Home Run Derby 2019: Format, Start Time, Live Stream, TV Schedule and More

Starting as a two-inning event with each player receiving five outs per inning in 1985, the Home Run Derby has evolved into a single-elimination setup with three total rounds.

This year's showcase will take place Monday at 8 p.m. ET at Progressive Field in Cleveland, and it will be televised on ESPN and can be live-streamed with WatchESPN.

Competitors are seeded as follows:

1. Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers

2. Pete Alonso, New York Mets

3. Josh Bell, Pittsburgh Pirates

4. Alex Bregman, Houston Astros

5. Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers

6. Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves

7. Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians

8. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays

With defending champ Bryce Harper not competing, the seeds were determined by most home runs entering Wednesday's games, with tiebreakers decided by the totals since June 15.

A few other rules:

• Four minutes to hit as many homers as you can.

• Higher seed bats second, and the round ends if the home run total is passed.

• In the first two rounds, each batter gets one 45-second timeout, while the final round provides an additional 30-second timeout.

• Extra time can be added for hammering a ball 440 feet or longer.

• In a tie, an extra 60 seconds will be given.

• If the tie remains after the swing-off, participants will each have three swings, going back and forth until there is a winner. (Since this format was created in 2015, there has not been a swing-off.)

Up until 2018, there had to be an equal number of participants from each league. However, last year there was only one player from the American League (Bregman). This year, the AL adds two other players in Santana and Guerrero.

Yelich leads the pack with 31 homers and a slash line of .329/.433/.707. The 2018 NL MVP is tied for the fifth-highest average exit velocity (95.1 mph), per MLB.com.

Alonso follows with 29 deep balls, leading the majors with 20 400-plus-foot blasts, including six that would earn him extra time in the Derby. He also already set the Mets' rookie record for homers in a season.

Bell is the favorite and has 27 homers with a .654 slugging percentage. He's splashed a couple of balls in the Allegheny River outside PNC Park, and his 474-foot homer off Cincinnati Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani in early April is the longest of any of the Derby's contestants.

The fourth- and fifth-seeded players, Bregman and Pederson, will match up in the first round after facing off in the 2017 World Series. Bregman—last year's All-Star Game MVP—has gone deep 23 times this year, compared to 20 times from Pederson.

Acuna has made a big impact this season for the Braves, with 21 homers and 53 RBI. The 21-year-old has come through with key hits, proving to be a reliable power hitter and dynamic player.

Santana will have the backing of the crowd after he had an incredible bounce-back first half of the season. He has blasted 19 homers and should come out with unparalleled enthusiasm after making his first All-Star Game after 10 seasons in the majors.

Guerrero wraps up the contestants. While the rookie's stats aren't incredible, his eight homers range from 382 to 451 feet, with only two under 400. His father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., won the event in 2007. He's also a batting practice legend, which should be useful in the Derby.

The prize pool was significantly increased prior to the 2019 season, from $725,000 to $2.5 million, with the winner taking home $1 million.

As of Friday, Bell is favored to win at +350 (bet $100 to win $350), according to Vegas Insider. Yelich follows closely behind at +400, and Bregman and Acuna are tied at +1000 for the lowest odds.