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The Home Run Derby takes center stage Monday night, as the top sluggers in both leagues will try to outdo one another in numbers and distance in front of a raucous crowd at Petco Park and a national TV audience.

Major League Baseball has descended on San Diego, for the All-Star festivities, and huge power hitters such as home run leader Mark Trumbo of the Baltimore Orioles and strongman Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins are likely to draw oohs and ahhs from the appreciative fans.

ESPN will televise the event at 8 p.m. ET.

The eight players will participate in a single-elimination tournament. They are seeded by the number of home runs they have hit, and ties are broken by the player with the most home runs since June 1.

Each batter will get four minutes in the box to blast as many home runs as he is capable of hitting. Each player is entitled to call timeout for 45 seconds in each round. Players who reach the championship round will have the option of calling timeout twice.

They will gain an additional 30 seconds of hitting time if they hit two home runs of 440 feet or longer in any round.

A one-minute swing-off will break any ties, and if it is still tied at that point, players will alternate three-swing swing-offs until a winner is determined.

Trumbo is the top seed in the tournament with a major league-leading 28 home runs and will meet No. 8 seed Corey Seager, who has bashed 17 home runs. In addition to his advantage in total home runs to this point, Trumbo has a long home run of 458 feet, and his average dinger has traveled 413 feet, according to research compiled by Doug Miller of MLB.com (h/t Statcast).

Seager has a long home run of 440 feet with an average of 399 feet.

Defending champion Todd Frazier of the Chicago White Sox is the No. 2 seed this year. He has belted 25 home runs at the All-Star break and will meet seventh-seeded Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies. CarGo has 19 home runs, and his longest blast of the season was 462 feet. His average is 422 feet.

That could give him an advantage over Frazier, whose longest home run is 427 feet with an average of 391 feet.

Other first-round matchups include No. 3 seed Adam Duvall (23 home runs) of the Cincinnati Reds against No. 6 seed Wil Myers (19) of the hometown San Diego Padres. No. 4 seed Robinson Cano of the Seattle Mariners has 21 home runs and will meet the fifth-seeded Stanton, who has 20 bombs.

Cano won the event in 2011 as a member of the New York Yankees.

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The first half of the 2016 season wrapped up Sunday, and MLB‘s elite are now converging on San Diego, California, for Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic.

The San Diego Padres are hosting the event for the first time since 1992, when 2016 Hall of Fame inductee Ken Griffey Jr. was the MVP.

This year’s event has an odd twist to it, as the American League will be the home team despite the game taking place in a National League park.

MLB recently ended the tradition of alternating between AL and NL cities for the All-Star Game but is continuing to alternate home and away statuses. Since the NL’s Cincinnati Reds hosted last year as the home team, the AL will take the home dugout in San Diego on Tuesday.

Here’s a look at the info you’ll need to tune in.

2016 MLB All-Star Game Info

When: Tuesday, July 12

Where: Petco Park, San Diego

Start Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: Fox (pregame at 7:30 p.m. ET)

While the initial rosters were announced last week, additions to the teams continued throughout the weekend to account for injuries and pitchers who were ineligible because of their weekend workloads. 

Here’s a glance at the updated rosters and a breakdown of each squad.

NL Roster Breakdown

The National League starting lineup looks a lot like the one Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon trots out on a nightly basis. The five Cubs in the starting lineup are the most for a single team since the Padres had five starters in 1985, according to MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat.

But while the NL has a strong starting lineup, there’s a noticeable drop-off on the bench. 

Multiple NL reserves, notably Reds outfielder Adam Duvall and his .288 on-base percentage, look like marginal All-Star candidates at best.

Fortunately for the NL squad, led by New York Mets manager Terry Collins, the pitching staff features some of the top arms in the game. Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg, Cubs starter Jake Arrieta and San Francisco Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner should be among the first pitchers to take the mound Tuesday.

With a dominant staff, the NL has the firepower on the mound to potentially shut down a potent AL lineup and win a low-scoring game.

