1st-time HR Derby sluggers we want to see

The T-Mobile Home Run Derby can introduce a powerful slugger to a national audience and catapult his profile (see: Aaron Judge and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as two recent examples), and while just about every baseball fan knows about Shohei Ohtani’s exploits by now, his announcement that he’ll participate in this year’s Derby -- thus stoking the imagination of what he could do in a dinger competition -- has already raised the level of anticipation.

If one were to jot down the top stars who hadn’t swung in the Derby yet, Ohtani would top a lot of lists. But he’s far from the only one, and with this year’s Derby taking place at the homer launching pad that is Coors Field, that makes us want to see new faces shine even more.

Six of MLB.com’s writers have come together to pick the first-time Derby participants they want to see pummel BP fastballs most. Here are the players they chose and why. (All stats were entering Tuesday’s games.)

Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres
Key stat: 58.7% hard-hit rate since 2020, highest in MLB

We all have to hope that we’ll see Tatis in a Home Run Derby soon, and even if this year ends up not being the year, with his lingering shoulder injury, it will be a treat whenever it does happen. Tatis hits the ball hard -- his hard-hit rate since the start of last season leads everyone with at least 200 batted balls in that span. And we’ve seen in past derbies that hitting the ball hard can lead to a ton of success; not to mention, it’s just a whole lot of fun to watch.

There’s no question that Tatis would be a great competitor in the Derby, considering both his batted ball profile and high home run total. But the best reason we’d want to see him there? His propensity to bring the energy and put on a show. That’s what the Derby is all about, and Tatis brings that level of excitement and competition to every game he plays.

-- Sarah Langs

Bo Bichette, Blue Jays
Key stat: 50.5% hard-hit rate (88th percentile among MLB hitters)

There is just too much to like about Bichette winning the Home Run Derby at his father’s old stomping grounds, Coors Field. Dante Bichette smashed 111 home runs at the corner of 20th and Blake Street as an original member of the Blake Street Bombers in the mid-1990s. His son hasn’t played in that venue yet, but that could change very soon if he keeps raking the way he has lately. Entering Tuesday, he was hitting .325/.358/.494 with three homers in the month of June, including an absolute monster shot in Boston -- a 468-foot blast over the Green Monster in left field on June 12, followed by another homer the following day at Fenway.

Dante Bichette hit a walk-off homer to christen Coors Field in the first game played there some 26 years ago. Now, his son could give Colorado fans a thrilling peek at the hitting prowess that runs in the family. What a story that would be.

-- Manny Randhawa

Joey Gallo, Rangers
Key stat: 14 career homers of 450+ feet, T-fourth most in Statcast era

Gallo could have taken part in the Home Run Derby before; he was invited in 2017 and ‘18 but humbly declined, saying he felt like he hadn’t earned the right to participate yet. Now that he’s in his fifth season as a big league regular, perhaps he’ll consider it this time. And really, who doesn’t want to see this 6-foot-5, 250-pound behemoth mashing dingers at the launching pad known as Coors Field? Few players have more raw power than the Rangers’ left-handed slugger, who has averaged 415 feet per home run in his career -- one of MLB’s top figures since Statcast started tracking in 2015. That includes multiple blasts of 490+ feet. Could he go for 500+ with the help of Colorado’s thin air?

-- Thomas Harrigan

Matt Olson, Athletics
Key stat: 50.2% hard-hit rate since 2017 (MLB's fourth-best)

Close your eyes and think back to the start of Matty O mania in 2017, when he was clubbing one homer for every nine at-bats. Do you remember the moonshot he hit in Philadelphia? You probably do.

That ball challenged the facing of the third deck at Citizens Bank Park, and it’s the dinger I think of when I imagine Olson taking aim at the three decks of seats behind right field at Coors. We’ve seen some of the longest Coors homers in recent years travel to the left-field concourse, but in my opinion the seats in right, climbing steep up to the edge of the purple Denver sky, make for a more appealing target. Mike Moustakas is the only lefty who’s belted more homers to the pull side than Olson since 2017, and Olson does about as much damage as any lefty when he pulls an air ball into play. The concourse atop those right-field seats could see some balls if Olson is there.

Plus, there’s that swing -- arguably as pretty as any left-handed cut in the game. Tell me you wouldn’t want to see this over and over again as Matty O crushes BP tosses.

- Matt Kelly

Tyler O'Neill, Cardinals
Key stat: 420-ft. average home run distance in 2021

O’Neill has been in the league a while, but you may not have noticed him in his first three seasons. You’ve probably noticed him in 2021. This version of Tyler O’Neill isn’t messing around. This Tyler O’Neill is here to remind you what a moonshot to dead center looks like.

Entering Tuesday, O’Neill had 15 home runs on the year. On average, they traveled 420 feet. Among players with at least 10 HR, he trailed Fernando Tatis Jr. (421 feet). That’s it. Just Tatis. Four of O’Neill’s first 15 homers flew at least 450 feet, tied with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (the same guy who hit 91 home runs in the last Home Run Derby) for the most in baseball.

It isn’t just distance, either. The average launch angle on his home runs was tied for the highest in baseball at 32 degrees, which would be how he hit the scoreboard at Chase Field like it was nothing. He was in the 99th percentile in barrel rate (21.9%) and the 97th in average exit velocity (93.7 mph). Over half (52.6%) of his batted balls were hard-hit.

The point is, O’Neill crushes against pitchers who are trying to get him out. So be honest -- don’t you want to see what he’d do in a Coors Field derby?

-- Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru

Daniel Vogelbach, Brewers
Key stat: 6-foot, 270 pounds

Is there any baseball fan alive who doesn’t want to see what happens if Vogey gets a hold of one at Coors Field? The man was built to crush baseballs. At 270 pounds, he’s very literally one of the biggest sluggers in baseball -- former Derby participants Aaron Judge, Jesús Aguilar and Miguel Sanó are the only hitters listed at a higher weight than Vogelbach in 2021. If he puts a full charge into one in the thin air of Colorado, it’s going a long, long way.

Vogelbach’s hardest career home run is 114.3 mph, and his longest career home run is 448 feet -- but if he puts all of that 270-pound frame into batting-practice pitching at Coors, the ball will be traveling a lot farther than that. Vogey is already a fan favorite, too, for whom people campaigned to get into the Home Run Derby back in 2019, when he mashed 30 homers in an All-Star season. He didn’t get to do the Derby then (although he did make the finals of the Triple-A Home Run Derby in 2017). Well … why not now?

-- David Adler