Jordan Walker Gets Himself A 125% Raise With His Home Run Derby Victory

Opening Round

The nearly three-hour event, broadcast for the first time on Netflix, started off with a bang. Boston’s Willson Contreras led things off with 13 home runs – seven in his first ten swings – with four traveling at least 470 feet, and one landing 490 feet from home. Jordan Walker of the Cardinals matched him with 13 of his own. All of that was prologue for what was to come.

Second Round

After eight contestants were reduced to four (Harper, Jac Caglianone of the Royals, Munetaka Murakami of the White Sox, and Ben Rice of those hated Yankees, were gone after the first round), Walker outlasted the Rays Junior Caminero 6-5. And then Schwarber edged out Contreras 9-8, to set up the final.

The Finals

Schwarber went first and launched six homers in his first eight swings on his way to a final round count of 11. With only 15 swings available*, Walker had his work cut out for him.

_{*Under the new format, if a player hits a home run on his last swing, he can continue going until he fails to leave the yard. This rule tweak will become very important.}

Walker started slow, and had only six home runs after 12 swings, meaning he needed something just short of a miracle to win the competition. On swing 13 he left the yard for #7; on his 14^th he did it again for #8; and on final swing he drove the ball into the left field bleachers to get within two. And because he homered on his last swing, he got another, which he promptly flew over the wall in left for #10. Another swing tied everything at eleven. Walker stepped out of the batter’s box and took a breath while the Netflix camera caught Schwarber looking on incredulously with Harper in the background looking shocked. Walker then stepped back in a lofted his last ball deep into the Philadelphia night to become the 2026 Home Run Derby champion.

It was a heady and impressive performance for a player who just this year is coming into his own and living up to all of his potential. He saved his best performance for when the lights were brightest and the crowd at its most vocal. And, in the end, he seemingly won over those fans who did not immediately flee for the exits as soon as that twelfth homer fell into the left field bleachers.

Money Matters

Schwarber is in the first season of a five year, $150 million contract. That is on the heels of his prior four year, $79 million deal. At $30 million per season, winning the Home Run Derby and its $1 million prize would have been about a 3% increase in his annual salary. Walker, on the other, is still under his rookie contract. This year he will earn $799,400. With his Derby victory, he increased his salary by 125%. That is the type of raise that the blue collar Philly and Phillies fans can get behind.

Of additional note: Contreras will make $18 million from the Red Sox this year. For a while, his 490-foot blast was the longest of the night, which would have netted him an additional $100,000, or about a 0.55% raise. But when Caminero, playing for just $794,800 this year, hit his fourth home run of the second round 491-feet, he secured himself that additional $100,000. One foot on one swing over two-plus hours equaled a 12.5% raise. Not bad work if you are physically gifted enough to do it.

The new format seems to work. Let’s see how it plays next year at Wrigley Field.