AL Roster Breakdown

Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost has put together an interesting but controversial roster for the American League.

Yost, who is used to having a dominant bullpen in Kansas City, selected nine relievers for his squad, including two from his own team.

Multiple starters, including the Cleveland Indians’ Danny Salazar and Toronto Blue Jays’ Marco Estrada, will be ineligible to pitch, which will likely force Yost to heavily feature his relievers during the game. And with multiple lefties in the pen, Yost will likely play matchups late in the game if the score is close. 

Despite the interesting makeup of the pitching staff, the AL roster is highlighted by a potent offense that could carry the team to a victory.

The starting lineup features four players who are hitting over .320, led by Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, who leads the AL with a .341 mark. 

The AL bench also features multiple threats Yost could use as pinch hitters in clutch situations, including major league home run leader Mark Trumbo.

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Lineups for the 2016 MLB All-Star Game in San Diego were revealed at a press conference Monday afternoon in Southern California, and San Francisco Giants hurler Johnny Cueto and Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale were tabbed as the starting pitchers for this year’s Midsummer Classic, per Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller. 

Cueto earned the nod for manager Terry Collins’ National League side after going 13-1 with a league-high four complete games during the first half of the season. The 30-year-old also owns a 2.47 ERA and league-leading mark of 0.4 home runs allowed per nine innings.   

According to the San Francisco Chronicle‘s John Shea, Cueto will be the first Giants pitcher to start an All-Star Game since Matt Cain in 2012. 

On the flip side, American League manager Ned Yost will hand the ball to Sale. The White Sox pitcher has gone 14-3 with three complete games and a 3.38 ERA in 18 first-half starts. 

Facing those two esteemed pitchers will be stellar lineups packed with plenty of power and speed. Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros will lead off for the AL, while Ben Zobrist will get things started for the NL at Petco Park:

The NL lineup underwent a bit of a shift in recent days after starting outfielders Dexter Fowler (hamstring) and Yoenis Cespedes (quad) were ruled out with injuries, so Carlos Gonzalez and Marcell Ozuna will assume their spots in Collins’ starting nine. 

Sticking with the NL, San Diego Padres first baseman Wil Myers will start at designated hitter in front of a home crowd that figures to meet his arrival at the plate with raucous applause. 

According to Miller, Collins handed the starting honor to Myers for a number of reasons: 

On the AL side, all eyes will be on designated David Ortiz—who’s batting cleanup—in his final All-Star Game before he retires.

“I’ve seen some other players in their final season just be part of the All-Star Game—Mariano [Rivera], Cal Ripken, Ken Griffey,” Ortiz said, per ESPN.com’s Scott Lauber. “It’s something that as a player you’re always going to look at it as, I made it. As many times as I have, it’s something that’s very special and something I’ll never forget about.”

However, the NL will look to dethrone Ortiz and the AL with home-field advantage in the World Series on the line. The NL hasn’t tasted victory in the Midsummer Classic since 2012 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. 

Speaking of trends, Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout will attempt to become the first player in MLB history to win three consecutive All-Star Game MVP awards after taking home the hardware with stellar showings in 2014 and 2015. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com. 

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The first half of Major League Baseball’s 2016 season wrapped up Sunday, and the game’s top performers are now on their way to San Diego, California, for the 2016 MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday.

The Midsummer Classic’s festivities kick off Monday, highlighted by the Home Run Derby, which will air at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The Derby will follow the same bracket format MLB introduced in 2015. The eight participants are seeded according to their first-half home run totals.

The players have four minutes apiece to hit as many home runs as possible in the single-elimination tournament. Players can also gain extra time by blasting multiple home runs of at least 440 feet. 

MLB Communications recently released the bracket for Monday’s tournament:

Here are the participants and bracket for Monday’s T-Mobile Home Run Derby. pic.twitter.com/N3TWIKUy4M

— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) July 7, 2016

Here’s a look at the field:

Chicago White Sox slugger Todd Frazier is the defending champ, having knocked off the Dodgers’ Joc Pederson in the championship round last season in Cincinnati. Frazier belted a combined 39 home runs during the tournament, reaching double digits in each round. 

