As a kid, Pete Alonso's bedtime in the summer was 9 p.m., as he recalls, but every so often, his parents would let him stay up late, and one of those special nights was on the Monday of baseball's All-Star break.
This is how he devoured the Home Run Derby annually, and what he saw on those nights sticks like flypaper to Alonso's memory. Born in 1994, Alonso vividly remembers Sammy Sosa's power in 2002, when Sosa pelted Bernie Brewer's slide. The barrage of home runs that Josh Hamilton generated in 2008, Alonso believes, has to be the greatest round of batting practice ever. Even if Todd Frazier weren't his teammate, Alonso says, he'd think what Frazier and his brother Charlie accomplished in the first timed Derby, in 2015 in Cincinnati, was incredible.
"It's something I've always had a big interest in," he said over the phone Friday. "I'm just a baseball junkie, so to be a part of it and experience it firsthand is going to be a dream come true.
"Everything I've had this year -- the All-Star [selection], the Derby -- is like a fantasy land."
Alonso, who will face the Indians' Carlos Santana in the first round of Monday's Derby, has had the benefit of exceptional counsel because three of his teammates have won the event -- Yoenis Cespedes, Robinson Cano and Frazier -- and he has soaked up their advice.
But each of the eight competitors this year has his own sources of information, the pitcher of his choice, his own strategy and perceived advantages. Here's a look at the background, particulars and thoughts of the Home Run Derby entrants:
Josh Bell, Pirates, No. 3 seed
• He's a switch-hitter. Bell says he'll start hitting left-handed, but if he gets on a roll, he could turn around and bat right-handed.
• He loved playing Home Run Derby while growing up. Earnest, his father, had a pitching machine in their backyard, and Josh remembers that when cousins visited, Earnest Bell would load up the machine with Wiffleballs, and they would have home run contests. The distance to the left-field fence was shorter, and in straightaway center, you had to reach the roof of the house to have it count as a home run.
• His Derby pitcher: Jon Schwind, a close friend and former roommate in the minors who is now an assistant hitting coach in the Pirates' organization.
"He's probably going to be the best man at my wedding," Bell said. "He's been practicing for a couple of weeks. He got drafted as a catcher. I love catcher arm strokes, on point every time."
• Where does he like the ball in the strike zone: "Anywhere in -- middle in, middle down."
• His preparation: Nothing formal. Bell hasn't gone through any timed sessions.
Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves, No. 6 seed
• Advice that stuck with him: Acuna has been practicing, and teammate Freddie Freeman, who was in the Derby last year, told Acuna that he should take some swings without a hitting cage. Freeman told him this was something he had to adjust to last year in the event.
More of Freeman's counsel, according to Acuna: "Have fun, and enjoy the experience. Just do your thing."
• His Derby Pitcher: Tomas Perez, the former infielder who played 12 years in the big leagues. Perez is part of the Braves' staff, and Acuna says he chose him because of the familiarity.
• Where Acuna likes the ball to be thrown: "Right down the middle. But wherever he throws it, I'm going to try and hit it."
• He has been in some home run hitting contests before: Acuna recalls reaching the finals in two Derbys, one in the minors and another in winter ball in Venezuela.
• His preparation: "Not much, to be honest," he said through interpreter Franco Garcia.
Pete Alonso, Mets, No. 2 seed
• His Derby pitcher: Derek Morgan, Alonso's 26-year-old cousin from his mom's side of the family. Morgan played college baseball at St. Bonaventure and Indiana Tech. "He's got an awesome [throwing] motion, and we've got great chemistry together."
Alonso said Cano and others on the team have watched him and Morgan practice together in recent days, and they offered approval of Alonso's pitcher choice, despite Morgan's lack of experience throwing in a stadium setting. Chili Davis, the Mets' hitting coach, complimented Alonso and Morgan, Alonso recalled, "and I was like, 'Yeah, we're going to win. We're stone-cold killers, stone-cold competitors.'"
"It's almost like a family reunion," Alonso said. "[Morgan] is a competitor. The way we've been practicing, we've got a really damn good chance to win this thing. We're going to compete and do our best to win."
• What Morgan does well in throwing batting practice: "He kind of throws a little bit more firm," Alonso said, "and for me, that's great. Get the sweet spot on the ball. That'll play for me. ... By him supplying a little bit of the power, that's going to help me later on. That's going to help me later on."
