Highlighted by an MVP on a 50-plus-homer pace, a rookie with monster power and the youngest to ever make the field, the eight contestants who will try to join recent Home Run Derby winners such as Bryce Harper (2018), Aaron Judge (2017) and Giancarlo Stanton (2016) have been revealed. The stakes are even higher this summer, as the champion will be rewarded with $1 million for the first time in All-Star history.

Here's what you need to know about the sluggers who will be swinging for the fences as part of the 2019 All-Star festivities in Cleveland.

Watch the MLB All-Star Home Run Derby live from Progressive Field: Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The 2019 Home Run Derby bracket is set ⚾️

MLB HR leader Christian Yelich headlines the field of eight that will face off on Monday at 8PM ET on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/R2VhXcvnQ4

— ESPN (@espn) July 4, 2019

No. 1: Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers

2019 home runs: 31 | Career total: 126 | Longest of '19: 462 feet

Why Yelich can win it: Well, he leads the major leagues in home runs, as he's the first National League player with 30 before the All-Star break since Albert Pujols in 2009. Also: He hits the ball hard, with only Aaron Judge and Joey Gallo owning a higher average exit velocity. That should translate well to the Home Run Derby, even if Yelich isn't a pure fly ball hitter like many other top sluggers.

Why we can't wait to see him in Cleveland: Proving his 2018 MVP award was no fluke, Yelich has gotten even better, solidifying his status as one of the best players in the game, with a chance to be the first back-to-back MVP in the National League since Pujols in 2008 and 2009. He's also the first reigning MVP winner to participate in the Home Run Derby since Pujols in 2009.

Did you know? The 2018 National League MVP had 29 homers entering July, fourth most by a reigning MVP before July 1, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. Yelich will be the 10th Brewers player to participate in the Derby, but he's looking to join Prince Fielder as the only winners. -- ESPN Stats & Information

No. 2: Pete Alonso, New York Mets

2019 home runs: 28 | Career total: 28 | Longest of '19: 458 feet

Why Alonso can win it: Uhh, hello? Have you seen how far he hits the ball? He leads the majors with 20 home runs of 400-plus feet, including six of 440-plus. His pop flies can still leave the park.

Why we can't wait to see him in Cleveland: We love rookies, we love big guys and we love rookies who play in New York and hit massive home runs. Like Judge in 2017, Alonso has the opportunity to win over fans across the country with a victory in the Derby.

Did you know? Alonso already has set the Mets rookie record for home runs in a season, surpassing Darryl Strawberry's 26 in 1983. Alonso will be chasing Strawberry again at the Home Run Derby. Strawberry is the only Mets player to win the event, doing so in 1986. -- ESPN Stats & Information

No. 3: Josh Bell, Pittsburgh Pirates

2019 home runs: 26 | Career total: 67 | Longest of '19: 474 feet

Why Bell can win it: Uhh, hello? Have you seen how far he hits the ball? Bell's breakout season has been immortalized with a couple of home runs into the Allegheny River beyond the right-field stands at PNC Park -- he became just the fourth player in PNC history to reach the river on the fly. Those blasts registered 472 and 454 feet on the Statcast measuring stick, and he has hit three other home runs of 450-plus feet.

Why we can't wait to see him in Cleveland: Bell might have even more raw power than Alonso and could be the guy most capable of reaching the 500-foot threshold during the event. He's also an affable personality who deserves a moment in the spotlight on the national stage.

Did you know? Bell is the sixth Pirates player to participate in the Home Run Derby, and the bar hasn't been set too high for him. Despite sending MVP-caliber players such as Barry Bonds and Andrew McCutchen previously, no Pirates player has ever hit more than six home runs in a single Derby appearance, much less ever won the Derby. -- ESPN Stats & Information

No. 4: Alex Bregman, Houston Astros

2019 home runs: 23 | Career total: 81 | Longest of '19: 440 feet

Why Bregman can win it: Because you know he wants to win the Derby. He participated last year and hit 15 home runs, although he lost his matchup to Kyle Schwarber, who hit 16. His quick, pull-heavy swing is suited well for the Derby even if he doesn't have the raw power of some of the other guys in the field. As his 23 home runs indicate, however, he doesn't have any issues reaching the seats when it counts, either.

