Following the Pirates 3-1 win and another masterful performance by James McDonald, the fans were treated to quite a treat. No it wasn’t former American Idol Chris Daughtry’s performance on the field in 94 degree weather. It was the news that All-Star and MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen will be participating in the State Farm home run derby. Miami Marlins representative Giancarlo Stanton was forced to pull out of the competition and the game.
McCutchen leads all of baseball with a .360 average and has 16 homers on the season; tied with Pedro Alvarez for the team lead. McCutchen leads his team in every offensive statistical category, and is in the MVP consideration for the first half according to many experts.
McCutchen will be the fourth participant for the Pirates in the home run derby joining Bobby Bonilla (1990), Barry Bonds (1992) and Jason Bay (2005). Bonds hit two homers finishing in last place, but Bonilla and Bay each finished with 0 in their respective competitions.
The knock on the home run derby is that it changes the players swings in the second half and causes the numbers to drop. Here’s a quick look at the past Pirates participants and their pre and post Home Run Derby numbers.
Bonilla – .278, 19 HR before, .282, 13 HR after.
Bonds – .303, 15 HR before, .319, 19 HR after.
Bay – .299, 16 HR before, .314, 16 HR after.
If the past is any indication, McCutchen should be just fine.
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