If I were a GM of a baseball team I would never let my players participate in the Home Run Derby (Or at least I would strongly advise the players not to do it so I can avoid hearing his mother - I mean, his agent - yell at me). No, I'm not going to say, "I'd rather watch the Futures Game" or something silly like that. I like the Home Run Derby. It's a great show, money is raised for charity, and it's fun to watch - for us fans. But at the root, it's basically glorified batting practice and this can, and has led to, some problems for hitters once the season resumes.Regular batting practice is very important but believe it or not, it actually causes more slumps for a hitter than any other factor. A bad habit can creep in and it can take weeks 
to get out of it. Uppercutting is the biggest enemy of a skilled batter. A pure slugger like Ryan Howard or Adam Dunn will swing for the fences all the time (And strike out. A lot). That's what they do. But if an all-around hitter like Derek Jeter or Albert Pujols began uppercutting, their numbers would drop like a safe.
Two players who were adversely effected by the Home Run Derby are Bobby Abreu and David Wright. Abreu entered the 2005 All-Star Break with 18 home runs, won the Derby, but only hit six more the rest of the season. He was always good for
20 to 30 homers a year, but since then he hasn't hit more than 16. In 2006, Wright came into the break with 20, but only hit six afterward. It carried over into the following season because Wright didn't hit his first home run until his 25th game. He eventually regained his stroke and finished with 30. Note: Even without the homers, Abreu's and Wright's outstanding prowess as hitters allowed them to maintain their high RBI production, which proves my earlier point on home runs. http://sportsmy2cents.blogspot.com/2008/06/home-runs-are-overrated.html Most hitters in today's homer-happy game don't have that kind of discipline and would likely have difficulties dealing with this problem, should it occur.
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The post-Home Run Derby power outage doesn't happen to every hitter, of course. Maybe not even half of them. But your assignment (should you decide to accept it) is to keep an eye on Justin Morneau, Josh Hamilton and Lance Berkman in the second half, just in case.
to get out of it. Uppercutting is the biggest enemy of a skilled batter. A pure slugger like Ryan Howard or Adam Dunn will swing for the fences all the time (And strike out. A lot). That's what they do. But if an all-around hitter like Derek Jeter or Albert Pujols began uppercutting, their numbers would drop like a safe.Two players who were adversely effected by the Home Run Derby are Bobby Abreu and David Wright. Abreu entered the 2005 All-Star Break with 18 home runs, won the Derby, but only hit six more the rest of the season. He was always good for
20 to 30 homers a year, but since then he hasn't hit more than 16. In 2006, Wright came into the break with 20, but only hit six afterward. It carried over into the following season because Wright didn't hit his first home run until his 25th game. He eventually regained his stroke and finished with 30. Note: Even without the homers, Abreu's and Wright's outstanding prowess as hitters allowed them to maintain their high RBI production, which proves my earlier point on home runs. http://sportsmy2cents.blogspot.com/2008/06/home-runs-are-overrated.html Most hitters in today's homer-happy game don't have that kind of discipline and would likely have difficulties dealing with this problem, should it occur..
The post-Home Run Derby power outage doesn't happen to every hitter, of course. Maybe not even half of them. But your assignment (should you decide to accept it) is to keep an eye on Justin Morneau, Josh Hamilton and Lance Berkman in the second half, just in case.
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