HRDX team previews for Mexico City

It's all down to one day. On Saturday at Mexico City's famed Campo Marte, the Red Sox, Dodgers, Yankees, and Cubs will enter, but only one will walk away with the title as FTX MLB Home Run Derby X season champion. After the Dodgers defeated the Red Sox in Seoul, with Boston losing in its second consecutive final, here is how the teams will be seeded:

1. Red Sox - 6 pts
2. Dodgers - 6 pts
3. Yankees - 5 pts
4. Cubs - 1 pt

There are two changes coming to the roster for this one: The Korean Heroes have been replaced by four young players from Latin America -- three of them from Mexico -- and with London MVP Erika Piancastelli unable to compete, Mexican National Team member Stefania Aradillas has joined the Yankees.

Want to learn more about the teams? Still looking for a club to root for? Read on and we'll break down the squads in a little more detail:

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Cubs:

Legend: Geo Soto

HRDX stats: 43 total points, 34 home runs, 1 catch

Soto made an impact from the very beginning of his NL Rookie of the Year Award-winning campaign in 2008. The Cubs' catcher was the first National League rookie to ever start behind the plate in the All-Star Game, and later that year he caught Carlos Zambrano's neutral-site no-hitter. Soto finished his career with 108 home runs.

The Cubs slugger was second among all players at the London HRDX with 22 long balls and he hammered 16 homers in a first-round loss against the Dodgers in Seoul. The Cubs set a record for most total home runs hit in a single round in that event, but still have yet to win a match.

Superstar: Alex Hugo

HRDX stats: 32 total points, 25 home runs, 7 catches

A former softball star at the University of Georgia and in the National Pro Fastpitch league, Hugo switched to baseball and immediately became a key contributor for the U.S. Women's National Team. She hit .652 with four home runs to help the U.S. win gold at the 2019 Pan-American Championships, collecting All-Tournament, Most Valuable Player and 2019 USA Baseball Sportswoman of the Year Awards along the way.

She recently was part of the USWNT team that defeated Canada in a five-game friendly series earlier this summer, posting two multi-hit games during the series. Her ability to play all over the field was a definite advantage, as she is tied for third in total catches in the event.

Wild Card: Spencer Owen

HRDX stats: 10 total points, 8 home runs, 1 catch

Though he originally came to fame as one of the greatest FIFA video game players in the world, Owen switched to the real pitch when he founded Hashtag United. One of the most popular football franchises around the world due to its massive internet presence, the club now has both a men's and women's team in the English football pyramid. Owen is arguably the most competitive player in the HRDX tournament.

His 359-foot home run is the furthest hit by any of the four Wild Cards.

Rookie: Esteban Quiroz

HRDX stats: N/A

Perseverance pays off. The 30-year-old, 5-foot-6 infielder made his Major League debut with Chicago on Sept. 17. Quiroz laced a single in his first at-bat, impressed enough to start the next day, and even drove in the game-winning run in his third outing.

Quiroz has hit more than 100 home runs in his professional career and he bashed another two as a member of the Mexican National Team at the World Baseball Classic in 2017.

Dodgers

Legend: Adrián González

HRDX stats: 76 total points, 48 home runs, 5 catches

A five-time All-Star, González was one of the best first basemen in the Majors during his 15-year career. With a patient batting eye and plenty of pop, González smashed 317 career home runs and has represented Mexico in the World Baseball Classic and the 2020 Olympic Games.

González used all those skills to help lead the Dodgers to the Seoul title. The HRDX leader in total points and home runs across both events, Gonzalez was given the MVP Award in Korea.

Superstar: Ashton Lansdell

HRDX stats: 50 total points, 32 home runs, 7 catches

Called up to the Women's National Team at just 17 years old, Lansdell both pitched and played the outfield at the 2019 Pan-American Championships. She cracked two home runs and was 3-for-3 stealing bases in the tournament, and even hit for the cycle against Cuba. In the USWNT's recent series against Canada, the slugger went 7-for-17 with 1 double and a remarkable 4 triples.

Armed with one of the most powerful swings in the tournament, Lansdell is tied for fourth in home runs among all players. The only ones ahead of her are former big leaguers.

Wild Card: Yoongy Kwak

HRDX stats: 5 points, 1 home run, 2 catches

If basestealing was a part of this event, Kwak would easily run away (see what I did there?) with the title. Known for his shock of brightly dyed hair, Kwak was the 2012 Overall World Champion in speed skating and he won silver medals at the 2016 and 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Kwak showed off his glove skills in Korea -- and the fans adored him for it.

