Discussion: 2026 Home Run Derby!

When Munetaka Murakami was the eighth player named, at almost the very last minute, to the field of hitters in tonight’s Home Run Derby, things suddenly got a LOT more interesting for us White Sox fans.

To that end, here’s your space to discuss the events of tonight and perhaps even look forward to tomorrow night’s All-Star Game, featuring an AL team with more than the minimum ONE White Sox player for the first time in what seems like ages.

Given that the bracket format of the Derby has now changed, we have five American League hitters in tonight’s competition and just three from the National League:

Jac Caglianone, Royals
Junior Caminero, Rays
Willson Contreras, Red Sox
Bryce Harper, Phillies
Munetaka Murakami, White Sox
Ben Rice, Yankees
Kyle Schwarber, Phillies
Jordan Walker, Cardinals

The format of the Derby is much different this year vs. seasons past, named in that there is no longer a timer attached to the competition. This year, the contest will be measured by swings.

Each hitter gets a certain number of swings:
Round 1: 20
Round 2: 15
Round 3: 15

The only way to earn additional swings is by homering on the final swing of the round, and if so, the hitter gets to keep swinging until a ball falls short of the fence.

The top four from Round 1 advance to the semis, where the homer leader from Round 1 faces the fourth-place finisher in a head-to-head battle, and likewise No. 2 vs. 3. Not sure why this round suddenly shifts to head-to-head vs. free-for-all. The championship (Round 3) is obviously a head-to-head battle as well.

If two players tie in the first round, the tiebreaker goes to whichever hitter had the longest home run of the round. Ties in the semis and finals will be broken by a three-swing “swing-off” bonus/mini round.

The players with the top four home run totals from the first round will advance to the semifinals, where they’ll be seeded based on their first-round homer totals. They will face off head-to-head (No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3) to determine the two finalists.

MLB’s Will Leitch ranked the hitters, naming the hometown sluggers Schwarber and Harper the most likely to prevail and Tampa’s Caminero the three favorites. Mune came in fourth, which seems right — if not just coming back from injury he’d probably slot behind only Schwarber, but cold after missing most of the past six weeks it’s hard to see how he overcomes the rust and fatigue to prevail. Then again, perhaps Mune is super-fresh and ready to mash hell outta the ball. Here’s hoping!

In terms of How to Watch, it’s especially tricky this year, as the Derby is being presented exclusively on Netflix. The pre-Derby hype begins at 6 p.m. CT, with the actual competition beginning at 7 p.m. CT. SiriusXM will broadcast the Derby on the radio; I am genuinely unsure whether that means it is airing on ESPN’s WMVP AM-1000 as well.