2026 AFL Home Run Derby Breakdown
Toronto Blue Jay Aaron Parker took home the 2026 AFL Home Run Derby Crown, edging out St. Louis Cardinals prospect Tai Peete in the final.
Aaron Parker of the Toronto Blue Jays took home the Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby on Saturday, November 7. The catcher secured the win despite not originally being selected as a participant. Parker was a last-minute add, with Chase Harlan (Just Baseball’s #83 Prospect) being a late scratch the night before.
Parker bested St. Louis Cardinal prospect Tai Peete, 2-1, in the final round and finished with 19 total home runs on the night.
AFL History
The AFL has operated since 1992, providing Major League organizations a way to continue developing their prospects even after MiLB seasons ended.
The Home Run Derby had its inaugural event in 2022, and each year has displayed solid prospects and future big league contributors:
- 2022: Heston Kjerstad, Matt Mervis, Andy Pages, Edouard Julien
- 2023: Kyle Manzardo, Kevin Alcantara
- 2024: Jac Caglianone, Moises Ballesteros, Carter Jensen
- 2025: Esmerlyn Valdez, Tommy White
2026 AFL Home Run Derby
Format and Results
The 2026 Home Run Derby introduced a new format, replacing the previous team-based competition with a single-elimination bracket.
Preliminary round: Each participant received 90 seconds. Those totals carried into the first head-to-head round.
| Hitter | Aaron Parker | Tai Peete | Jack O’Dowd | Brooks Bryan | Eric Bitonti | Alex McCoy | Antonio Anderson | Yerlin Confidan |
| Preliminary Round Total | 7 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
Round 1: Eight participants are seeded going into head-to-head matchups based on total AFL home runs. Each hitter receives nine outs. Their preliminary totals were combined with their Round 1 totals.
Matchup 1: (1) Jack O’Dowd – 2 HR (12 total) vs. (8) Yerlin Confidan – 0 (1 total)
Matchup 2: (4) Tai Peete – 4 (10 total) vs. (5) Eric Bitonti – 0 (8 total)
Matchup 3: (3) Brooks Bryan – 2 (7 total) vs. (6) Antonio Anderson – 2 (6 total)
Matchup 4: (2) Alex McCoy – 1 (7 total) vs. (7) Aaron Parker – 5 (12 total)
Semifinal: Nine outs each. Scores reset for this round.
Matchup 1: (1) Jack O’Dowd – 3 vs. (4) Tai Peete – 4
Matchup 2: (3) Brooks Bryan – 4 vs. (7) Aaron Parker – 5
Final: The two finalists received nine outs each, with the winner determined by the number of home runs hit in the final round.
Final Matchup: (4) Tai Peete – 1 vs. (7) Aaron Parker — 2
Full Results
| Hitter | Preliminary | Round 1 | Semifinal | Final |
| Aaron Parker | 7 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| Tai Peete | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Jack O’Dowd | 10 | 2 | 3 | – |
| Brooks Bryan | 5 | 2 | 4 | – |
| Eric Bitonti | 8 | 0 | – | – |
| Alex McCoy | 6 | 1 | – | – |
| Antonio Anderson | 4 | 2 | – | – |
| Yerlin Confidan | 1 | 0 | – | – |
Player Breakdowns
All stats accurate as of November 13, 2026
Aaron Parker, Toronto Blue Jays
- Age: 23
- Organization Rank (FanGraphs): Unranked
- Position: C/OF
- 2026 (Double-A): 87 G, .253/.347/.467, 19 HR, 48 RBI, 12 SB, .359 wOBA
- AFL: 12 G, .356/.483/.511, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 8 SB, .437 wOBA
Parker immediately made himself the favorite in Round One, launching seven home runs while taking aggressive swings and showing an ability to backspin the baseball effectively. Broadcaster Alex Coil said Parker displayed a “slowpitch softball” swing, and it definitely catered to the derby.
Parker is built like a tank at 5-foot-7 and 210 pounds. He displayed a short, compact swing that allowed him to get into his legs and lift the ball, a perfect fit for this competition. Parker was able to hit 108 mph exit velocity with ease.
Tai Peete, St. Louis Cardinals
- Age: 21
- Organization Rank (FanGraphs): 20
- Position: OF
- 2026 (3 Levels): 66 G, .296/.359/.549, 13 HR, 56 RBI, 16 SB, .397 wOBA
- AFL: 19 G, .351/.441/.662, 3 HRs, 17 RBI, 20 SB, .464 wOBA
Peete was originally drafted #30 overall by the Seattle Mariners in 2023, before being acquired by the Cardinals in the Brendan Donovan deal. The Cardinals prospect rose through the minors this year, going from the Complex League to finish 2026 in Double-A. At 21 years old, he posted an extremely impressive 2026 campaign and rolled it over into the AFL season.
