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The Home Run Derby has gone through many changes since its debut at the 1985 MLB All Star Game.
What started as a team competition between the American and National Leagues morphed into a multi-round individual competition by 2017 (with a 2005 stopover pitting sluggers of different nationalities against one another). After a decade of using seeded brackets, in 2024, the league opted for a single pool of 8 players, which is whittled to 4, then 2, then a champion.
The Home Run Derby has always been about more than winning; it’s about fan service, with MLB attempting to put the most popular power hitters onstage. As a result, plenty of players have racked up multiple Home Run Derby appearances.
At the top of the list is Ken Griffey Jr., who batted in eight derbies between 1990 and 2000. He’s followed by Mark McGwire, who has seven appearances—five with the Athletics and two with the Cardinals. The top five is rounded out by a murderer’s row of mashers, all of whom appeared six times: Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Prince Fielder.
Pete Alonso, the only active player on the top-10 list, won’t equal those three in appearances this year. The Mets slugger skipped the Home Run Derby during the 2025 MLB All Star Weekend.
Many players have appeared in the contest several times—but few have taken the title more than once. In 1994, 1998, and 1999, it was Griffey Jr. The Seattle Mariners superstar has claimed the Home Run Derby trophy more times than any other player. Prince Fielder, Yoenis Cespedes, and Pete Alonso are the only other players to win multiple times.
Though players mostly participate for bragging rights, the league does distribute prize money as an incentive. Since 2019, as part of the collective bargaining agreement, each competitor has received at least $150,000, with the runner-up taking home $500,000 and the winner collecting $1 million.
Most Home Run Derby Appearances by a Player
| Rank | Player | Appearances | Years (wins in bold) |
| 1 | Ken Griffey Jr. | 8 | 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 |
| 2 | Mark McGwire | 7 | 1987, 1990, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 |
| T-3 | Barry Bonds | 6 | 1992, 1993, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2004 |
| T-3 | Sammy Sosa | 6 | 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 |
| T-3 | Prince Fielder | 6 | 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 |
| T-6 | Pete Alonso* | 5 | 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| T-6 | David Ortiz | 5 | 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011 |
| T-6 | Albert Pujols | 5 | 2003, 2007, 2009, 2015, 2022 |
| T-9 | Robinson Cano | 4 | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016 |
| T-9 | Jeff Bagwell | 4 | 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999 |
| T-9 | Lance Berkman | 4 | 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 |
*Active player
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