Robinson Cano of the Seattle Mariners is another returning former champion, having won the Derby with 32 total home runs in 2011. Cano also competed in 2012 and 2013 but finished in last place both times with just four combined homers over the two years. 

The favorite in this year’s Derby might be the Miami Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton, who’s arguably the game’s most dangerous power hitter. 

This will be Stanton’s second appearance in the Derby. He first participated in 2014, advancing to the semifinals before being knocked out by Frazier and the New York Mets’ Yoenis Cespedes. 

Despite having a shaky first half, Stanton remains suited for the Home Run Derby. According to FanGraphs, he ranks fifth in the majors with a 25.7 percent home run-to-fly ball rate. Among this year’s participants, only the Baltimore Orioles’ Mark Trumbo (26.2 percent) has posted a higher rate than Stanton.

As ESPN Stats & Info demonstrated, Stanton is also the clear favorite to launch the deepest home runs in the Derby:

.@Marlins OF Giancarlo Stanton is No. 5 seed at HR Derby.

He has 32 450-foot HR since 2010. Only 3 TEAMS have more pic.twitter.com/2JI1UAYY8L

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 7, 2016

Trumbo enters the Derby as the No. 1 seed amid a career resurgence in Baltimore this season. With 28 first-half home runs, he has already surpassed his totals from the 2014 and 2015 seasons. 

The hitter-friendly Camden Yards may be slightly contributing to Trumbo‘s increased home run totals, but he’s managed an even split in the first half with 14 home runs apiece in Baltimore and on the road.

The sleeper in this year’s Derby could be Cincinnati Reds outfielder Adam Duvall. Eleven of Duvall‘s 23 first-half home runs traveled at least 400 feet, according to ESPN’s Home Run Tracker. 

Duvall also has an impressive 24.2 percent home run-to-fly ball rate, per FanGraphs, which ranks third among the participants in this year’s Derby.

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The duty of making up the All-Star lineups is left to American League manager Ned Yost of the Kansas City Royals and National League manager Terry Collins of the New York Mets.

It’s one of many jobs both men have in the All-Star Game. The two 2015 World Series managers want to knit together the best lineups possible, work nearly every reserve into the game and find a way to win the contest for their respective leagues.

It takes a surgeon’s touch to accomplish everything without offending any of the participants.

So, in an effort to make the overall job just a bit easier for each manager, we offer our projected starting lineups for each league.

There have been many changes since the All-Star teams were announced July 5 as a result of injuries and pitchers who will be unavailable Tuesday night at Petco Park in San Diego. The National League had to replace two starting outfielders in Yoenis Cespedes and Dexter Fowler as a result of injuries. The American League starters remain intact.

We know that Mike Trout led off last year’s All-Star Game with a home run and captured his second straight MVP award, but we have to go with Jose Altuve in the leadoff spot.

Altuve is having a remarkable year with a .414 on-base percentage, .343 batting average and 14 home runs. That’s simply remarkable power for a player who checks in at 5’6″ and 165 pounds, but that’s why Altuve may be the American League MVP at the end of the season.

If Altuve doesn’t get that award, Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles may take it away from him. He has split his time between shortstop and third base this year and is clearly a brilliant fielder. Machado has belted 19 home runs with 53 RBI and has a .322 batting average.

Trout may lobby Yost to bat leadoff after his success last year, but he will fit in nicely in the No. 3 hole. Trout is the best all-around player in the game, and since the Angels are struggling this year, he may once again make the All-Star Game his personal playground. Trout has a .427 on-base percentage to go along with 18 homers and 57 RBI.

David Ortiz has to be the clean-up hitter, doesn’t he? In a video filmed in November on the Players’ Tribune, Ortiz announced his plans to retire at the end of this season, and even though he has been sensational in 2016, he has not backed away from his retirement promise.

