Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on tonight’s Home Run Derby.

The T-Mobile Home Run Derby is tonight! This year’s field might be short on Derby experience — seven of the eight are first-timers — but it’s loaded with big boppers ready to steal the show.

Before the contest gets underway (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), let’s break down the participants and the top storylines to watch. (And don’t forget to play Home Run Derby Pick ’Em. You could win $100,000!) Here’s a quick look at each contestant in the order they’ll be swinging.

1. James Wood (WSH): A unique slugger
Just 22 years old, the 6-foot-7 Wood rarely hits the ball to his pull side, but that hasn’t stopped him from launching 24 home runs in his first full season. Will the lefty slugger change up his approach for the Derby or try to ride oppo rockets to the title?

2. Brent Rooker (ATH): Don’t sleep on him
Rooker may fly under the radar in a contest packed with showstoppers, but his bat’s got plenty of thunder. His 89 homers since the start of 2023 are the ninth most in MLB.

3. Junior Caminero (TB): Made for the big moment
Caminero is the youngest player in the contest (22 years, 9 days), but we know he’s not going to be overwhelmed by the spotlight after what he did in the LIDOM championship series this past winter. He’s really hitting his stride, too, with 15 homers since May 24.

4. Oneil Cruz (PIT): Nobody hits it harder
Get ready for some hard cuts and LOUD home runs. Cruz’s 122.9 mph dinger on May 25 was the hardest-hit ball under Statcast tracking (since 2015).

5. Byron Buxton (MIN): Not just a speed demon
Buxton is one of the fastest players in baseball, but don’t overlook his power. Nobody in this group has hit a longer home run (479 feet) this season than the Twins center fielder, who will be looking to capture a Home Run Derby crown (two days after hitting for the cycle!) in his home state of Georgia.

6. Jazz Chisholm Jr. (NYY): The showman
He might be the smallest man in a Derby field full of behemoths, but Chisholm has swagger to spare and a swing that packs a surprising punch.

7. Cal Raleigh (SEA): The big-swinging backstop
On pace to eclipse the single-season AL record for homers, MLB’s current long ball leader with 38 also has a chance to become the first catcher to claim Derby glory — and he may just do it while putting on a switch-hitting show.

8. Matt Olson (ATL): The hometown kid
Stepping in as a late replacement for teammate Ronald Acuña Jr., the Atlanta native would be the fourth player to win the Home Run Derby at his home ballpark, joining Ryne Sandberg, Todd Frazier and Bryce Harper.

— Thomas Harrigan

When Cal Raleigh steps up to the plate for tonight’s T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Truist Park, he will have his family on his mind.

And in his sights. And by his side. The field will just be full of Raleighs, really.

The Mariners’ star catcher will have his dad, Todd, throwing him meatballs on the mound. We’ve seen fathers pitch to their sons in the Derby before, but Raleigh will also have support from behind the plate as his 15-year-old brother, Todd Jr., will be his catcher.

Todd Sr. is now coaching Todd Jr. — known as “T” in the Raleigh household — just as he did Cal over a decade ago, and on many of the same travel ball circuits.

“He’s playing on the same fields that I was playing on,” Cal said of his younger brother. “Him growing up and just doing that whole thing, it’s really cool to see, and it’s fun to go back and get to work, talk to him.”

T is already 6-foot-3, taller than his 28-year-old brother, and following in his footsteps as a catcher. Maybe they will become the next great pair of Major League siblings one day. But before that, there will be one night — tonight — that they never forget.

“It’s really cool to be able to share that with him,” Cal said. “We’ll keep that going, and I try to stay involved as much as I can.”

Who else is on the mound at tonight’s Derby? See the full list of pitchersthat each contestant picked to throw to them.

— Brian Murphy

Staying on topic, most of the spotlight during the Home Run Derby is reserved for the sluggers themselves, with some shine left over for the pitchers. But here’s a good reason to check out T Raleigh and the other catchers on Monday night: Their gear is absolutely top notch.

EvoShield, the official protective gear provider of MLB, released pics of their slick custom catcher’s equipment for the Derby; much like the players’ jerseys, it includes a nice tribute to Hank Aaron. The company, also known for its sliding mitts, has been providing the Derby catchers’ gear and helmet since 2019. (We’re especially partial to the gear from the 2022 ASG in Los Angeles.)

— Bryan Horowitz

Thanks to the latest Statcast swing metrics, we know more than ever before about what makes elite hitters so effective, and that extra data should come in handy tonight as we watch this year’s eight participantsin the T-Mobile Home Run Derby attack the competition with their own unique strengths.

By now, it’s pretty well known that Oneil Cruz hits the ball harder than anyone who has ever been tracked by Statcast. But you might not know that he also has the highest average bat speed in the game, or that Cal Raleigh pulls the ball in the air more than anyone else in the game, or that no one hits the ball harder straight away and to the opposite fieldthan James Wood.

For more info on how the Derby participants have become some of the top power threats in the Major Leagues, check out Mike Petriello’s excellent deep dive on each player and don’t miss his commentary on a special Statcast-themed alternative Derby broadcast on ESPN2.

— Ed Eagle

• If Buxton is as locked in tonight as he was Saturday afternoon, he’ll be hard to beat. The two-time All-Star hit for the first cycle in Target Field history — on his bobblehead day!

• Before you watch tonight’s Derby, relive some of the greatest moments in Derby history, from Ken Griffey Jr.’s warehouse shot in Baltimore to Bryce Harper’s comeback win in D.C.

• Olson is the only one of tonight’s participants with Derby experience, and although he didn’t make it out of the first round in ’21, he still put on a 23-homer show.

• Who hit the longest Derby homer ever? Maybe someone new will take over the top spot tonight, but Juan Soto’s 520-foot drive — best in the Statcast era — will be tough to beat.

You’ve already got plenty of reasons to tune in to tonight’s Home Run Derby, but to add even more intrigue to the competition, you can compete for $100,000 if you correctly predict who will win, hit the most homers, hit the longest homer and more. Sign up now!

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