Thanks in large part to Giancarlo Stanton's dominating performance in last year's edition, the Home Run Derby is undergoing a cultural resurgence. This time around, the possibility of seeing Stanton and Aaron Judge taking mighty hacks in Miami is of course tantalizing in the extreme.
However, another slugger -- George Springer of the Astros -- isn't exactly caught up in the Derby enthusiasm. Here's what Springer told Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle on that very subject ...
"I'm just not a fan of it. I don't like it. I'm not a Home Run Derby guy. I'm not going to do it."
All right. Little room for interpretation there.
As Kaplan notes, Springer declined a Derby invite last year, and clearly nothing's changed. Kaplan's story has more, including which two AL sluggers Springer would like to see in the Derby that he says he'll watch.
Anyhow, Springer's stance, of course, isn't an uncommon one, even if it's not often stated in such staunch terms. Some guys think the Derby messes with their swings (there's not much evidence of this, but it's a thing), and more generally they find it taxing during what would otherwise be a much-needed respite from the six-month regular season.
As for Springer, he's got 18 bombs through 62 games, and he's slugging .534. So he's certainly capable of running into one with Derby-grade regularity. That won't be happening, though, at least not in 2017.