• Where Alonso likes to be pitched: "Right over the heart of the plate."
• A teammate in his corner: Jeff McNeil will be the guy carrying the towel and the Gatorade for him, Alonso says, and McNeil will be responsible for calling timeouts if he sees Alonso tiring.
• Advice that sticks with him: "One thing that [Frazier] has said: 'Conserve your energy.' You're going to have adrenaline going, you're going to be all hyped up. It's all about lasting and surviving. That'll play right into what I'm trying to do. You've got to hydrate as much as you can and stay as rested as possible between rounds."
Alonso has plans for the money: Five percent of his winnings will go to the Wounded Warrior Project, and another 5 percent will be earmarked to support first responders from 9/11.
Carlos Santana, Indians, No. 7 seed
• He's a switch-hitter who will swing left-handed in this event: "Because I've been more consistent on the left side than the right side." Also, Progressive Field dimensions seem to favor left-handed hitters.
• His Derby pitcher: Victor Rodriguez, the Indians' assistant hitting coach, who was part of the Red Sox staff for years. Rodriguez has experience throwing in home run contests in winter ball. "He's been with me all year," Santana said Saturday. "I know his arm, his delivery. He throws strikes."
• Where Santana likes to be pitched in the Derby: "High pitches. Not inside. I want them high, a little bit outside, so I can get them in the air and I can get extension."
• He has gotten advice: Santana has talked to former Blue Jays star Jose Bautista and Orioles first baseman Chris Davis about the event. "They told me to try not to pull. They said don't try to swing too hard."
• His strategy: "This is my first time with the All-Star and the Home Run Derby, and for me, I'll try to enjoy it. I don't want to think too much, don't want to put too much pressure on myself. It's a special moment, and I'll try to do the best I can and enjoy that."
• He hasn't spent much time practicing for the event: "Because I'm trying to finish [the first half] strong with my hitting, and I need the energy."
• The chain will hang: Santana often plays while wearing the biggest and heaviest neck chains in baseball -- his signature look -- and he confirmed through a laugh that yes, he intends to do the Derby with one.
Christian Yelich, Brewers (Note: Yelich was announced as a late scratch Sunday because of a back injury; Matt Chapman of the Oakland A's is the No. 1 seed in his place)
• As he practiced, he broke the window of an Allegheny River boat the other day: As Brewers field reporter Sophia Minnaert documented, somebody called the cops, but Yelich was not arrested.
• His Derby pitcher: Pat Shine, who worked on Mike Redmond's staff with the Marlins when Yelich played in Miami. Shine threw to Giancarlo Stanton in the 2016 Derby but is out of baseball now. Yelich reached out to see if he could be part of this.
"He's been through it a few times, and he knows what it's about," Yelich said Friday. "He's somebody I'm familiar with."
• What Yelich got out of his practice session: "This was my first time trying it, and it's probably the only time I'm going to do it. I wanted to see what it was like -- the stop and starts with the balls in the air. It's exhausting. I wasn't expecting to have it be that exhausting."
• His strategy: "I think the biggest thing is that I didn't realize how much time four minutes really is. It's a long time. So I don't want to rush it, and you've got to make sure you get your best swings off."
• Where he likes the ball thrown in the zone: "It doesn't really matter. I'm going to try to pull everything, so I'd say middle-middle, middle-in."
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays, No. 8 seed
• His favorite Home Run Derby memory: When his dad won the event in 2007, he said over the phone, with ESPN's Marly Rivera translating. "I can remember he beat Alex Rios in the final," Vlad Jr. said.
• He has some Derby scars: Guerrero Jr. was part of a home run hitting contest in the Midwest League and can remember losing the final 20-16 to Carlos Rincon.
• His Derby pitcher: John Schneider, a Blue Jays coach who works with the team's catchers. "He's very precise in how he throws," Vlad Jr. said.
• Where he wants the ball thrown in the zone for this event: "Medio medio," he said. Middle middle.
• His usual approach in batting practice: "First round, I like to hit the ball to right field, and then the next rounds, all parts of the field."
Does he ever have a home run round? he was asked. "In every round," he replied, "I look for home runs."
• Vlad Jr. has been practicing:
If you've come here for footage of Vladdy destroying baseballs, it's your lucky day! #PLAKATA 💥 pic.twitter.com/RnyU2Amo8o
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 4, 2019
"I've been working on my timing," he said, explaining that he wanted to get a sense of what it feels like to take his swings in a four-minute round. "I'm trying to time the swing so I don't really get tired. I haven't learned how to do it. I still haven't figured that out."
