MLB's Home Run Derby on Monday night.Two relatively unknown hitters Blaine Boyer Jersey , Jesus Aguilar and Max Muncy, have the second and third best odds, respectively.At +900, Cubs burly slugger Kyle Schwarber is tied for the worst odds.The Home Run Derby is just days away and we finally have the list of eight ballplayers who will be competing.Now don’t get me wrong. At first glance, this list of competitors is underwhelming. You don’t exactly get a massive ratings boost with Alex Bregman hitting 380-footers into the third row. Nothing gets a child to love the game for life quite like watching an absolutely ‘roided-out freak such as Sammy Sosa hitting balls over Bernie Brewer’s slide. That’s what you call a role model.Anywho, enough about my childhood and failed attempt to make the big leagues. Here are the odds:Not surprisingly, Bryce Harper is the favorite. In a field with a bunch of young (although Harper is also young) and relatively unproven sluggers, Harper is easily the most well-known player among casual fans. He’s not having a good year by his standards, but is certainly capable of MVP-caliber performances. If he gets hot at his home field, there could be no stopping him.The man with the second-best odds will get some double takes on the TV screen for sure. Brewers first baseman Jesus Aguilar had a few cups of coffee with the Indians between 2014 and 2016 before landing in Milwaukee last year. He had a decent year in 2017 with 16 bombs in 133 games, but that’s nothing compared to this year. He’s hit 23 homers in 82 games to go along with a .375 OBP. His 164 wRC+ (catch-all hitting stat) is the best in the National League. He’s a “nobody,” but he deserves to be there.Also a “nobody” is Max Muncy of the Dodgers, owner of the third-best odds. In 96 games with the Athletics between 2015 and 2016, Muncy had five dongs. He already has 21 bombs in 70 games this year. He’s on a 48-homer pace per 600 plate appearances. The guy can mash.At +550 each are Rhys Hoskins and Freddie Freeman. You may remember Hoskins for his home run onslaught after being called up to the bigs last year, as he put up 18 homers in 50 games. This year hasn’t been quite the same, as he’s posted just 14 homers in 82 games, but there’s no denying the 6-foot-4 kid has raw country power — the type acquired by chopping trees and carrying bales of hay rather than hitting the weight room.Freeman, like Harper http://www.royalsfanproshop.com/authentic-ryan-goins-jersey , is one of just a couple proven veteran stars in the Derby. Even though he’s more of an all-around hitter than a pure home run bat, Freeman has 30-plus home run power.At +600, Javy Baez of the Cubs hopes to do some damage. When he was initially called up in 2014, Baez was an all-or-nothing type of hitter, striking out a ton and hitting the ball a long way if he could make contact. Since then, he’s refined his approach.This season has been easily his best at the plate, already racking up 18 bombs (five short of his career high) and posting a wRC+ close to 130, about 30 points higher than his career average. The electric Baez is a fan favorite in Chicago, and I imagine he will get some attention among bettors over the next few days.Rounding out the list are Alex Bregman and Kyle Schwarber. Bregman, who I made fun of earlier, does have 19 homers, which is as many as he hit last year in his first full season. Sure, they don’t go a long way, but they all count the same if they go over the fence. At 4.2 fWAR, Bregman’s actually been the sixth-best player in the major leagues so far.Meanwhile, Schwarber can hit them a long way. The big lefty actually slimmed down quite a bit this past offseason, but hasn’t lost his power. He remains on a 30-plus homer pace and has actually become a much better all-around player this season. Considering his long odds, I expect bettors to take a gander at him Melky Cabrera Jersey , too. TORONTO — The Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays are going to see a lot of each other in September, starting Monday night at the Rogers Centre.If it seems like the Rays and the Jays were playing at the Rogers Centre only a short time ago, it is because they were.It was only three weeks ago when the Rays won two games from the Blue Jays in a three-game series Aug. 10-12.Article continues below ...Through a scheduling quirk, they will be back at it again starting Monday with a three-game series as Toronto’s Marcus Stroman (4-8, 5.27 ERA) will come off the disabled list (right middle finger blister) to start for the first time since Aug. 17. The Rays had not named their starter for Monday night.And if Toronto fans have not seen enough of the Rays, the teams will be playing again in a four-game series Sept. 20-23. Then the teams will return to St. Petersburg, Fla., for a three-game series Sept. 28-30 at Tropicana Field that will complete the season.Not that everything is the same with the teams. The Blue Jays, for instance, made two trades on Friday. They sent third baseman Josh Donaldson, who has been injured for most of the season, to the Cleveland Indians and outfielder Curtis Granderson to the Milwaukee Brewers. Those teams have postseason aspirations and the Blue Jays are rebuilding, or transitioning.Both teams are coming off victories.The Blue Jays (62-74) enter the series against the Rays after a 6-1 victory Sunday over the Miami Marlins to complete a 2-4 road trip that included being swept in a three-game series by the Baltimore Orioles.The Rays (73-63) defeated the Indians 6-4 on Sunday in the rubber match of a three-game series at Progressive Field. They have won 11 of their past 13 games to go a season-best 10 games above .500.Stroman allowed five runs in four innings at Yankee Stadium before going on the DL with a blister problem that has been hampering him for quite some time.His previous start, on Aug. 12, was the only one he has made against the Rays this season. He allowed one run and five hits in five innings in a no-decision, a game the Blue Jays won 2-1.In 12 career starts against the Rays, Stroman is 5-4 with a 4.20 ERA.In a rubber match with the Miami Marlins on Sunday, Sean Reid-Foley struck out 10 in a seven-inning outing for his first win in his third major league start. He is the first Blue Jays starter to pitch seven innings since Aug. 22.Starting pitching has been a weak spot for the Blue Jays lately and has been a disappointment most of the season.“Our starting pitching has been getting hit around pretty good the past 10 days or so and gets us behind the eight ball Justin Verlander Jersey ,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said after a loss on Saturday. “Hopefully, we can get that ironed out. We need to get that taken care of.”Smoak, who entered the game Sunday in the bottom of the ninth as a defensive replacement, has hit home runs in each of the past four games that he has had a plate appearance. Kendrys Morales, who started at first base Sunday, recently cot completed a seven-game home run streak.The Rays made a move before their game Sunday, recalling infielder-outfielder Andrew Velazquez from Triple-A Durham. Right-hander Jose Mujica (undisclosed injury) was recalled from Durham and was moved to the 60-day DL.With regular center fielder Kevin Kiermaier sitting out Sunday after leaving the game Saturday in the seventh inning with back spasms, Velazquez entered the game Sunday in the eighth inning as a defensive replacement in center field.Kiermaier said he was available off the bench Sunday and hopes to return to the lineup on Monday.Rays outfielder Mallex Smith (viral infection) is expected to be activated from the DL when eligible on Monday.Tampa Bay first baseman-outfielder Jake Bauers was 0-for-3 with a walk Sunday and is 4-for-58 since Aug. 10.“This isn’t the worst thing for him,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “He’s 22. He’s going to be fine. I know he’s scuffling. To be able to get to the offseason, we want to see him get there on a high note.“But at the same time, if he’s able to do that, he’s going to look back and say, ‘Hey, I had maybe the roughest patch of my career and I was able to kind of weather the storm.’“I think that means something, especially to some young guys. I don’t think it would be smart for us to run from him. He’s part of our future.”