6 White Sox Alumni Coming Back for Home Run Derby at The Rate
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The Chicago White Sox are giving people another reason to pack The Rate.
As if their 20-11 record at home wasn't reason enough for fans to finally start filling seats, the Sox have continued to roll out some excellent promotional events. Their announcement of the Pope Hat reached viral status earlier this season, and they have now shared word of a postgame event that is bound to draw many more to the South Side.
On July 11, the Sox will officially host an alumni home run derby. The day will start with a watch party of the MLB Draft over the big screen. The Sox own the No. 1 overall pick at could go with UCLA superstar Roch Cholowsky. Then, following the Sox' meeting with the Athletics, six former Sox players will take the field for a home run battle!
The franchise likely got the idea from the Milwaukee Brewers, who held their own version of the event in 2025. Former Brewers stars like Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder both participated.
Who Will Compete in the White Sox' Alumni HR Derby?
Unfortunately for White Sox fans, they will not be seeing notorious power hitters like Jim Thome, Adam Dunn, or Paul Konerko back on the field. Maybe one day! However, that doesn't mean the organization didn't put together a pretty fascinating group of competitors!
Headlining the list is undoubtedly José Canseco. The six-time All-Star hit 462 home runs over his iconic playing career, which is tied for 38th on the all-time leaderboard. To be sure, Canseco is known far more for his playing time with the Sox' opponent on July 11, but he did finish his MLB career with the franchise in 2001. Canseco smashed 16 homers that season in his 76 games played.
Here is the full list of Home Run Derby participants:
• José Canseco
• Alexei Ramírez
• Scott Podsednik
• Gordon Beckham
• Leury García
• Daniel Palka
Of course, Alexei Ramírez might very well draw the most cheers. White Sox fans have long loved the infielder, who spent eight seasons with the team and hit 109 of his 115 career bombs. Scott Podsednik is also a fan-favorite thanks to the part he played in the Sox' 2005 World Series run. With that said, he was never known for his power swing, hitting a mere 42 home runs over his career.
The same can be said about Gordon Beckham. While the second baseman had some pop early in his career with the Sox and hit at least 10 homers in three of his first four seasons, he never broke the double-digit threshold again. Speaking of which, Leury García never hit more than nine in a single season of his MLB career!
Could this make Daniel Palka the favorite? You only have to go back to 2018 to find the season that he hit 27 home runs for the White Sox! Palka will also be the youngest of the competitors at only 34 years old.
If one thing is for sure, this is will be one heck of a fun event to watch. And, assuming all does go well, don't be surprised if we see it become a tradition on the South Side.
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Elias Schuster is a sports journalist and content creator from the northern suburbs of Chicago. A graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he has covered the Bulls since 2019-20 and previously served as the editor of BN Bulls at Bleacher Nation. He has been the Publisher for Bulls On SI since December of the 2025-26 season. When he isn't obsessing over hoops, Elias spends his time obsessing over practically every other sport – much to his wife's dismay. He also loves strolling the streets of Chicago for the best cozy bar or restaurant to set up shop and write his next article.
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