The Texas Rangers' complete history in the MLB Home Run Derby

After a four-year streak of having a participant in the MLB Home Run Derby, there are no Texas Rangers taking part in the event on Monday night. While that's a sad note for a franchise with plenty of history in the All-Star Break tournament, it's hardly a surprise considering the team's struggles offensively this year.

Not having anyone participating doesn't take away from what is a pretty impressive history for the Rangers. The program has had some of the game's best sluggers come through town, and because of that, has had plenty of people either win or come very close to winning the derby over the years.

Two Texas Rangers stars have won the MLB Home Run Derby

Beginning in 1985, the MLB Home Run Derby wasn't something where baseballs were leaving the park left and right the way it is today. There was no better evidence of that than when Texas Rangers outfielder Ruben Sierra was named co-champion alongside Cincinnati Reds star Eric Davis.

So how many did the two players hit? They tied with three on the day. Three.

Keep in mind that Sierra finished the 1989 season with just 29 home runs. A number that was impressive enough back in the day to allow him to finish second in the AL in MVP voting, but something that seems rather run of the mill in the current era of Major League Baseball.

In 1993, Rangers outfielder Juan Gonzalez took home MLB Home Run Derby Champ title all by himself, hitting 7 in the event and then beating Ken Griffey Jr. in a playoff to win the event outright.

Gonzalez was a force to be reckoned with that season, leading the league in homers with 46.

Rangers who fell short of the title over the years

After that 1993 MLB Home Run Derby championship, the Rangers had a long drought where no member of the team managed to even get an invite to the event. That streak was broken in 2000 when Pudge Rodriguez made it, though he hit just one home run and finished dead last that year.

In 2001 and 2002, Alex Rodriguez took part, but finished near the bottom of the tournament. In 2004, Hank Blalock took the mantle and once again had a very poor showing, while 2005's Rangers participant Mark Teixeira continued a run where Texas players somehow always finished second to last.

In 2008, Josh Hamilton's prolific first-round performance in the tournament was a sight to behold. He blasted 28 homers in his first go-round, technically hitting more than anyone else by wide margin. However, his first round seemed to have worn him out as he finished with just 7 more home runs in the rest of the rounds and he lost in the finals to Twins' star Justin Morneaux, 5-3.

Nelson Cruz made a run towards the title in 2009 when he blasted 21 total homers. However, he lost in the finals 6-5 to the Milwaukee Brewers' Prince Fielder.

After those two near-wins, the Rangers once again went on a long streak where they didn't get a single player into the MLB Home Run Derby it was finally ended in 2015. The success since 2009 has been spotty at best:

• 2015: Prince Fielder lost in the first round
• 2021: Joey Gallo lost in the first round
• 2022: Corey Seager lost in the first round
• 2023 Adolis Garcia lost in the first round
• 2024 Adolis Garcia finished fifth

With no shot for the Texas Rangers to break their 32 year slump, we can only hope they'll have a chance to finally get their third MLB Home Run Derby championship in 2026.