Bryce Harper is conditionally placing his name in the 2026 Home Run Derby field.
The Philadelphia Phillies star first baseman Harper spoke Sunday to Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia. During the interview, Harper revealed that he plans to participate in this year’s Home Run Derby … if he can find the right pitcher to throw to him.
“It’s a big thing,” said Harper. “You can’t just pick somebody random. Also with it being the swings and not the timing on the clock — if I don’t get any pitches I can hit, swing-wise I’m in trouble. And I’m not going to do something if I’m going to have a half-mentality toward it because I’m worried about the pitcher.
“If I’m going to do it, I’m going to be full bore and very confident in winning it,” Harper continued. “I’m not going out there just to have fun. I’m going out there to win it.”
The former NL MVP Harper, 33, last competed in the Home Run Derby back in 2018, beating out his now-Phillies teammate Kyle Schwarber in the final round by a narrow score of 19-18 to win it all. Notably, Harper’s father Ron was pitching to him during the competition that year.
This time around, All-Star Weekend will be hosted by the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pa. Harper already made this year’s All-Star Game as MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s “Legend Pick,” and now it appears that he will be participating in the Home Run Derby in front of his home fans as well.
On the year, Harper is batting .274 with 20 home runs and 57 RBIs. With the Home Run Derby also recently implementing a very exciting change, Harper’s appetite is properly whetted again.
