PHOENIX – The Arizona Fall League has announced the participants and format for the 2025 AFL Home Run Derby at Sloan Park on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 6:30 p.m. MST.
The fourth annual event, put on as a part of “Fall Stars Weekend,” combines eight top sluggers from the Arizona Fall League in one showcase. Each of the six teams have one representative with two wild cards. Tickets to the event start at $20 and can be purchased at brushfire.com/arizonafallleague.
In 2025, the Arizona Fall League will be introducing a brand-new format where the eight (8) participants will be split into four (4) teams of two (2) players. The teams include:
Team 1 – Esmerlyn Valdez (PIT – Salt River) & Tony Blanco Jr. (PIT – Salt River)
Team 4 – Ryan Galanie (CWS – Glendale) & Parks Harber (SF – Scottsdale)
Team 2 – Tommy White (ATH – Mesa) & Ethan Petry (WSH – Scottsdale)
Team 3 – Luke Adams (MIL – Surprise) & Thomas Sosa (BAL – Peoria)
Preliminary Round:
To begin the derby, all eight participants will have a 90-second preliminary round. Each home run will add one (1) point to the score. Any home run hit over 425 feet will count double, adding two (2) points to the score. All points from each participants’ preliminary round will carry over into the first round.
First and Second Rounds:
The first round will consist of two (2) head-to-head matches between two-person teams. In each match, a coin flip will decide which team leads off. Each team can decide the order in which the hitters on their team hit. Players from each team will alternate until all four players have hit. The winning teams of the first-round matches will advance to the second round.
The second round will consist of one (1) head-to-head matchup between the teams that won their first-round matches.
The first and second rounds will use an out-based format. Each hitter will have seven (7) outs to accumulate the highest score possible. Each home run will add one (1) point to the score. Any home run hit over 425 feet will count double, adding two (2) points to the score. The team with the highest total score (i.e., both players combined) wins the match.
Tiebreaker: Ties will be broken by the hitters engaging in successive one-swing swing-offs until there is a winner. Teams must alternate between hitters during the tiebreaker. There is no bonus for distance during the tiebreaker.
Final Round:
In the final round, the hitters from the team that won the second-round match will face each other in a head-to-head swing-off to decide the Home Run Derby Champion.
The batter with the highest score from the first two rounds will choose whether to hit first or second. Each batter will have nine (9) swings to accumulate the highest score possible. Hitters will alternate every three swings until each has taken nine (9) total swings. Each home run will add one (1) point to the score. Any home run hit over 425 feet will count double, adding two (2) points to the score. The hitter with the highest total score after nine (9) swings wins the match. There is no limit on the number of pitches each hitter can take.
Tiebreaker: Ties will be broken by the hitters engaging in successive one-swing swing-offs until there is a winner. There is no bonus for distance during the tiebreaker.
Past Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby Champions:
2022: Robert Perez Jr. (SEA)
2023: Kalai’i Rosaio (MIN)
2024: Garrett Martin (NYY)
The 33rd season of the Arizona Fall League returns to the Valley. Regarded as the premier league for baseball’s top prospects, the Arizona Fall League continues to develop top-caliber talent across all 30 MLB Clubs. AFL games will be held at six Cactus League ballparks throughout the 2025 season - Camelback Ranch-Glendale, Peoria Sports Complex, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, Sloan Park, Scottsdale Stadium and Surprise Stadium. The 19th annual Fall Stars Game (Sunday, Nov. 9) will be played at Sloan Park, and the AFL Championship Game (Saturday, Nov. 15) will be played at Salt River Fields, both being televised on MLB Network. The full 2025 Arizona Fall League Schedule and online tickets can be found at the Arizona Fall League website at MLBFallBall.com. Nearly every 2025 AFL game will be available to watch live on MLB.com and the Fall League website.