New format, old problem: Home Run Derby needs big bats

WASHINGTON - With the Major League Baseball Home Run Derby less than two weeks away, the assembling of rosters for the showcase is looking like a derby in itself.

While Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton is already on board for the National League, the rest of the spots for the NL are up in the air. Then all of the American League spots, except for Jose Bautista's captain seat, are to be determined.

Sluggers Jose Abreu and Mike Trout, currently first and eighth respectively in the AL home run race, appear doubtful to join the show, Trout expressing both his desire and misgivings about participating.

There are a number of reasons why hitters may be reluctant to join in. Some believe the derby - July 14 at Minnesota's Target Field - can mess up their swings, though NL captain Troy Tulowitzki is not one of them. The need for rest by the time mid-July hits is also a factor, according to Tulowitzki, who will be participating in his first derby.

"Some guys don't want to do it, for whatever reason," Tulowitzki told USA TODAY Sports. "Either they're not great home run hitters in (batting practice), or they think it messes them up or maybe their fatigue. The season's long, and you can get all those things that people are sensitive about."

The swing issue seems to be a common theme for some around the league. And it is possible that trying to pop balls up can throw things off a bit.

But Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, who was eliminated in the second round of last year's Home Run Derby, said hitters take so many swings that if the derby gets anyone in a funk, they're going to come out of it.

Davis acknowledged talk of whether or not his dip in production after last year's All-Star break was due to the derby. He hit .315 with 37 home runs before the 2013 break, and .245 with 16 home runs after.

"To be honest with you, I don't know," Davis said. "But I think if you have an opportunity to do it and you want to do it, you should do it."

Texas Rangers first baseman Carlos Pena he was fine when he did the 2009 Home Run Derby. But in a science as inexact as hitting, there can still be that thought in the back of some players' minds.

Read this article:
New format, old problem: Home Run Derby needs big bats