Phillies' Bryce Harper Suggests Aluminum Bats for Gold Ball Pitches in 2026 MLB HR Derby

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper proposed an intriguing idea Friday to potentially spice up the Home Run Derby.

According to ESPN's Buster Olney, Harper suggested allowing the hitters to use aluminum bats when the gold balls come into play.

In the past, the Home Run Derby used special gold baseballs at various points, usually when a hitter was down to one out remaining or their time was nearing its end.

Gold-ball home runs typically resulted in charitable donations, adding to the excitement of the competition.

This year's Derby, which will take place Monday in Harper's home park of Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, features a new format with each hitter getting 20 swings in the first round rather than a set amount of outs or time.

The top four home run hitters from the first round advance to the semifinals where the No. 1 seed faces the No. 4 seed and the No. 2 seed faces the No. 3 seed.

The winner of each of those matchups is determined by who hits the most home runs after 15 swings.

In the finals, each hitter will get 15 swings to determine the 2026 Home Run Derby champion.

Harper is one of the eight participants in this year's Derby, along with Phillies teammate Kyle Schwarber, Ben Rice of the New York Yankees, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Jac Caglianone of the Kansas City Royals, Willson Contreras of the Boston Red Sox and Jordan Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The eighth and final participant has yet to be announced.

While all of the hitters in this year's Derby are capable of putting up big home run totals regardless of what type of bat they use, throwing aluminum bats into the mix would likely result in some of the longest drives ever seen in an MLB ballpark.