Why we can't wait to see him in Cleveland: He's become one of the faces of the game, not just for his stellar play on the field (he was fifth in the MVP voting last season), but for his personality and enthusiasm. As Astros manager AJ Hinch likes to say, nobody loves to play the game as much as Bregman. He's good for the Astros and good for the game.

Did you know? Bregman has hit 54 home runs over the past two seasons -- he has pulled 41 of them, seven went to center and only six went to the opposite field. The best Derby performance by an Astros player was Lance Berkman's runner-up finish in 2004.

No. 5: Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers

2019 home runs: 20 | Career total: 107 | Longest of '19: 445 feet

Why Pederson can win it: He almost won as a rookie in 2015 in Cincinnati, beating Manny Machado and Albert Pujols before losing to Todd Frazier in the final, 15 to 14, in a controversial finish (Frazier's brother was clearly delivering pitches before the previous ball had landed, supposedly against the rules).

Why we can't wait to see him in Cleveland: Well, let's be honest: We'd prefer to have Dodgers teammate Cody Bellinger here instead of Pederson. Not that Pederson can't blast the long ball: He has hit 20 home runs even though he's a platoon player (all 20 of his home runs have come against right-handed pitching).

Did you know? Over the past two seasons, Pederson is 10th in the majors in slugging percentage against right-handed pitchers (.564 entering Wednesday's game). In isolated power, he's fifth behind only Mike Trout, Christian Yelich, Shohei Ohtani and Max Muncy. Pederson's runner-up finish in the 2015 Derby was the best by a Dodgers player.

No. 6: Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves

2019 home runs: 20 | Career total: 46 | Longest of '19: 466 feet

Why Acuña can win it: Did you see the 437-foot laser he hit off Noah Syndergaard ... to the opposite field? Acuña's all-fields power has helped him develop into an elite masher at just 21 years old -- 12 of his 20 home runs have gone to center field or the opposite field -- and maybe that trait will help him win in Cleveland.

Why we can't wait to see him in Cleveland: He's a budding future MVP candidate, and his showmanship and enthusiasm make him one of the most exciting, dynamic players in the game. He's good and he knows it, and he's a good bet to put on a show.

Did you know? Acuña will try to do something no Braves player has ever done at the Home Run Derby: advance past the first round. Atlanta has sent a player to the Derby 11 times previously, and each one was eliminated in the first round. That's by far the most appearances without a player advancing, more than doubling up the Pirates and Padres (five each). -- ESPN Stats & Information

No. 7: Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians

2019 home runs: 19 | Career total: 217 | Longest of '19: 447 feet

Why Santana can win it: He could ride the hometown support to the championship -- think Todd Frazier winning in Cincinnati in 2015 or Bryce Harper last year in Washington or even Justin Bour mashing 22 home runs at Marlins Park in 2017 (although he lost to Judge, who hit 23). The energy of the fans always seems to help with a little extra adrenaline.

Why we can't wait to see him in Cleveland: He has long been an underrated player because of on-base ability and he's having a terrific bounce-back season in his return to Cleveland, making his first All-Star Game. It's always fun to have a hometown rep for the fans to cheer on.

Did you know? Santana will become the first Indians player to participate in the Home Run Derby since Grady Sizemore in 2008, and he's looking to become the first Indians player to win it. -- ESPN Stats & Information

No. 8: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays

2019 home runs: 8 | Career total: 8 | Longest of '19: 451 feet

Why Guerrero can win it: He hasn't come roaring out of the gate in his rookie season, but check out the distances on his home runs: 451, 438, 436, 434, 424, 407, 395, 382. The raw power is there, and his batting-practice sessions are legendary.

Why we can't wait to see him in Cleveland: The much-hyped rookie is already a household name, so this contest is made to promote a player like him. Plus, there isn't much reason to watch the Blue Jays this season, so this might be the only opportunity some fans will have to see him other than in highlights.

