Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia will have home-field advantage when he competes in the Home Run Derby on Monday at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
Major League Baseball announced Wednesday that Garcia, 31, will participate in his second career and consecutive competition. He hit 17 home runs in a first-run loss to Tampa Bay’s Randy Arozarena (24 homers) in 2023 in Seattle.
Garcia, who was not selected to the American League All-Star team, will be the first Ranger to compete in a Home Run Derby in Arlington, as Texas didn’t have a player participate in the 1995 derby at The Ballpark at Arlington in 1995.
He’ll be joined by the final commitment to the lineup, Teoscar Hernandez. The Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder joined the competition later Wednesday to complete the field. He had 19 home runs and 60 RBIs in 90 games this season.
Hernandez, 31, was an All-Star in 2021 but has never competed in the derby, despite batting for at least 20 home runs in five of his previous six seasons, including 32 for Toronto in ’21. He also earned AL Silver Sluggers in 2020 and ’21 with the Blue Jays.
A two-time All-Star (2021, 2023), Garcia is batting .215 with 17 homers and 45 RBIs in 87 games. His homer total ties Corey Seager for the team lead, while Garcia is tops for Texas in extra-base hits (32).
In parts of six seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals (2018) and Rangers (2020-present), he has 114 homers and 344 RBIs while batting .239 in 564 games.
Other confirmed entries in the slugging exhibition are the Philadelphia Phillies’ Alec Bohm, the Baltimore Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson, the Kansas City Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr., the Atlanta Braves’ Marcell Ozuna, the Cleveland Guardians’ Jose Ramirez and two-time winner Pete Alonso of the New York Mets.
Two Rangers have won the event — Ruben Sierra in 1989 and Juan Gonzalez in 1993.
–Field Level Media