Ortiz is one of the game’s greatest clutch hitters, and don’t be surprised to see him go off in San Diego. Big Papi hit his 22nd home run Sunday, and he has been raking all season (.332/.426/.682).

First baseman Eric Hosmer of the Royals, who has belted 13 homers and knocked in 39 runs, follows Ortiz in the lineup. Mookie Betts continues to spark the Red Sox as their leadoff hitter, but he will hit a bit further down in the lineup in the All-Star Game. Betts can hit the long ball and also steal a base.

Sal Perez is a brilliant catcher and was recognized by the fans as he received the most votes of any player. He is technically sound behind the plate and a fine clutch hitter.

Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr. of the Red Sox take up the final two spots in the batting order. Bogaerts is a prospect who has lived up to the hype with a .331 average, 10 homers and 55 RBI, while Bradley had a 29-game hitting streak earlier this year and is a sensational center fielder.

Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox deserves to get the start for the American League. The long, lean left-hander has a 14-3 record to go with a 3.38 earned-run average and a 1.04 WHIP.

The American League has won three All-Star Games in a row and has dominated the series since 1988 by reeling off a 21-6-1 record. Collins will try to reverse that with a lineup that starts with reigning National League MVP Bryce Harper.

While Harper is hitting .259, he has belted 19 home runs and 52 RBI. He is capable of jump-starting the National League with his power. Same thing goes with No. 2 hitter Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies, who moves into the starting lineup in place of Cespedes.

The Chicago Cubs fill the No. 3 and 4 spots in the order with Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, respectively. Bryant has a .379 on-base percentage and has belted 25 home runs, while Rizzo has a .410 on-base percentage with 21 home runs and 63 RBI. That’s a pretty sweet one-two punch on Chicago’s North Side.

Buster Posey is no stranger to big situations, as he has helped backstop the Giants to three World Series titles. He has hammered 11 home runs and knocked in 41 runs so far this season.

Since the DH is in play in the All-Star Game, Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks is a great fit. The 6’3″ slugger has a .421 on-base percentage to go with 15 homers and 58 RBI. Ben Zobrist follows, and he is the ideal hitter if the National League needs to perform a hit-and-run or pick up a clutch hit.

Starling Marte will start in place of Fowler, while Addison Russell will bat ninth and play shortstop. While Russell is hitting just .234, he has hammered 11 homers and driven in 49 runs.

Look for Collins to give the ball to Johnny Cueto of the Giants. Cueto has a 13-1 record to go with a 2.47 ERA and a 115-24 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

All stats from MLB.com and CBS Sports.

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An American League player has won the MLB Home Run Derby in five of the past six years, but Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton is the +300 betting favorite (wager $100 to win $300) for Monday’s event at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. Stanton has 20 home runs heading into the break.

Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant leads the National League with 25 homers, but he will not be participating in the Home Run Derby. The current MLB leader is Mark Trumbo of the Baltimore Orioles with 28, and he is listed as the +375 second choice.

Third choice Wil Myers (+550) will be the local favorite as a member of the hometown San Diego Padres.

This year’s MLB All-Star Game festivities will take place at San Diego’s Petco Park, where Myers has hit 13 of his 19 homers this season. The Padres first baseman has hit only one this month, and that came at home against the New York Yankees on July 1.

Home-field advantage worked out well last year for third baseman Todd Frazier, who won the contest with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Frazier was traded to the Chicago White Sox in the offseason and is tied with Bryant for the second-most homers in MLB with 25.

Frazier ended a five-year reign for AL sluggers who had won the Home Run Derby, becoming the first NL batter to win it since Prince Fielder in 2009. The previous hometown player to win it was Ryne Sandberg of the Cubs in 1990.

In addition, Trumbo, Stanton, Myers and Frazier are all favored to win their first-round matchups on the 2016 Home Run Derby odds. Trumbo is -175 chalk (bet $175 to win $100) against Corey Seager (+145) of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Stanton is also -175 versus Robinson Cano (+135) of the Seattle Mariners.