Did you know? Guerrero's eight home runs are the fewest career homers by any Home Run Derby participant since the event began in 1985. (Kris Bryant had 12 career HRs in 2015 when he participated, the current low.) Vlad Sr. won the event in 2007, and the Guerreros will join the Fielders (Cecil and Prince) as the only father-son duos to compete in the Derby. Vlad Jr. is also trying to bring home a title for Toronto. The Blue Jays have sent 15 participants to the Derby (second all time) but have never won. -- ESPN Stats & Information

British sprints talent Amy Hunt says her feet felt like they were burning as she sped to a world U18 200m record in Mannheim on Sunday

It is never good to skip school, but Amy Hunt had a pretty good excuse on Monday. The previous day she had set a world under-18 200m record in Germany and arrived home in Nottinghamshire exhausted at 2am.

So instead of going into her sixth form college in Grantham, where she is halfway through A-level studies in English literature, art and chemistry, she enjoyed a lie-in and attempted to come to terms with a performance that stunned the athletics world.

Her time of 22.42 at the Mannheim Junior Gala was a PB by three-quarters of a second. It beat Candace Hill’s world under-18 best of 22.43 and Dina Asher-Smith’s British under-20 record of 22.61. What’s more, it was precisely the same time Asher-Smith, the reigning European 100m and 200m champion, clocked on the same day at the Prefontaine Classic in America.

Hunt, who only turned 17 in May, told AW: “I was absolutely ecstatic after crossing the line. I was completely in shock and it’s been a whirlwind since with people telling me all these facts and figures. My phone has absolutely blown up.”

Hunt was merely hoping to dip inside the 23-second barrier and enjoy a good run in the build-up to the European Under-20 Championships in Sweden later this month.

“I was really excited prior to the race,” she says. “I knew it was a fast track. All the under-20s from last year told me I’d have a great race there.

“It was so hot – about 38-39 degrees – and we all had iced towels to keep us cool. I’d run two rounds of the relay with the girls and we’d got the baton around and run a season’s best and were really happy so I was just excited to run the 200m.

“I wanted to enjoy it, embrace the atmosphere, take everything in and just enjoy running. I had a really good start – one of the best I’ve ever had – and I was up on the two girls outside me really quickly and that’s when I knew I was running well. One of them, in lane five, was European youth champion for 100m last year (Guðbjörg Jóna Bjarnadóttir of Iceland) so I knew she was really fast and she was outside me which was very useful.

“I really attacked the bend and went for it and then my feet started to heat up because the track was so hot and I was giving it 100% and it just felt insanely good when I was running. I knew it was fast but I didn’t know it was that fast. Then when I crossed the line everyone was screaming and cheering and it was an incredible atmosphere.”

can’t believe this just happened pic.twitter.com/yH9ONVlyaP

— Amy Hunt (@AmyHunt02) June 30, 2019

Hunt’s main memory of the race, though, is the fact her feet were burning from the hot synthetic rubber under her spikes. “The track was so ridiculously hot!” she says. “We worked hard all weekend to make sure we stayed hydrated, used iced towels and electrolytes and I can’t even remember how much I drank – it was a ridiculous amount of water in total.”

The heat obviously did not faze her either. “I definitely enjoy it. I tend to race faster in the heat and I enjoy running in weather that’s as hot as possible but I just had to make the right decisions with hydration, wearing suncream and trying to stay out of the sun. I was indoors quite a lot in the physio room. Staying relaxed and calm.”

One of her relay races was only 80 minutes before her 200m. “I was on the second leg,” she explains, “and when I finished I walked around and went straight indoors, barely talked to anyone and lied down for a bit and put my music on and stayed in the zone with lots of visualisation and had to completely shift my focus on to the 200m.

“Then before my 200m because it was so hot I didn’t do too much more of a warm up. I just some drills and one or two more runs. But I didn’t know how my body was going to cope with running just over an hour later.”

She did more than just ‘cope’ but ran a spectacular time. Luckily her dad (pictured below) had travelled out to watch her too, although her coach, Joe McDonnell, was watching on the live stream at home.

Back in England she trains with McDonnell at Loughborough University. “I do a lot of travelling to train as I live in Newark and we cover a lot of road miles but it’s worth it to train in Loughborough and have access to such incredible facilities and be around elite athletes in the same facility,” she says.

