What is the story about?
The 2026 Home Run Derby will take place tonight in Philadelphia. It starts at 7pm US Central time and will be shown on Netflix. For an explainer of everything you need to know about the Derby, you can read Kris Willis at the mothership here.
A few key things to note:
- Jac Caglianone is participating. The large man can whack the ball really hard, so I’m hoping he can unleash his full power tonight. Would be super fun to see batting practice balls go out ball after ball after ball. He’s hit 15 home runs so far this season has a .201 ISO for power. He went on a huge hot streak in June and is capable of beating anyone in the field.
- The format is changing – the timer is gone. It will be swing-based, with 20 swings allotted in round 1, 15 in round 2, and 15 in round 3. I guess the hope is that players’s stamina will be pressured less.
- The top 4 guys in round 1 will advance to round 2. Then we’ll get two winners from round 2 to advance to the finals.
The derby when Bobby Witt Jr participated was, for me, an exercise in joy. He looked like he was having the absolute time of his life and I was beaming while watching him. It helped that it was a very close finish. I hope Cags can replicate
the joy and give us a little beacon of light in this dark season.
