Home Run Derby betting preview: Trust Wood, Cruz to put on a show

The lineup for the 2025 Home Run Derby was finalized Thursday, featuring eight of baseball's most powerful hitters.

Current home-run leader Cal Raleigh is the +250 favorite on ESPN BET and theScore Bet. The Mariners catcher has belted 38 dingers, three more than his closest challenger, Aaron Judge. While the Yankees star is the American League MVP favorite, Raleigh's got the second-best odds to win the honor amid his breakout season.

Aside from Raleigh, the event doesn't feature many of the league's home-run leaders - Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Eugenio Suárez, and Kyle Schwarber are all absent - but the field is still rich with talent.

James Wood, who is making his first All-Star Game appearance, is eighth in the league in homers with 24. Junior Caminero is right behind Wood with 23.

Ronald Acuña Jr. pulled out of the event and was replaced by fellow Brave, Matt Olson. Oneil Cruz, Brent Rooker, Byron Buxton, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. round out the field for what should be an exciting Monday night event.

Home Run Derby odds

⚾️ Check out the odds on ESPN BET and theScore Bet here

Bet James Wood (+375)

Wood was +600 when we originally gave out this bet, but we still like his chances at +375.

He'ss catapulted his way into MLB's group of elite power hitters in his second season in the majors, giving Nationals fans reason to be excited about the organization's future. The left fielder has blasted 24 homers, 69 RBIs, and 99 hits.

While Woods is 6-foot-7 and tall hitters sometimes struggle at the derby, his exceptional strength and athleticism should allow him to crush balls in a batting practice setting; he hits the ball exceptionally hard and is toward the top of the league in exit velocity. This is Wood's first derby appearance, but that shouldn't prevent him from putting on a show in Atlanta. - Oshtry

Bet Oneil Cruz (+375)

Cruz was +375 before Acuña pulled out, but didn't receive a price adjustment like Raleigh and Wood did once Olson was announced as a participant. That fact alone makes Cruz somewhat of a bargain compared to his competitors.

Additionally, Cruz leads the big leagues in average exit velocity (96.4 mph), ranks second in barrel percentage (22.3%), and is third in the league in hard-hit percentage (58.0%) behind only Ohtani and Schwarber, making the Pirates center fielder one of the derby's most dangerous hitters. If he can pace himself in the early rounds and not gas out by over-swinging, Cruz has a legit shot to run away with this competition. - Patterson

Sam Oshtry is a sports writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.

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