Now she hopes to perform well at the European Under-20 Championships, which start in Boras on July 18. “British Athletics has cultivated a great mindset in the junior team. The team management were so helpful out in Mannheim. Everyone is chatty to each other and positive and it’s lovely to see and I think it’s reflecting in the performances because the whole team out in Mannheim did amazing performances with lots of PBs.”

She is not sure which event to race in Boras, though. “The timetable doesn’t lend itself to doubling up,” she says, adding that she now has a similar dilemma over whether to extend her season to try to make the team for the IAAF World Championships in Doha.

Such is her age, she can still race at the next European Under-20 Championships in Tallinn in 2021 too.

A Chicago Cubs minor league affiliate has apologized and deleted a tweet mocking former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

A day after Nike recalled a sneaker that featured an early American flag at Kaepernick's urging, the Double-A Tennessee Smokies drew the 13-star symbol on their infield Wednesday and tweeted images of it.

"Hey @Kaepernick7 after a lot of thought, we have decided it's best to just do it. #America," the tweet said.

The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Kaepernick aired concerns to Nike over the release of the Air Max 1 USAs and its use of the Betsy Ross flag, which he said recalls an era when African-Americans were enslaved and has been appropriated by white nationalist groups. Nike recalled the shoe before it was due to go on sale for the July Fourth holiday.

Connor Pearce, marketing and community relations manager for the Smokies, told the AP on Wednesday night that "it was just a light-hearted take on a current situation."

The team then deleted the tweet, saying "we did not mean to offend anyone by it. If it did, we certainly apologize."

Portland Trail Blazers restricted free-agent forward Jake Layman has agreed to a three-year, $11.5 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports told ESPN.

The deal will be part of a sign-and-trade that the Blazers agreed upon to accommodate Layman's desire to join the Timberwolves. Minnesota had the ability to sign Layman to an offer sheet, and Portland's president of basketball operations allowed Layman the chance to join the Wolves without the aggravation of that process.

Layman's future with the Blazers had become uncertain given the franchise's trade for Kent Bazemore, re-signing of Rodney Hood and drafting of North Carolina's Nassir Little.

"We're extremely appreciative of how hard [Portland president of basketball operations) Neil Olshey worked with us to accommodate what we were trying to accomplish in sign and trade," Bartelstein told ESPN. "The deal couldn't have happened without the Blazers looking out for Jake's best interests."

In general these are accommodations that teams will make to validate their mantras that they're indeed 'player-first' organizations, especially for homegrown and well-regarded organizational players like Layman. Seven years ago, Olshey made a similar gesture with Indiana, which planned to match a four-year, $58 million offer sheet that Portland was preparing for restricted free agent Roy Hibbert.

Ultimately, Olshey let former Indiana GM Donnie Walsh simply re-sign Hibbert to spare the two teams the acrimony that comes with offer sheets.

Minnesota was able to absorb Layman into part of a trade exception created with the draft night deal that sent Dario Saric to the Phoenix Suns.

Under new president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, the Timberwolves have added Layman, No. 6 overall pick Jarrett Culver of Texas Tech, and free agent Noah Vonleh to the roster this offseason. Layman joins former Blazers assistant David Vanterpool, the new Timberwolves associate head coach, in Minnesota.

The Los Angeles Angels will honor Tyler Skaggs by wearing a patch with the pitcher's No. 45 on their uniforms for the rest of the season.

Skaggs, a much-loved member of the team, was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Texas on Monday. A cause of death has not been determined, but police say they do not suspect suicide or foul play.

On Tuesday night, when the Angels returned to play after postponing Monday's game against the Texas Rangers, they wore a black, encircled patch with No. 45 above the heart on their uniforms. The No. 45 was painted on the back of the mound at Globe Life Park in Arlington, and Angels pitchers Andrew Heaney and Cam Bedrosian held up Skaggs' No. 45 jersey pregame, during a moment of silence for him.

The team tweeted out a photo on Wednesday of the patch that will be worn the rest of the season.