• Derby foe he is looking forward to watching: "Pete Alonso."
Joc Pederson, Dodgers, No. 5 seed
• He has been here before: Pederson finished runner-up to Todd Frazier in the 2015 Derby.
• His batting practice pitcher: Dino Ebel, the Dodgers' third-base coach who has worked in the Derby twice, throwing to Vladimir Guerrero Sr. when he won in 2007 and to Albert Pujols in 2015. Ebel talked with the Orange County Register about his experience in the event.
This is Ebel's first year with the Dodgers after being part of the Angels' staff for years, and Mike Trout offered this scouting report on Ebel's batting practice offerings, via text: "Straight down the middle -- straight and firm! One of the best in the league!!"
Pederson will pull the ball to right field -- a lot. The left-handed-hitting Pederson ranks 21st among MLB hitters in the rate at which he pulls the ball.
Alex Bregman, Astros, No. 4 seed
• Back for more: Bregman was knocked out in the first round last year by Kyle Schwarber, but teammates say he walked away surprised by the early exit and believed he could've done better. "He loves the stage," one teammate said.
• His Derby batting practice pitcher: Javier Bracamonte, the Astros' long-time bullpen catcher, who has extensive experience in the Derby, having pitched to Andruw Jones, Jason Bay and Miguel Cabrera in 2004-2005 before teaming with Bregman last summer.
The scouting report on Progressive Field, site of the 2019 Derby:
The distance from home plate to the left-field fence: 325 feet
Left-center field: 370
Center field: 410
Right-center field: 375
Right field: 325 feet
The wall in left field is 19 feet high.
If the wind is neutral or blowing out, it works to a left-handed hitter's advantage. The ball flies to right and right-center. The right-handed hitters have to navigate that 19-foot wall.
Terry Francona's scouting report: "It depends on the wind, but most of the time, there's a huge advantage for left-handed hitters."
Yelich and Pederson are left-handed hitters. Bell and Santana are switch-hitters. Alonso, Bregman, Guerrero Jr. and Acuña Jr. hit right-handed.
News from around the major leagues
Carlos Gonzalez is 33 years old, well-liked and respected, with four All-Star appearances in his history. But his career arc is a reminder of the stark view of player regression in this era. Just three years ago, Gonzalez batted .298 for the Rockies, with 25 homers and an .855 OPS. He had to wait until deep in the winter to land a contract for 2019, but after being cut free by the Indians earlier this season and then by the Cubs, it's unclear whether he has a future in the majors. Evaluators were concerned by his lack of hard contact: In 166 plate appearances this season, he had six extra-base hits.
• Other teams report that the Mets are signaling that they will wait a while longer before making a decision on whether to buy or sell. According to FanGraphs, their chances to win the NL East stand at 0.3%, and their chances of earning a wild-card berth are down to 5.2%. It's possible that, like a lot of front offices, the Mets' front office will weigh what they see from their team in the first days after the All-Star break before choosing which crossroad to take.
But the Mets are fielding what has been a historically poor defense and bullpen, and without a flicker of realistic hope, other teams think the Wilpons and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen should be taking some of their pieces into the market sooner rather than later. At the end of the month, the trade options are likely to increase dramatically as some other clubs become sellers, and right now, the Mets could dangle Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard, Todd Frazier or Edwin Diaz with some exclusivity.
Beyond that, this will be Van Wagenen's first go-around in the summer trade market, the first test of his in-season process for making deals. Like any first-timer, he could probably use a little bit more time to ensure that the choices he makes are the best available choices.
Baseball Tonight Podcast
Wednesday: Alden Gonzalez offers his memories of Tyler Skaggs, from his time covering Skaggs as a beat writer; Mike Trout talks about Skaggs; Boog Sciambi on Nathan Eovaldi's new role and the London series; Paul Hembekides brings The Numbers; and the latest Power 10.
Tuesday: Keith Law, filling in as host, talks with scientist Meredith Wills about the baseballs and the explosion of home runs; commissioner Rob Manfred speaks; Sarah Langs and The Numbers Game.
Monday: Keith talks with Eric Karabell and Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs; J.D. Martinez discusses his 2019 season.