Oneil Cruz will be bringing his talents to the 2025 Home Run Derby.
The Pittsburgh Pirates made the announcement on Tuesday, sharing a graphic that stated the slugger’s intent to participate in the event on July 14 at Truist Park.
Cruz, who has 15 home runs in 2025, will compete alongside the Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh (35), Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. (9), Washington Nationals’ James Wood (23) and Minnesota Twins’ Byron Buxton (20). MLB has had difficulty getting players to commit to the event, with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, New York Mets’ Pete Alonso, Philadelphia Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber and Toronto Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. all declining after previously competing in the event.
The Pirates haven’t had someone participate in the event since 2019, when Josh Bell got ousted in the first round. Pittsburgh has never had someone win the event, with Jason Bay (0 in 2005), Andrew McCutchen (4 in 2012) and Pedro Álvarez (6 in 2013) all failing to get out of the first round.
How do you think Cruz will perform, Pirates fans? Let us know in the comments.
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