. Ahead of the 2024 Derby, Alvarez told reporters that he was not “super motivated” to participate, but also indicated he would be more open to competing in future years. There’s no better time than the present, given that the 28-year-old has re-established himself as one of the best hitters in baseball and an early frontrunner to win the AL MVP award. While Alvarez told The Athletic on Sunday that this won't be the year he takes the Derby plunge, we can always hope for a change of heart, right?

Alvarez leads the Majors with a .642 slugging percentage, while his 25 home runs are second to only Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber. Few players hit the ball as consistently hard as Alvarez, who ranked in the top 10 among qualified hitters with a 94.5 mph avg. exit velocity, an 18.8% barrel rate and a 53.5% hard-hit rate through Saturday.

If Alvarez joins the Derby field, he is bound to put on a show, as his home runs are often majestic. This season, he’s one of five players to hit multiple home runs of at least 448 feet. He’s also responsible for two of the hardest-hit home runs of the season, with a pair of long balls that left the bat at 115.9 mph. Alvarez would be a Derby headliner should he enter the field.

-- Jared Greenspan

5. Ben Rice, Yankees
2026 HR total: 22

With Aaron Judge temporarily out of the picture, Rice is a much more obvious presence in the AL East. The thing is, he was stealing the spotlight from his superstar teammate (and former Home Run Derby champion) well before Judge was sidelined. For much of the season, Rice led all qualifying hitters in slugging; he last did so on June 9. He's dipped since ... to second, behind only Alvarez, and a huge chunk of his .616 SLG are those 22 home runs, which are fourth-most in MLB.

What's more, this is an especially friendly venue for this particular left-handed hitter. Rice hit his 22nd home run on Sunday; as of Saturday, had he played all of his games at Yankee Stadium (rather than half), he'd still have 21 home runs, based on Statcast park factors (dimensions, wall heights and environmental effects). At Citizens Bank Park, he'd have had 25, in part because that ballpark is off-center, deepest in left-center with a sharp inward angle towards right-center, right where most of Rice's homers land.

Last but not least, the ultimate argument in Rice's favor -- just look at how he wields a baseball bat. Seriously. Look at this. Like it's a mythical blade or something. If that swing doesn't belong in the Derby, whose does?

-- Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru