CHICAGO – The first-ever White Sox Alumni Home Run Derby, taking place at Rate Field on Saturday, July 11, features a portion of six candidates who don’t exactly have a plethora of home runs on their resume.
There’s Daniel Palka, who has 29 long balls for his career. Leury García checks in with 34, Scott Podsednik brings his 42 and Gordon Beckham arrives at 80. Alexei Ramirez hit 109 with the White Sox (115 overall), and let’s not forget Jose Canseco, with 462 homers and 200 stolen bases.
But this competition features an eclectic and what should be an entertaining group of players who produced meaningful and memorable long-ball connections during their respective White Sox tenures. They also fall in line with feedback received from the Milwaukee Brewers, who did this same sort of competition last year for the 25th anniversary of American Family Field.
“They were like, ‘Hey it’s really cool, it’s really fun. But word of advice: If you want a fun derby, get players who can still hit,’” White Sox senior director of marketing and promotions Mike Downey told MLB.com. “You might have to sacrifice some bigger names in exchange for some guys who are still in shape and can hit some home runs.
“If you want to put on a show, find some guys who can potentially put on a show,” Downey added.
That salient advice didn’t stop the White Sox from reaching out to approximately 25 players, according to Downey. Some past players had work commitments, some had family commitments.
Some players didn’t have a passport so they couldn’t travel to Chicago. A few committed to competing but then backed out. And then there were players who enjoyed the idea, but their bodies might not cooperate.
“Carlos Quentin is the guy who I really thought that we were going to get, and he was really interested and I’m really glad I was able to connect with him,” Downey said. “He’s a super interesting guy.
“He basically was like, ‘I want to do it. I would love to come back to Chicago. This sounds awesome. I would love my kids to see me in the uniform one more time.’ But he was like ‘My shoulder’ and some of the injuries he had during his playing days ‘I just don’t want to reaggravate that.’ I can’t blame them. I would not want to put your body at risk for something like this.”
Podsednik hit one of the most iconic home runs in White Sox history, walking off the Astros in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series sweep. Garcia went deep during a Game 3 home victory for the White Sox in the ’21 ALDS series loss to the Astros, while Ramirez launched four grand slams as a rookie in ’08. Palka produced 27 home runs during a stellar ‘18 rookie season with the White Sox and stands as the unofficial co-favorite with Beckham, who had a walk-off homer on Father’s Day in 2015.
Then, there’s Canseco’s prolific power. Canseco also turns 62 on July 2 and lost 40 pounds during a battle against prostate cancer beginning eight months ago. But the six-time All-Star, who finished his career with 16 homers in 2001 during his lone season with the White Sox, has returned to his playing weight, is training and not surprisingly is ready to compete.
“So, can I still hit a baseball? Yeah, but I haven’t done it in 20 or 30 years. I don’t know how far I can hit it,” Canseco told MLB.com during a recent interview. “I just went through radiation, I’m battling cancer, and you know what? I am going to win because I am Jose Canseco.”
This Alumni Derby concludes a July 11 complete with all forms of White Sox baseball. The organization selects No. 1 overall in the 2026 Draft shortly before the first pitch is thrown in a game against the A’s moved to 1:10 p.m. CT.
Things end with the home run derby, featuring players from different White Sox eras, which was another goal for Downey and his staff. The White Sox purposely chose July 11 for this three-round format, beginning with either 10 outs or three minutes for the six players to hit as many home runs as possible, because “it’s a couple of days prior to Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby and the All-Star break,” according to Downey.
“It's our future,” said Downey of the early afternoon Draft opener. “You get to watch the game against the A’s, and that’s the present. Then stay for the past.
“We have six guys competing in a unique home run derby, so it’s kind of a cool proposition for fans. A cool way to end the first half.”