Jordan Walker is your 2026 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby champion!
The St. Louis Cardinals right fielder not only took home his first Derby title in his first appearance but also became the first Cardinal to win the Derby after outlasting the hometown hero, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber, in the final.
It was a power-packed night in Philadelphia as Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero hit a ball 491 feet for the longest blast of the night before being eliminated in the semifinal. Hometown star Bryce Harper was eliminated in the first round after not being able to beat Schwarber's 10 first-round home runs, and New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice had the lowest total with seven home runs in his first-round exit. Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami and Kansas City Royals right fielder Jac Caglianone were the other two knocked out early, with Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras losing in the semis to pave the way for Schwarber and Walker to take center stage in the final at Citizens Bank Park.
We have your one-stop shop for everything Derby related, from the round-by-round results to our favorite moments from one of the most anticipated events of the summer.
Takeaways from the Home Run Derby
Jeff Passan: Walker walked into the most hellacious den in baseball, full of obscenities and vitriol and 43,863 fans rooting like mad for Schwarber to win the 2026 Home Run Derby, and he didn't just weather it. He silenced Citizens Bank Park. And of all the things worth remembering from the newest version of the Derby -- a format about which plenty even in the baseball ecosystem were skeptical -- it was Walker's triumph over Schwarber that forged the most lasting memory. Walker finished with six consecutive home runs. Down to his final swing, with one miss dooming him to defeat, the 24-year-old Cardinals right fielder -- whose star turn this year has helped propel St. Louis into playoff contention -- hit four balls out. Facing a do-or-die situation, Walker did -- and in the process became the first Cardinal to win the Derby.
Jorge Castillo: The crowd did Philadelphia proud. From introductions through the final round, the 43,863 in attendance mercilessly booed every non-Phillie and went wild for their two hometown sluggers. Harper was bounced after one round, but Schwarber carried the torch to keep the fans engaged. In the semifinals, he rode their energy to nine home runs before Contreras, hearing boos every time he took a pitch and cheers every time a ball didn't land over the wall (or when he was brushed back), fell one homer short. It was the same in the finals, where Walker became public enemy No. 1 by beating Philadelphia's favorite slugger. It made for an unusually raucous atmosphere for a Home Run Derby. Philly's gonna Philly.
David Schoenfield: The new format comes away with mixed reviews. It was certainly a more fair competition for the hitters, relying simply on the percentage of balls they hit over the fence as opposed to sometimes rewarding those who could simply take the most swings in the allotted time. We did miss that lack of barrage of rapid-fire home runs that can happen when somebody heats up and really gets the crowd going. In the end, Walker proved that taking advantage of that final-swing home run bonus was the key, winning with 12 home runs in 18 swings compared to Schwarber's 11 home runs in 15 swings.
MLB Home Run Derby results
Final
Kyle Schwarber (11) vs. Jordan Walker (12)
Semifinal
3. Junior Caminero (5) vs. 2. Jordan Walker (6)
4. Kyle Schwarber (9) vs. 1. Willson Contreras (8)
First round
1. Willson Contreras: 13 home runs
2. Jordan Walker: 13 home runs
3. Jac Caglianone: 8 home runs (eliminated)
4. Munetaka Murakami: 9 home runs (eliminated)
5. Ben Rice: 7 home runs (eliminated)
6. Junior Caminero: 12 home runs
7. Kyle Schwarber: 10 home runs
8. Bryce Harper: 8 home runs (eliminated)
Relive the Derby's biggest moments
Pre-Derby predictions
Who is going to win and who will be the runner-up?
Jeff Passan: Caminero over Murakami.
David Schoenfield: I have Schwarber over Caminero. Obviously, the home-field advantage should help rev up Schwarber and Harper -- and the Home Run Derby is as much about channeling that energy as anything. Caminero's bat speed, power and youth create the perfect trifecta needed to win a Derby. So why Schwarber? The ball seems to fly a little better to right field at Citizens Bank Park, so I think one of the left-handed batters will win. It's Schwarber taking home the trophy.
Buster Olney: Harper over Caminero.
Jesse Rogers: Caminero over Schwarber. It's Junior's turn. The experience of finishing second last year will help propel him to a win over Philly's current HR king. Taking down Schwarber in his home park won't be easy but this is Caminero's time to shine. I picked him last year as he nearly pulled off the upset. I'm even more confident this time around. His star will shine even brighter after Monday night.
Jorge Castillo: Schwarber over Harper. I went out on a limb and went with the guy leading the majors in homers with 32. Schwarber has yet to win a Derby despite his power surge in recent years, but he came through for the National League in Atlanta last year in the first All-Star Game swing-off. He belted three home runs on three swings and became the first position player to win All-Star Game MVP without recording a hit in a game. In this year's Derby, Schwarber will outslug his teammate in friendlier confines to become the first Phillie to win the Derby since Bobby Abreu and Ryan Howard took home the crown in 2005 and 2006.
Who will hit the longest home run of the night -- and how far?
Passan: Caglianone, 486 feet.
Schoenfield: Caminero goes 489 feet.
Olney: Schwarber goes 511 feet.
Rogers: Caglianone, 506 feet.
Castillo: Schwarber, 492 feet.
Who is the one slugger fans will know much better after the derby?
Passan: In his short major league career, Murakami has 49 hits, and 20 of them are home runs. He holds the Nippon Professional Baseball record for home runs by a Japan-born player. He was, in other words, built for this event. Murakami wound up with the White Sox on a well-under-market two-year contract because teams worried about his propensity to strike out and ability to hit high velocity. The good news is neither presents a problem in the Home Run Derby. Murakami knows his zone, knows what pitches to swing at and can match the other leviathans of the competition in raw power. He's known plenty in Japan. Now is time for the United States audience, beyond Chicago, to wise up.
Olney: At the time that MLB announced that Caglianone was going to participate in the Derby, our ESPN broadcast team was just about to go on air, and Adam Ottavino said to the group: "That guy is going to put on a show." Caglianone is listed at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, with extraordinary power in his left-handed swing. Like Pete Alonso, he was raised in Tampa before attending the University of Florida, and like Alonso, Caglianone has wanted to be part of the Derby since watching the event as a kid. And, as with Alonso, who emerged as a star slugger with his win in the Derby in Cleveland, casual baseball fans will get to know Caglianone in this event.
What's the one moment we'll all be talking about long after this Derby ends?
Schoenfield: Schwarber, runner-up to Bryce Harper in 2018 when Harper won in front of his home fans in D.C., wins his first Derby and replicates Harper's hometown win. And, like Harper, Schwarber will do it in dramatic fashion with a final-swing home run to win it.
Rogers: It won't be just one moment but a lot of dead-air moments. Now that players can take pitches again without a clock running, they're going to take their sweet time to get in their 20 swings. Why not? It's such a grueling exercise, they might as well catch their breath. But it won't make for a quick watch, which could lose viewers late. Call me a Debbie Downer, but watching players take pitches in the Home Run Derby isn't what anyone signed up for.
Castillo: Schwarber and Harper slugging it out in the final round in front of their home crowd. The Phillies teammates -- and future Hall of Famers? -- will give fans a tremendous show with Schwarber edging out Harper to win his first Derby title eight years after Harper triumphed as the hometown hero in D.C.