Peete taps into his tall frame when he barrels the ball to take advantage of his future 60-grade raw power. He is able to blend his raw power with his 60-grade speed to provide Peete a dynamic offensive profile.
Peete displayed a true power-speed combo in 2026 and came up just short of capping it off with an Arizona Fall League derby crown.
Jack O’Dowd, Colorado Rockies
- Age: 25
- Organization Rank (FanGraphs): Unranked
- Position: C/1B
- 2026 (3 Levels): 107 G, .307/.383/.584, 23 HR, 91 RBI, 4 SB, .408 wOBA
- AFL: 21 G, .308/.372/.641, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 2 SB, .420 wOBA
O’Dowd had one of the most exciting Preliminary Rounds in the derby. The 25-year-old was at just two home runs with 30 seconds left as he took his timeout, before finding a groove and barreling eight in a row for a preliminary-round best 10 home runs.
At the plate, O’Dowd has a big leg kick, but keeps his hands quiet with his bat on his shoulder through a large majority of his stride. The former Texas Longhorn was signed in the 2026 offseason as a minor league free agent, and played across Low-A, High-A, and Double-A.
Brooks Bryan, Kansas City Royals
- Age: 22
- Organization Rank (FanGraphs): #37
- Position: C/1B
- 2026 (Low-A): 33 G, .319/.406/.496, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 6 SB, .421 wOBA
- AFL: 15 G, .317/.397/.583, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 1 SB, .423 wOBA
Bryan has taken advantage of his time in the AFL to sell himself as more of a power bat going into 2027. After hitting only three home runs in 33 games in his month in Low-A, the Royals prospect slugged four of them to earn himself a spot in the AFL derby.
The 2025 eighth-round pick has a lot of moving parts in his swing: he starts with his hands close to his head, before kicking them back during his larger stride towards the pitcher. Bryan can barrel the ball extremely well, with his 60-grade raw power being his highest-rated attribute.
Eric Bitonti, Milwaukee Brewers
- Age: 20
- Organization Rank (FanGraphs): #36
- Position: 1B
- 2026 (High-A/Double-A): 117 G, .262/.378/.507, 25 HR, 93 RBI, 24 SB, .393 wOBA
- AFL: 19 G, .232/.342/.415, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 4 SB, .353 wOBA
Brewers prospect Eric Bitonti displayed a large frame and smooth swing from the left side, with good power on balls on the outer half of the plate. The lefty found a groove in this derby once he started getting more pitches to extend his arms on.
At 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, Bitonti will need to look to continue damaging pitches away, which allow him to tap into his frame for his raw power.
Alex McCoy, San Diego Padres
- Age: 24
- Organization Rank (FanGraphs): #23
- Position: RF
- 2026 (High-A/Double-A): 123 G, .278/.355/.467, 19 HR, 71 RBI, 24 SB, .369 wOBA
- AFL: 18 G, .250/.372/.578, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 12 SB, .416 wOBA
McCoy has some of the best raw power in all of the minor leagues. The 24-year-old has 70-grade power and has made it well known in 2026.
In the first round, McCoy demolished a baseball 503 feet. Earlier in October, he hit a home run 435 feet. The outfielder reached a max exit velocity of 118.2 mph this fall, good enough for the fourth hardest batted ball in AFL Statcast history.
However, this is not a new power surge, as the Hofstra product hit a 453-foot grand slam while also reaching 119.5 mph max exit velocity in High-A this year.
Antonio Anderson, Boston Red Sox
- Age: 21
- Organization Rank (FanGraphs): Unranked
- Position: 1B
- 2026 (High-A): 85 G, .273/.373/.453, 9 HR, 46 RBI, 2 SB, .374 wOBA
- AFL: 19 G, .352/.500/.606, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 0 SB, .477 wOBA
Anderson, a switch-hitter, opted to hit from the left side in this year’s derby. His derby performance came off an impressive first half of the 2026 AFL season. Anderson showed large improvements offensively, significantly outperforming his regular-season numbers in the AFL and slugging north of .600.
The first baseman’s swing can still cause his torso to over-rotate and pull off pitches, hooking them down the line. However, his AFL performance could build momentum for Anderson moving forward.
Yerlin Confidan, Cincinnati Reds
- Age: 23
- Organization Rank (FanGraphs): #33
- Position: OF
- 2026 (High-A/Double-A): 126 G, .255/.332/.405, 15 HR, 73 RBI, 9 SB, .336 wOBA
- AFL: 17 G, .309/.365/.559, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 0 SB, .413 wOBA
Confidan definitely struggled during the derby, putting up one total home run in his only two rounds. The 23-year-old signed as an international free agent in 2019 with the Reds.
With a 90 wRC+ during the regular season, the 2019 international free agent signing displayed improved results in the AFL with a wOBA of .413. The outfielder has displayed some of the highest average exit velocities through the AFL this season.
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Written by
Justin Fuls is a former pitcher at Oberlin College and recently joined the Just Baseball team for the upcoming offseason