For the remainder of the season, we will wear this patch to honor Tyler Skaggs. pic.twitter.com/x3PAoVdUdJ

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) July 3, 2019

"We lost a teammate, we lost a friend, a brother," All-Star Mike Trout, a close friend, told reporters after Tuesday's game. "To lose somebody like him, it's tough. My first at-bat, I get up there, all I do is think about him.

"It's bigger than the game. The friendship and love I had for him and his family, it's more than that."

With the team out of town, fans went to Angel Stadium, where they left flowers, hats, baseballs, signs, photos and other memorabilia in a makeshift memorial mound.

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett left Wednesday night's game against the Milwaukee Brewers with left groin tightness, the Reds announced.

Gennett was activated from the injured list last week after recovering from a severe right groin injury suffered during spring training. He is 2-for-19 with a pair of singles in five games.

He flied out and struck out on Wednesday against Jhoulys Chacin, then left the contest an inning later.

The Reds have sorely missed Gennett, who had 50 homers and 189 RBIs over the past two seasons. He was an All-Star for the first time last year, when he finished second to Milwaukee's Christian Yelich (.326) for the National League batting title at .310.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON -- Stephen Strasburg was so filthy, he was immaculate.

On Wednesday, the Washington Nationals hurler threw an "immaculate inning" against the Miami Marlins.

In the top of the fourth, Strasburg struck out the side on nine pitches, all of which were strikes. He got Garrett Cooper looking and Neil Walker swinging, then caught Starlin Castro looking to finish the job. During the frame, Strasburg threw five fastballs, three changeups and one curveball.

Strasburg's immaculate inning was the first of his career and the fourth in Nationals history. Max Scherzer has accomplished the feat twice, and Jordan Zimmermann had done it once.

According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Strasburg is the fourth pitcher to work a perfect frame this season, joining the Boston Red Sox's Chris Sale (twice), Toronto Blue Jays' Thomas Pannone and Milwaukee Brewers' Josh Hader.

There were four immaculate innings thrown during the 2018 season.

Success against the Marlins is nothing new for Strasburg. In his past 10 starts against Miami entering Wednesday, the 30-year-old righty was 9-0 with a 1.64 ERA.

Through five scoreless innings on Wednesday, Strasburg had recorded 10 strikeouts.

NEW YORK -- Yankees infielder Gleyber Torres continues to be an American League All-Star Game snub, and his manager is extremely upset about it.

"It's a joke that he's not on that team," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before his team's Subway Series meeting with the crosstown New York Mets on Wednesday. "Gleyber Torres not an All-Star? You can kick rocks on that one. That's ridiculous."

Torres, who appeared in his first All-Star Game last year as part of a strong rookie season, still remains off this year's team despite other infielders being recently added to it as injury replacements.

Earlier Wednesday, Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe, Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts and Minnesota Twins pitcher Jose Berrios were the three additions that the AL team made to account for injuries to players previously voted into the game.

Notably, Lowe replaced Angels infielder Tommy La Stella, who broke his right tibia Tuesday night when he fouled a ball off his shin. Lowe also suffered a leg bruise in his own game for Tampa Bay on Tuesday and is considered day-to-day.

Although there still is a chance Torres gets added to the AL's roster with the possibility of other currently unforeseen injuries, Boone believes his middle infielder is more than deserving of being in the Midsummer Classic lineup.

"He's been unbelievable for us," Boone said. "First-place club, the offensive consistency he's had, the power, the on-base, the playing both positions in the middle infield. Yeah, it doesn't seem right to me that he isn't on that team."

Torres entered Wednesday batting .295 with 19 home runs, 48 RBIs and a .907 OPS. In the field, he has played both second base and shortstop this season. He played the latter until mid-May, when Didi Gregorius finally returned from his rehab following offseason Tommy John surgery.

Since Gregorius' return, Torres has been at second base, helping form a tandem that has pulled off its share of stupefying double plays.

"Look, I know there's all kind of players and coaches vote and fan voting, and sometimes that ends a few weeks ago, and obviously every team needs to be represented," Boone said. "I understand there's a lot of moving parts that make [voting players into the game] difficult, and ultimately every year you're going to have guys that are certainly deserving that don't get in that game.

"But the Gleyber one is one of those that's a head-scratcher for me."