Rookie: Nelson Quiroz

Hailing from Navojoa, Mexico, Quiroz was on his way to a breakout campaign at the tender age of 21 this year. The catcher made his full-season debut with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes and posted an impressive .341 batting average with four home runs and more walks than strikeouts in just 12 games. He even bashed three in a single game with the Quakes. Unfortunately, he needed hamate surgery shortly after joining the team and he missed the rest of the season.

Red Sox

Legend: Jonny Gomes

HRDX stats: 69 points, 44 home runs, 20 catches

A fan favorite with a penchant for big hits in big moments, Gomes won World Series rings with the Red Sox in 2013 and the Royals in 2015. (He also gave an impassioned -- if at times unprintable -- speech after that victory.) Known for his high-energy play, the beard that became his signature in Boston, and plenty of power, Gomes retired with 162 career home runs. Gomes also won the Caribbean World Series while playing in Mexico over the winter during his career, and was named the Winter League MVP by Baseball America in 2005.

While Gomes is second in total points and home runs, he's showcased his signature hustle and has 12 more catches than anyone else in the tournament.

Superstar: Jocelyn Alo

HRDX stats: 37 points, 23 home runs, 3 catches

After replacing the injured Paige Halstead in Seoul, Alo is back for Mexico City. The former Oklahoma Sooners superstar won back-to-back Women's College World Series in 2021 and '22 and finished her NCAA career as the all-time leader -- in softball or baseball -- in home runs (122), slugging percentage (.987) and total bases (761).

Her college coach, Patty Gasso, said that, "Jocelyn's hit the ball farther than any female I've ever seen in my life." She proved that comment true: Alo's 411-foot home run was the longest hit in Korea.

Wild Card: Liv Cooke

HRDX stats: 4 points, 0 home runs, 2 catches

If anyone is going to unleash a viral bat flip, it's going to be Cooke. Hailing from Manchester, England, Cooke is the the first female World Champion football freestyler and a six-time world record holder.

Though Cooke didn't hit a home run, she did a good job aiming for the targets. Her four infield target hits are second among all players in the tournament.

Rookie: Enmanuel Valdez

Growing up a Red Sox fan, it's only fitting that Valdez was acquired by Boston this summer in the trade that sent Christian Vázquez to the Astros. The infielder bashed an impressive 28 home runs in Triple-A this year, and would have led his Worcester Red Sox teammates had he spent the entire season with them.

Ranked as the No. 18 prospect in the Red Sox farm system, scouts note that he has 20-home run potential in the Major Leagues.

Yankees

Legend: Nick Swisher

HRDX stats: 51 points, 32 home runs, 1 catch

One of the friendliest and most outgoing players to ever put on the jersey, Nick Swisher was a fan favorite wherever he went during his 12-year career. Swisher was an All-Star, competed in the 2010 HR Derby, and won a World Series ring with the Yankees in 2009. (Oh yeah, he also acted in a few things, too.) The slugger hit 20-plus home runs every season from 2005-13, finishing his career with 245 dingers.

Swisher has lived up to his reputation at each event -- coming out swinging a special bat wrapped in that country's flag and making thousands of new fans along the way.

Superstar: Stefania Aradillas

HRDX stats: N/A

With Piancastelli unable to compete in Mexico City, the Yankees have turned to international softball star Aradillas. She's played for the Mexican National Team since 2010, collecting silver medals at the Pan-American Qualifier and the Central American Softball Championships. She was then the only native Mexican player on Team Mexico's roster at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games.

A fan of Adrián González growing up, Aradillas may now get a chance to face -- and beat him -- at HRDX. The two teams will square off in the first-round matchup.

Wild Card: Daniel Corral

HRDX stats: 11 total points, 10 home runs, 0 catches

Keep your eyes on Corral when all the players are out warming up on the field: While everyone else struggles with their pregame stretches, the former Olympic gymnast will likely be contorting himself into pretzels with ease. In addition to appearing in multiple Summer Olympics, Corral medaled in the 2013 World Championships, 2013 Summer Universiade, and has two golds from the Pan American Games.

The leader among all Wild Cards in home runs, Corral's performance could end up being the deciding factor.

Rookie: Jared Serna

Just 20 years old, Serna is in his second season in the Yankees organization. This year, he set career highs in home runs and doubles as he reached Class A Tampa by the end of the year. He's also a threat on the bases with his speed (41 steals in two years), something he'll only be able to use in the field at HRDX.