1 reason to root for every HR Derby slugger

First-time participants, a new $1 million prize and the youngest field in history. Those are just a few of the reasons why you should watch the 2019 T-Mobile Home Run Derby tonight at Cleveland's Progressive Field (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).

One side of the bracket features MLB's top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and an All-Star Game MVP in Alex Bregman. The other side showcases two of MLB's brightest young stars in Pete Alonso and Ronald Acuña Jr. -- and that's only half the field. As the hours count down to MLB's power showcase, here's a quick rundown of one reason to root for every Derby slugger.

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Players are listed next to their first-round opponent. Seeding is based on HR total through Tuesday’s games.

Matt Chapman, OAK (1)

Chapman, who's slotting in for injured Brewers star Christian Yelich, already owns the 2018 American League Rawlings Platinum Glove Award, given each year to the league’s best overall defensive player, for his daily highlight-reel plays at third base. Now, he could be the first Platinum Glove winner to also capture a Home Run Derby crown -- an achievement former Platinum winners/Derby contestants Manny Machado and Anthony Rizzo haven’t been able to claim to this point. In fact, Chapman would be the first player to win a Derby after already capturing a Gold Glove Award since Robinson Cano in '11. More >

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR (8)

Guerrero Jr. was on the field at Oracle Park when his dad won the 2007 Home Run Derby, and now he'll have a chance to make the title a family tradition. The Guerreros are the second father-son duo to compete in a Home Run Derby in their careers. Cecil Fielder competed in three, losing in the first round in 1990, 1991 and 1993. His son Prince competed in six, winning two -- in 2009 and 2012. That means, if Guerrero wins, he and his Hall of Fame dad would be the first father-son duo to each win a Derby. More >

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Alex Bregman, HOU (4)

Bregman is still just 25 years old, but a Derby trophy would give him an incredibly impressive collection of hardware. He already owns a World Series ring after helping the Astros win their first championship in 2017, and he followed up with a 10th-inning, go-ahead homer that netted him the All-Star Game MVP last year. That would make three major trophies for Bregman in just his fourth Major League season. More >

Joc Pederson, LAD (5)

Pederson's older brother, Champ -- who was born with Down syndrome -- has been with Joc for all the biggest moments in his career. His unbreakable spirit was on full display during the 2015 Derby, when Pederson actually hit the same number of total homers (39) as that year's champion, Todd Frazier, but Frazier bested Pederson by one in the final round at Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park. Pederson defeated Albert Pujols is in the semis that year, and Champ got a big hug from the Angels slugger, whose daughter Isabella was also born with Down syndrome.

Champ's energy radiated throughout the '15 Derby. Imagine how excited he would be if Joc wins it all this year? More >

Pete Alonso, NYM (2)

Alonso hits homers of every shape and size. Love rockets? His 118.3 mph laser shot on April 11 is tied for MLB's hardest tracked homer of the year, and its the hardest by any Mets player since Statcast started tracking in 2015. It's also the hardest homer hit by anyone not named Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton in that span. Alonso can also break out the tape measure; his six homers of at least 440 feet rank right behind fellow Derby contestant Josh Bell for the most in MLB. More >

Carlos Santana, CLE (7)

Alonso is the hottest young slugger in the game, but Santana figures to have the Cleveland crowd behind him in this first-round matchup. We just saw a hometown hero absolutely light up the bleachers when Bryce Harper won last year at Nationals Park, and we referenced Frazier's 2015 win earlier that sent Reds fans home happy. The Cubs’ Ryne Sandberg in 1990 is the only other player to win the event at home, so a win for Santana -- who ranks within Progressive Field's all-time top five in games, plate appearances and, most importantly, homers -- would put him in pretty rare company. More >

Josh Bell, PIT (3)

The final total is what wins the day, but distance also matters: Any hitter who swats two homers of at least 440 feet in a round -- per Statcast tracking -- earns 30 seconds of bonus time. That makes Bell particularly dangerous in this year's Derby, because the Pirates slugger clubs absolute bombs. No one else in the Majors can match Bell's seven homers of at least 440 feet, not to mention his five of at least 450. On May 14 at Arizona, Bell demolished two massive homers, becoming only the third player in the past five seasons to record multiple big flies of at least 110 mph and 440 feet in the same game. And now he will bring that prodigious bat to Cleveland. More >

Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL (6)

Acuña is hoping to become -- somewhat incredibly -- the very first Braves player to win the Home Run Derby since the event began in 1985. Nine previous Atlanta players have participated, going a combined 0-for-11 after Freddie Freeman lost to Harper in the first round last year. The other Braves who fell short are a list of the franchise's who's-who: Hall of Famer Chipper Jones (three Derbies), David Justice, Fred McGriff, Dale Murphy, Javy Lopez, Gary Sheffield, Andruw Jones and Ozzie Virgil Jr. Atlanta is one of 11 teams without a Derby winner, but the only club in the NL East. More >