Major League Baseball's top hitter of the 2026 season thus far will not be participating in the upcoming Home Run Derby:
Alvarez, who leads the majors in slugging percentage, total bases, OPS, and OPS+ (and leads the American League with 25 home runs), recently told reporters that he won't be part of the 2026 Derby field. "I'm still open," Alvarez said on Sunday, via The Athletic, "but not this year."
Alvarez, who's thus far the top All-Star vote-getter in the AL, has never participated in the Home Run Derby. The Houston Astros star is poised to earn his fourth career All-Star selection, and this one no doubt carries special meaning after a 2025 campaign during which hand and ankle injuries limited him to just 48 games played and a level of production not up to his usual lofty standards.
The 28-year-old Alvarez, however, has thus far in 2026 inserted himself into not only the Comeback Player of the Year race but also the MVP discussion with his high level of production. Given how hard he hits the ball and how often he hits it in the air to the pull side, Alvarez would no doubt have been among the Derby favorites had he decided to participate.
As for this year's Derby, no hitter has committed to it as of yet, although Ben Rice of the Yankees has said he wants to be a part of it. We at CBS Sports, however, have rolled out our dream Derby field for 2026.
The Home Run Derby will take place on Monday, July 13, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Last year, Cal Raleigh of the Mariners won the Derby. No Astro has ever won the event, and that figures to be the case for another year with Alvarez bowing out.
