And really, the idea of one pitcher participating each year in the Home Run Derby is too good to pass up. “I mean, they had me ride a horse on the field, so if they trust me with something like that with 40-some-thousand people going insane and I can’t do baseball activities, that’s a little bit different”, Bumgarner told reporters.
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Then Bumgarner took batting practice and crushed home runs into Big Mac Land, hitting a fourth-decker shot on his final swing. Now we learn that Mr. Bumgarner says that he’ll say yes if he’s asked to participate in said Derby. Over the past three seasons, Bumgarner has belted 11 home runs in just 194 plate appearances.
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner says he wants to participate in the Major League Baseball Home Run Derby in San Diego this year.
“Initially your feelings are to keep him out of (the derby) because I know how competitive he is and how hard he’ll swing”, Bochy said. His two home runs this year are tied with Noah Syndergaard for the league lead among pitchers. While it might be entertaining to see him eliminate one of the game’s best sluggers in the first round, we sadly have to advocate for a cautious approach in this instance. However, ESPN also reports that Bumgarner’s manager, Bruce Bochy, will not allow his pitcher to appear in the All-Star festivities. And Bum, he’s convinced he could win it. They would undoubtedly prefer their valuable left-hander take it easy and not take any unnecessary risks by swinging for the fences with his adrenaline pumping in front of a hyped audience, but Bumgarner is not fazed by those risks.
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He’s 7-2 with a 1.91 ERA this season with the San Francisco Giants.
