Joc Pederson could have participated in this upcoming weekend’s Home Run Derby. He declined, per the Chronicle’s Susan Slusser.
As much fun as the event is, Pederson acknowledged it takes a real toll on players’ bodies. Pederson has been a two-time participant, finishing second to Todd Frazier back in 2015.
The NL All-Star starter would prefer to make smarter use of the potential rest time, nursing neck and back soreness.
“I could use those three days to recover rather than exert a lot of energy,” Pederson said.
He referenced the energy expended in those prior events as a pretty serious investment.
“You can’t move for about a good 24-48 hours,” Pederson said. “You’re hurting a lot. It’s definitely one of the funner things to do in baseball and hopefully I get to participate in it again sometime, but I want to use this time to soak up the experience with my family and recover to finish strong to put our team in the best position to get to the playoffs and win a World Series.”
Pederson will be an All-Star starter for the second time in his career next week, alongside the likes of Mookie Betts and Ronald Acuña Jr.