Myers is a smaller -150 favorite against Adam Duvall (+110) of the Reds, while Frazier is -140 versus Carlos Gonzalez (+100) of the Colorado Rockies. The contest lasts three rounds and is based on head-to-head matchups in a single-elimination tournament until the champion is crowned.

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“The fans did a good job” isn’t a phrase most would expect to hear in regard to the Midsummer Classic, but a glance at the MLB All-Star rosters makes it hard to disagree.

There will always be snubs, but for the most part, the best of the best will make the trip to San Diego this week for the epic event. It promises to entertain not only because of the names involved and the action on the field, but because of the chess-like moves and decisions that managers must make.

The managers have loaded but complex rosters to figure out. Deciphering pitching staffs, hitters and the always-interesting designated hitter offers puzzles to the brightest minds in baseball.

2016 MLB All-Star Game

When: Tuesday

Where: Petco Park, San Diego

Start Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: Fox (Coverage starts at 7:30 p.m. ET)

Rosters

Top Storylines

The Big Voters 

Tuesday’s game might as well be a contest between the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox.

Kidding aside, it’s hard to blame the fans for voting in droves. The Cubs are off to one of their best starts in a long time, sitting on 52 wins. A 1-9 mark over the last 10 hurts, but a 6.5-game lead on the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Central division sure doesn’t. 

Where to start? Ben Zobrist has hit .284 on the year with 13 home runs and 47 RBI. Kris Bryant is at .280 with 25 homers and 64 RBI. Addison Russell doesn’t shock in the average department (.234), but his 11 homers and 49 RBI do the job.

Don’t forget Dexter Fowler, (.290 average, 28 RBI), though he was just pulled off his rehab assignment and won’t play Tuesday, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.  

It’s only fair to mention Jon Lester on the mound too, thanks to his 3.01 ERA and 108 fanned batters over 110.2 innings.

When it comes to the Red Sox, it’s not a shocker to see Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts get nods, but don’t discredit David Ortiz as a name-only selection.

Ortiz has been the definition of a power monster this year, boasting a .332 average with 21 homers and 70 RBI, all team highs. ESPN Stats & Info placed him in some historic company:

It’s odd to see a team such as the Kansas City Royals take a back seat when it comes to the popular vote right now, but the Red Sox and Cubs deserve the credit.

The biggest names will prove it Tuesday too.

The DH Situation 

The NL needs to field a designated hitter, NL stadium or not, which means those in charge of such decisions have a chance to perhaps make up for where the fans experienced a slight hiccup. 

In other words, the campaign for Wil Myers has started in earnest.

Said manager in charge is New York Mets manager Terry Collins, who can give the nod to Myers or go bold with Los Angeles Dodgers youngster Corey Seager.

Most of the hype, though, surrounds Myers, the hometown hero of the San Diego Padres who is batting .290 with 19 homers and 60 RBI this year. He’s well aware of the predicament, as A.J. Cassavell of MLB.com noted:

Cassavell provided some interesting reinforcement to the idea once MLB concluded the final vote:

It seems like an easy enough decision, but that’s the beauty of the Midsummer Classic—not everything is so cut and dried.

How Collins plays his cards will be a highlight of the event.

Deciding on a Pitcher

Collins doesn’t have it easy when it comes to picking a starter, either.

With Clayton Kershaw out of the picture, the choice is between Madison Bumgarner (2.09 ERA, 132 strikeouts) and Jake Arrieta (2.68 ERA, 121 strikeouts).

Kansas City skipper Ned Yost has a much more difficult, if not interesting, decision. He has molded his roster similar to how he built the Royals, which means just five starters and an excess of formidable relief talent.

That’s interesting from a chess-like strategy standpoint as the game wears on, but it doesn’t make the starting decision any easier.

Is it Danny Salazar? The Cleveland Indians star has a 2.75 ERA with a strong 10-3 record, not to mention 118 fanned batters. Or maybe it goes to Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox, who comes in with a lesser 3.38 ERA but a superb 14-3 record. Don’t forget another Bostonian, Steven Wright, who—like Ortiz—isn’t just there because of popular vote, not with a 2.68 ERA and 10-5 record. Even Cole Hamels boasts nine wins.

