The thought of Bryce Harper participating in the home run derby again and hitting some bombs during the All-Star break has been on my mind since he has gone on his assault on pitching, but it looks like the young slugger may not participate this year.
If you can recall, Harper had his father pitch to him when he participated in the derby in 2013, and since he is recovering from surgery he may opt out.
Here is what Harper had to say to the Cincinnati Enquirer:
“We’ll see if I end up doing it or not,” Harper said. “As of right now, I don’t know if I’ll end up doing it.”
One reason Harper may pass on the event is his father’s recent surgery. Ron Harper pitched for Bryce Harper in the 2013 home run derby, when he finished second to Yoenis Cespedes. Ron Harper had rotator cuff surgery after a snowboarding accident, Bryce Harper told the newspaper.
“I probably won’t be able to do it this year, because he’s my guy,” Harper told the Enquirer of his father.
It would certainly be disappointing if one of baseball’s young stars would have to skip the derby this year given the kind of year he is having, but I can certainly understand him being loyal to his dad.