Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby has taken place at every Midsummer Classic since 1985. Beginning in 1998, a special event game ball was produced for use in the Derby. These baseballs – and the HR Derby itself – have evolved to include a variety formats, rules, and unique official game balls. This is the arena where Rawlings and MLB has been the most experimental, having tried numerous leather cover colors and materials, including yellow-gold, fluorescent orange, red/magenta, and real 24-karat gold infused.
1998–2003 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby Baseballs
1998 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby Colorado (Service Merchandise). 1999 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby Boston (Century 21). 2000 MLB HR Derby Atlanta V1 (No Sponsor). 2000 MLB HR Derby Atlanta V2 (Century 21). 2001 MLB HR Derby Seattle V1 (No Sponsor). 2001 MLB HR Derby Seattle V2 (Century 21). 2002 MLB HR Derby Milwaukee (Century 21). 2003 MLB HR Derby White Sox (Century 21).
2004–2010 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby Baseballs
2004 MLB HR Derby Houston (Century 21). 2004 MLB HR Derby Experimental, Inaugural Gold MoneyBall Houston (Century 21). 2005 MLB HR Derby Standard & Gold Detroit (Century 21). 2006 MLB HR Derby Standard & Gold Pittsburgh (Century 21). 2007 MLB HR Derby Standard & Gold San Francisco (StateFarm). 2008 MLB HR Derby New York Yankees Standard & Gold (StateFarm). 2008 MLB All-Star Red Home Run Derby NYY ‘Call Your Shot’ (CANCELED) (StateFarm). 2009 MLB HR Derby Standard & Gold St. Louis (StateFarm). 2010 MLB HR Derby Standard & Gold Anaheim (StateFarm).
2011–2015 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby Baseballs
2011: MLB Home Run Derby Ball, 24-Karat Gold Bonus Ball, Replica Gold; Arizona (StateFarm). 2012: HR Derby, 24-Karat Gold, Replica; Kansas City (StateFarm). 2013: HR Derby, 24-Karat Gold, Replica Gold; New York Mets (StateFarm). 2014: HR Derby, Orange Bonus Ball, Promotional 24-Karat Gold Ball; Minnesota (Gillette). 2015: HR Derby, ‘Old gold’ Gold Ball (Unused), Promotional 24-Karat Gold (Unused); Cincinnati (Gillette).
2015–2016 Rawlings MLB Prototype Baseball All-Star Home Run Derby Magenta Moneyball
Prepare for complete speculation, because we don’t know much about this amazing find. It’s the only one we’ve ever seen. The 2015 Rawlings MLB Home Run Derby Magenta MoneyBall!
We’re unsure if this one was made in 2015 or 2016. It’s possible they were testing out ideas for the new Major League HR Derby sponsor, T-Mobile, at some point before the 2016 MLB season. So, perhaps Rawlings just used the most recent Derby logo available, the 2015 Gillette and head & shoulders commemorative logo from the standard 2015 Home Run Derby baseball. That makes the most sense, since magenta in on-brand for T-Mobile, and this combo has been used for HRD bonus baseballs every season since.
2016–2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby Baseballs
Currently, two types of HR Derby baseballs are used: a common, white & red-stitched standard HRD commemorative logo ball, and a special bright magenta (pinkish-red), red-stitched Money/Bonus Ball. These were all sponsored by T-Mobile. Worth noting, we haven’t seen any samples (prototypes) for the 2020 derby or Futures Game; the Midsummer Classic was canceled (pandemic). Have you seen any?
2016 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby (Standard / White) & HR Derby Magenta Bonus Ball San Diego (T-Mobile). 2017 HR Derby & HRD Magenta MoneyBall Miami (T-Mobile). 2018 HR Derby & HRD Magenta Bonus Ball Washington (T-Mobile). 2019 HR Derby & HRD Magenta Bonus Ball Cleveland (T-Mobile). 2021 HRD & HRD Magenta Balls Colorado (T-Mobile). 2022 HR Derby & HRD Magenta Bonus Ball Los Angeles (T-Mobile). 2023 HR Derby White & Magenta Baseballs Seattle (T-Mobile). 2024 HR Derby & HRD Magenta Texas (T-Mobile). 2025 HR Derby Standard & Magenta Bonus Ball Atlanta. Coming Soon: 2026 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby Standard White & New Edition Bonus Balls Philadelphia.
The First Official Rawlings Major League Home Run Derby Baseball
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first ever Rawlings MLB Home Run Derby Baseball, the official Rawlings 1998 MLB All-Star Game Home Run Derby Baseball, used at Coors Field.
It’s essentially a 1998 MLB All-Star Game ball with addtional factory stamping (we believe). It features breakthrough colors for a game ball: laces modeled after Colorado Rockies primary uniform color, purple, and Coors Field green! Plus, also a first in MLB game ball history, purple ink stamping! Amazing!
This beauty also combines a 1998 Home Run Derby logo with a Service Merchandise sponsor logo on the top panel. Unheard of! And it’s extremely rare—one of the rarest MLB official game balls ever used.
Next: the 1999 Rawlings MLB All-Star Home Run Derby official game baseball. Used at Fenway Park in Boston, these HRD balls were marked with each participant’s initials. This one has “MM” for Mark McGwire. Wow! And like its ’98 predecessor, extremely rare—one of the rarest MLB official game balls ever used. Century 21 takes over sponsorship, which it retains for 8 years.
From out of left field, we’ve discovered a “new” to us, but older, “gold,” home run derby ball. A Rawlings 2004 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby Gold Baseball. It’s gold-dyed leather and red-stamped. Wow! Weird. Likely the first ever run of MLB Gold Bonus Balls / MoneyBalls. And apparently they were used at the 2004 Home Run Derby in Houston’s Minute Maid (now Daikin) Park.
Rumors have it these were part of a trial run or experiment made before Rawlings nailed down the formula for gold leather baseball covers. The Major League’s Home Run Derby Gold baseballs were widely used the following season at the Midsummer Classic in Detroit. And that’s when most collectors, us included, thought they were first introduced… until we found this gem!
This example is MLB Authenticated (and autographed by participant Lance Berkman). Consider these baseballs to be extremely rare, right up there with the 1998 and 1999 HR Derby balls. And likely even fewer produced or circulated based on our experience.