There’s no wrong answer, but with a mind like Yost at the controls, the Cubs and the National League won’t find it easy to produce at the plate.

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.

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The rosters are set, and the 2016 MLB All-Star Game is a mere three days away.

While the idea that home-field advantage for the World Series is decided in an exhibition game still rankles some baseball fans, the Midsummer Classic remains one of the biggest days on the MLB calendar.

Since the All-Star Game is meant to honor the best players in baseball, there isn’t generally a big statistical difference between the American and National Leagues. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how they stack up in terms some of the most telling pitching and batting metrics.

2016 All-Star Lineups

Key Stats

In terms of offense, the American League is superior in all but one of the nine categories below (home runs), but it’s worth noting David Ortiz is the AL leader in the lion’s share of the metrics. Still, the dominance of one player doesn’t necessarily speak to the strength of the entire lineup:

In truth, little separates the two. The AL averages 15.1 home runs and 53.9 runs batted in. The NL’s eight hitters average 16.7 homers and 51.5 RBI.

If the voters had selected the National League on starters, the Senior Circuit would also be much better off. Corey Seager leads all NL shortstops in WAR (3.8), and a sizeable margin separates him from All-Star starter Addison Russell (1.6), per FanGraphs.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the two:

Granted, the American League would have benefited from Chris Davis taking Eric Hosmer‘s place in the lineup. Davis may be hitting for a much lower average (.233) than Hosmer (.300), but he has also clubbed more home runs (21) and driven in more runs (56) than the Kansas City Royals first baseman (13 HR, 49 RBI).

One problem for NL manager Terry Collins will be devising a plan to neutralize the American League’s lineup without his best pitcher. The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Clayton Kershaw on the 15-day disabled list back on June 30, so he’ll be unavailable for the All-Star Game.

Excluding the three-time Cy Young winner, here’s how the NL’s aces stack up against their counterparts in AL:

Luckily for Collins, he has an embarrassment of riches at starting pitcher. As if navigating through the likes of Johnny Cueto, Jake Arrieta, Jose Fernandez, Drew Pomeranz and Max Scherzer won’t be difficult enough for AL hitters, they’ll also see Kenley Jansen, Fernando Rodney and Jeurys Familia on the mound at some point in the All-Star Game too.

The American League has some talented arms of its own, especially in the bullpen. With the nature of the All-Star Game—pitchers don’t generally go longer than an inning—loading up on relievers may be a shrewd strategy.

As USA Today‘s Gabe Lacques argued, AL manager Ned Yost will be right at home in San Diego:

Two or fewer runs have decided the All-Star Game on six occasions over the last 10 years. Given the strength of the National League’s pitching staff, two or three runs may be all it takes to win this year’s edition.

In a tight game, having pitchers used to late-inning relief roles could be a massive asset for the AL, though.

Note: American League and National League stats are courtesy of FanGraphs and up to date as of 6 p.m. ET Saturday.

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Changes keep coming to the 2016 All-Star Game, with Toronto Blue Jays starter Aaron Sanchez replacing injured Boston Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel on the American League squad.  

Major League Baseball confirmed Sanchez’s addition to the roster on Twitter. Blue Jays radio broadcaster Mike Wilner noted Sanchez will give the defending American League East champions five representatives in San Diego on July 12. 

The Red Sox announced Saturday that Kimbrel had been placed on the 15-day disabled list and will miss three to six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, per Deesha Thosar of MLB.com.

John Lott of Vice Sports noted the symmetry with Sanchez making his MLB All-Star debut in San Diego and shared a quote from the right-hander:

There was an argument to be made for Sanchez making the AL team when the rosters were first announced on Tuesday. The 24-year-old is having a breakout season with a 2.94 ERA in 17 starts. 

Sanchez is tied for fifth among AL pitchers in wins above replacement (2.4) and is third with a ground-ball rate of 56.7 percent, per FanGraphs. 

