Phillies Derby Showcase
Harper and Schwarber Lead Phillies' Home Run Derby Showcase at Citizens Bank Park
Key Points
Harper and Schwarber will be the first two Phillies teammates to compete in the Home Run Derby together since the Cubs’ Schwarber and Javy Báez did so in 2018.
Schwarber is expected to be thrown to by a Phillies coach, while Bryce Harper will have Dodgers third-base coach Dino Ebel throwing to him.
Schwarber’s power metrics entering the Derby go beyond his home run total: a .530 expected slugging percentage, 19.7% barrel rate, 53.8% hard-hit rate, and 93.5 mph average exit velocity.
Bryce Harper has been named an MLB All-Star Legend Pick by Commissioner Rob Manfred for the event.
Historically, only two Phillies have won the Derby: Ryan Howard (2006) and Bobby Abreu (2005), highlighting the franchise’s rare Derby title victories.
Philadelphia is getting its own Home Run Derby showcase. Kyle Schwarber will join Bryce Harper in the 2026 T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park on Monday, July 14, making them the first Phillies teammates to compete together in the event, according to Fox 29. Schwarber enters with 32 home runs at the All-Star break and is on pace to approach 60 for the full season.
The Derby takes place one day before the All-Star Game at the same venue, putting Philadelphia at the center of baseball's biggest midsummer stage. The eight-man field also includes Willson Contreras, Jac Caglianone, Junior Caminero, Ben Rice, and Jordan Walker, with more names still to come, per The Score.
Schwarber's Historic Pace Sets Up Derby Run
Schwarber's numbers this season go well beyond his 32 homers. He carries a .530 expected slugging percentage, a 19.7% barrel rate, a 53.8% hard-hit rate, and an average exit velocity of 93.5 mph, according to The Times-Tribune. Those are elite power numbers by any measure. He is also within striking distance of his 400th career home run, a milestone he could reach on the Derby stage.
This is Schwarber's third Derby appearance. His best finish came in 2018 at Nationals Park, where he reached the final before losing to Bryce Harper. Now the two teammates meet on the same side, competing at the park where they play 81 games a year.
Harper Chases History at His Home Ballpark
Harper already won the Home Run Derby once — in 2018, in Washington, D.C., when he beat Schwarber in the final. A win in Philadelphia would put him alongside Ryne Sandberg and Todd Frazier as the only players ever to win the Derby at their home ballpark, per Citizens Voice.
Commissioner Rob Manfred named Harper an MLB All-Star Legend Pick for the event. Harper will be thrown to by Dodgers third-base coach Dino Ebel. Schwarber will be pitched to by a Phillies coach, though the team has not named who that will be.
A Rare Phillies Derby Tradition on the Line
Only two Phillies have ever won the Home Run Derby. Bobby Abreu took it in 2005, and Ryan Howard won it in 2006. No Phillie has won it since, according to Standard Speaker. That 19-year gap gives Harper and Schwarber a real chance to end a long dry spell for the franchise.
The last time two teammates from the same club competed in the Derby together was 2018, when Schwarber and Javy Báez both entered as members of the Chicago Cubs. Now Schwarber is on the other side of that matchup, teaming up with Harper instead of facing him.
Philadelphia Becomes Baseball's Midsummer Capital
Citizens Bank Park will host both the Derby on Monday and the All-Star Game on July 14. That puts Philadelphia at the heart of baseball for an entire week. Having two homegrown Phillies sluggers in the Derby field only adds to the local energy around the event, per Fox 29.
The full eight-man bracket is not yet set. More participants are expected to be announced before the event. But with Harper and Schwarber already confirmed, Phillies fans have two reasons to watch Monday night before the big game.
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