Home Run Derby 2019: Participants, Breakdown of New Rules for All-Star Showcase

Eight of the top sluggers in Major League Baseball will put their power on display during the 2019 Home Run Derby Monday at Progressive Field in Cleveland. 

Milwaukee's Christian Yelich is the top seed in the field, while Pete Alonso of the New York Mets is the No. 2 seed. 

Five of the eight participants come from National League teams, while the other three come from the American League, including Cleveland's Carlos Santana, who will be hitting in his home park. 

The players were bracketed by the amount of home runs they have hit, which is why Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who was called up in late April, has been slotted into the No. 8 seed to face Yelich in the first round. 

Home Run Derby Participants

Rules Breakdown

The Home Run Derby champion will be decided through three rounds, with the top hitters from each side of the bracket squaring off in the final. 

In each round, the players have four minutes to hit as many home runs as possible. If they hit two home runs over 440 feet, they receive an additional 30 seconds. 

Each hitter is also allowed a 45-second timeout, with two of them available during the final round. 

In case of a tie, a 90-second swing off will occur. If the tie is not broken by that, the winner will be decided by three swings, and if a victor is not determined by that, it will come down to sudden death. 

Preview

Yelich comes into the competition as the favorite, but that does not mean he will come away with the victory. 

In each of the last two years, the No. 1 seed has been knocked out in the first round, while Mark Trumbo was eliminated in the semifinals in 2016. 

Yelich, who leads the majors with 31 home runs, broke the window of a boat parked outside PNC Park in Pittsburgh during his Home Run Derby practice round Friday, per Fox Sports Wisconsin's Sophia Minnaert. 

The Milwaukee outfielder started July off on a hot note by hitting home runs in back-to-back games against Cincinnati.

Gary Landers/Associated Press

Although he needs more than one home run in a night to win the Home Run Derby, Yelich's recent production at the plate suggests he is ready for the hitting challenge. 

Alonso has been one of the best individual stories of the 2019 season, as he has hit 29 home runs in his first year with the New York Mets. 

Not only does Alonso have strong form at the plate on his side, he has Home Run Derby history in his favor as the No. 2 seed. 

In each of the four years the event has used the bracketed format, the No. 2 seed has advanced to the final round. 

Todd Frazier, Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper all won the Home Run Derby as No. 2 seeds, which puts pressure on Alonso to keep that run alive. 

In the last two years, two lower seeds have won at least one round, and although Yelich is the favorite to win the event, Guerrero has to be seen as an upset candidate. 

The No. 8 seed has won its first-round matchup in each of the last two years, and Guerrero should receive a bit of advice from his father, who won the event in 2007 in San Francisco. 

Gail Burton/Associated Press

If you are looking for any trends to follow to predict the winner, three of the last four champions have come from the National League and two of the last four champions were victorious in their home stadiums.

That first tidbit could be relevant since there are five NL participants, and three of them are in the bottom half of the bracket. 

Santana faces a tough task against Alonso in his home park, but as we have witnessed throughout the years in the competition, unexpected winners can emerge at the Home Run Derby, with Bobby Abreu in 2005 the most stunning of them all. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from MLB.com