In addition to his success as a starter this season, Sanchez has experience coming out of the bullpen from last year. He knows how to get ready to enter a game he’s not starting, which is a trait that AL manager Ned Yost will like to have, given all of the pitching changes that are sure to be made. 

Kimbrel’s absence does lower the star power for the Midsummer Classic, but Sanchez is a budding star on one of the league’s best teams. Giving some new blood a chance to shine on a huge stage is how the game keeps growing every year.

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At least this game doesn’t count.

Using the MLB All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game as some sort of tiebreaker wouldn’t be much sillier than the All-Star Game determining home-field advantage for the World Series. Luckily this is not yet the case, so viewers can instead laugh at famous people embarrassing themselves while wondering which legends would still represent an upgrade for the Atlanta Braves.

After getting a glimpse of the game’s upcoming stars during the Futures Game, a wide-ranging group of athletes, actors, models and musicians will take the field on Sunday night. The contest, however, won’t be televised until the Home Run Derby concludes on Monday night.

Do any of these softball participants have a future in the big leagues? Not unless Manny Delgado from Modern Family swaps talents with Manny Machado. Will Tim Raines lock down his deserving spot in Cooperstown with a strong performance? One can only hope.

Or it’s just something to leave on before going to bed after watching Giancarlo Stanton decimate baseballs. That’s fine, too. Here’s a look at the schedule and rosters, courtesy of MLB.com.

All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game

When: Sunday, July 10 (televised on June 11)

Where: Petco Park, San Diego, California

Time: Following the MLB Futures Game (starts at 7 p.m. ET)

TV: ESPN (Monday night after the Home Run Derby, which begins at 8 p.m. ET) 

This game doesn’t have Stanton and Mark Trumbo, but two hulking celebrity ringers could bring the power.

Now everyone knows why J.K. Simmons bulked up. Commissioner Gordon doesn’t need to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, but the veteran actor needs those muscles to take Rollie Fingers or David Wells deep.

Per Business Insider’s Jason Guerrasio, he insists the transformation had nothing to do with saving Gotham City or showing up Jennie Finch.

“This is all coincidental,” Simmons said. “After the second and final time that I got hugely fat in my life and when I lost that weight six or seven years ago, I pretty much decided that I was going to stay in decent shape for the rest of my life.”

Before branding him the game’s most muscular celebrity, let’s not forget about Terry Crews. Before becoming an Old Spice spokesman and playing Terry Jeffords on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, he was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 1991.

The former linebacker now has the makings of a bat-first first baseman or corner outfielder injected into the lineup for pop. And yes, this is the same game featuring multiple actors from Disney Channel shows.

On the legends front, Sunday night will turn into an impromptu celebration of the Montreal Expos. Raines might not have much left in the tank at age 56, but Vladimir Guerrero is five years removed from the majors.

The 41-year-old also has a Hall of Fame case to cement. He retired hitting .317/.379/.553 with 449 home runs and 181 stolen bases, but poor defensive metrics could place his candidacy into peril. Nevertheless, the free swinger hit baseballs few others could touch, and he hit them hard. 

Never one to hold back, a gloveless Guerrero will once again swing for the fences with all his might. He’ll supply energy to the lackadaisical contest, perhaps even giving front offices ideas of pitching a comeback.

An assortment of former San Diego Padres stars will also return to Petco Park. He spent most of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, but Ozzie Smith stole 147 bases and won the first two of 13 straight Gold Glove awards with the Friars.

Chris Berman won’t be the only Boomer on ESPN Monday night. Wells, who made two separate stops in San Diego during his 40s, will compete for unofficial win No. 240. An actual pitcher win doesn’t matter much anyway, so why not count a few underhanded outs?

If the softball gods work their magic, the team with Trevor Hoffman will nurse a small lead into the final frame. Six years after hanging up his cleats, MLB’s second all-time saves leader behind Mariano Rivera could receive another opportunity to run out with “Hells Bells” blaring over Petco’s speakers.

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