Texas Rangers slugger Adolis Garcia will be competing in this year’s Home Run Derby, he announced on Wednesday.
With the Rangers hosting all of the All-Star festivities, Garcia will have the advantage of swinging in front of his hometown fans at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
Garcia, set to participate in the Home Run Derby for the second consecutive year, faced a competitive field last year. In the initial round, he smashed 17 home runs but was ultimately surpassed by Randy Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays, who hit 24. Garcia’s 17 homers were among the lower counts in the first round, surpassed only by Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who hit 11.
The lineup for this year’s event was finalized on Wednesday evening, including Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez. Alongside Garcia and Hernandez are prominent names like Pete Alonso of the New York Mets, Alec Bohm of the Philadelphia Phillies, Gunnar Henderson of the Baltimore Orioles, Marcell Ozuna of the Atlanta Braves, Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Guardians, and Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals.
Notably, Garcia is the lone non-All-Star among the competitors.
The Rangers have a history with the Home Run Derby, with two players securing victories in the past: Ruben Sierra, who shared the title with Eric Davis of the Cincinnati Reds in 1989, and Juan Gonzalez, who won outright in 1993.
Although Garcia did not clinch the Derby title last year, one of the most memorable performances by a Ranger remains Josh Hamilton’s record-setting display in 2008. Hamilton blasted an astonishing 28 home runs in the opening round, a record at the time, before falling to Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins in the final round.
This year’s Home Run Derby will feature a revised format compared to last year. The first round will be unseeded, with the top four finishers advancing. These finalists will then be seeded 1-4 for the semifinals, where the matchups will pit the top seed against the fourth seed and the second seed against the third seed.