Home Run Derby X 2025: How MLB’s Global Power Showcase Elevated Women’s Softball and Athlete Branding
Major League Baseball brought Home Run Derby X (HRDX) back for its 2025 U.S. tour, and the event was both a power-hitting spectacle and a statement.
With a bigger prize pool, new markets, and a spotlight on women’s softball stars, HRDX 2025 showed how innovation, inclusion, and entertainment can merge to grow both the game and the athletes within it.
The 2025 Tour: Six Stops, One Grand Finale
This year’s HRDX series spanned six cities across the country — Atlanta, Round Rock, Durham, Oklahoma City, Des Moines, and one final stop before the championship in Salt Lake City. Each location hosted a fast-paced, 30-minute, 3-on-3 matchup featuring MLB legends, international athletes, and elite women’s softball players.
The format rewarded both offense and defense: teams earned points for home runs, catches, and bonus targets in centerfield, with “hot streak” modes and last-minute substitutions adding strategy and intensity. The expanded format culminated in a $200,000 championship event at The Ballpark at America First Square in Salt Lake City, where the Dodgers team edged out the Yankees in a thrilling 72-71 finish.
A Blend of Legends and New Faces
The 2025 rosters mixed familiar MLB names — Andruw Jones, Jake Arrieta, Nick Swisher, Ryan Zimmerman, Jonny Gomes, Adrian González, and Rick Ankiel — with some of the most exciting players in women’s softball.
That list included Jocelyn Alo, Alex Hugo, Tiare Jennings, Amanda Lorenz, Kinzie Hansen, Mia Davidson-Smith, and Ali Newland, who represented the Nationals team throughout the tour.
Ali Newland joins Abby Alonzo on Out of Left Field to talk about her experience in MLB's Home Run Derby X
In Durham, Newland’s squad — alongside Zimmerman and Chris McHugh — captured the local title. Their chemistry and balance of power and precision became one of the most talked-about moments of the stop.
A Historic Milestone for Women’s Softball
One of the defining stories of HRDX 2025 came in Oklahoma City, where Alo, Jennings, and Hansen competed as the first all-women’s team in Home Run Derby X history. The trio showed out in multiple rounds and drew some of the largest crowds of the tour.
That moment signified what HRDX had become: more than a crossover event, it was a visible bridge between baseball and softball. The MLB backing gave these athletes the kind of production, promotion, and platform women’s sports have long deserved.
Elevating Exposure and NIL
For the softball players involved, HRDX 2025 was about far more than the scoreboard. It was a chance to build — and monetize — their brands on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
The MLB platform amplified their visibility across social media and global broadcasts, with highlights from the women’s teams outperforming many of the men’s segments online. That reach translated into tangible NIL and sponsorship opportunities. Players gained new followers, secured apparel partnerships, and grew personal content channels through HRDX’s media machine.
Storytelling Through Shared Stages
Sharing a dugout with stars like Zimmerman or Gomes gave these softball athletes access to mentorship, collaboration, and crossover storytelling.
That visibility redefined what’s possible for the next generation of players. Young fans watching didn’t just see softball as a separate sport — they saw it as part of the larger baseball ecosystem.
Why It Mattered
For MLB, HRDX 2025 represented progress — an investment in accessibility and a modern approach to fan engagement. For softball, it was MORE proof that the sport belongs in global conversation.
The events drew record crowds in Durham and Oklahoma City and produced some of the most viral clips of the summer. Every swing, every catch, and every celebration pushed women’s softball further into mainstream sports culture.
And for the athletes who took that swing — like Ali Newland — it was a chance to grow their game, their platform, and their impact.
The Lasting Impact
HRDX 2025 left behind a blueprint. The series showed how MLB’s resources, storytelling, and reach can lift women’s softball into the spotlight — not as an offshoot, but as a pillar of the same game.
If 2025 proved anything, it’s that the long ball doesn’t care about labels — and the next era of growth for both baseball and softball will be built by those who dare to swing together.
