Oneil Cruz of the Pirates will participate in the Home Run Derby
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ center fielder, Oneil Cruz, accepted the invitation to compete in the Home Run Derby next Monday in Atlanta. This news excites baseball fans, who are looking forward to seeing the young player’s power.
Cruz joins the list of participants, which already includes prominent figures in sports.
- Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves
- Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners
- James Wood of the Washington Nationals
- Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins
Known for his powerful hitting, Cruz is capable of connecting some of the strongest home runs in baseball. An example of this was his home run on May 25 against the Milwaukee Brewers, which reached an exit velocity of 122.9 mph, the most powerful in the Statcast era.
At 26 years old, Cruz is on track to set a new personal home run record in a season. Currently, he has 15 in 80 games, surpassing his previous mark of 21, achieved in 2024.
In his career with the Pirates, Cruz has 55 home runs in 324 games.
Cruz will be the first Pittsburgh player to participate in the Derby since Josh Bell in 2019. Other Pirates who have been part of the event include Bobby Bonilla (1990), Barry Bonds (1992), Jason Bay (2005), Andrew McCutchen (2012), and Pedro Alvarez (2013).
Although his current batting average is .203, Cruz leads the National League with 28 stolen bases, demonstrating his versatility on the field.
Among the players who declined the invitation to the event are Pete Alonso of the New York Mets, Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies, and Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals.
Teoscar Hernandez of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the defending champion, also declined the invitation due to physical discomfort.
Also, Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers, figures known for their batting power, are also not expected to participate in the event.
