Madison Bumgarner will likely be selected to his fourth All-Star roster this season, but if it were up to him, he wouldn’t just be participating in the game itself.
Bumgarner, who owns 13 career home runs, is lobbying to take part in the Home Run Derby and put himself up against the best sluggers the league has to offer, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.
Citing the fact that Bumgarner recently hit 19 homers in six minutes of batting practice this past week, Olney said that the two-time defending Silver Slugger award winner would have a legitimate chance to succeed in the Derby.
On Sunday, before the Giants’ game in St. Louis, Bumgarner hit a monster shot to one of the upper decks at Busch Stadium, further sparking discussions about his odds of participating in the yearly contest.
Madison Bumgarner hits mad bombs during BP in St. Louis. https://t.co/odIEQLspHS #PitchersWhoRakehttps://t.co/F6WfXSQodI
— MLB (@MLB) June 6, 2016
Ultimately, even if selected to the Derby, the final decision on whether or not Bumgarner would be allowed to partake would rest in the hands of Bruce Bochy, who sent mixed messages to Olney when asked about it.
When first asked if he’d give his ace permission to participate, Bochy told Olney, “Yeah, I would. It’s not going to mess up his swing. He does it every day.”
After further prodding about injury risk, however, Bochy backtracked, saying “No, I couldn’t let him do it. We couldn’t let him do it.”
Count Bay Area native and Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson as one person who’d like to see Bumgarner in the Derby, as he tweeted at Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford to check in on the status of the situation. Crawford wasn’t able to shed any more light on the likelihood of Bumgarner participating, but he did respond to voice his support.
he would be my pick… 💪🏽💪🏽
— Brandon Crawford (@bcraw35) June 6, 2016
The last Giant to give it a go in the Home Run Derby was Barry Bonds in 2004 in Houston, where the left-handed slugger was eliminated in the semifinal round. Bumgarner would obviously be the first pitcher to participate in the Home Run Derby.
