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I recently relayed my idea for how Luis Robert Jr. could steal the show at Monday’s Home Run Derby in Seattle to one of his Chicago White Sox teammates.
“That’s sick,” he replied.
I wasn’t sure if he meant it was a cool idea or that I was disturbed, and since both were possibilities, I let it go. I then attempted to give my idea to Robert but was informed by his handler he was not talking that day. An attempt to interview Sox bullpen catcher Luis Sierra, who will be throwing to Robert in the derby, also was rebuffed.
But if you see Robert walk out for the derby wearing the long coat and fedora that Sox players don after hitting home runs, remember where you heard it first. In fact all the contestants should have some similar kind of shtick, just as many teams do in dugouts.
It is, after all, entertainment.
A somewhat reluctant entrant into the derby, Robert originally said he was not interested in participating but changed his mind last week after some lobbying by fellow Cubans Randy Arozarena and Adolis García. That’s good news for Sox fans, who have had little to cheer for this season and could use a “W” right about now.
Can Luis do it?
Even though Robert has 26 home runs and is seeded No. 1, New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, a two-time winner making his fourth appearance, is the betting favorite. Experience helps in these things.
In 1995 in Texas, Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa hit only two home runs and was eliminated in the first round. That year’s winner was Sox first baseman Frank Thomas, who launched 15 home runs a combined 6,488 feet to beat out Sosa and six other All-Stars.
The derby rules have changed multiple times over the years, and 15 home runs seems like nothing nowadays, especially with a three-minute running clock in the first two rounds instead of having a preordained number of “outs” — balls that don’t go over the fence — to work with.
After Robert’s practice round Friday afternoon at Sox Park, manager Pedro Grifol said his center fielder “doesn’t really get rattled, so therefore he’s not going to be as tired. He doesn’t change his swing and has easy power.”
The key will be whether he avoids getting nervous in his first All-Star experience.
“He’s got the makeup to win this thing,” Grifol said. “What happens when there’s 40,000 people there and you have a little heat on you? I don’t know. … But he’s not afraid of the big stage and he’s got the swing and mentality and endurance for it.”
Grifol said the pressure also is on the pitcher, in this case Sierra, who has to consistently put the ball exactly where Robert likes it. An anxious pitcher not used to being on the big stage can ruin it for a contestant.
No matter who is favored, it should be fun to watch as Robert takes on Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, the No. 8 seed, in the first round. The other matchups are No. 2 Alonso vs. No. 7 Julio Rodríguez, No. 3 Mookie Betts vs. No. 6 Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and No. 4 García vs. No. 5 Arozarena.
The Home Run Derby long ago eclipsed the All-Star Game in fan interest, and even without baseball’s three biggest stars — Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and Mike Trout — it should draw high ratings for ESPN.
I asked a Sox player if he would be watching Tuesday’s game or if he was tired of baseball. He replied that he definitely would watch Robert in the Home Run Derby and would have the All-Star Game on as “background” in his living room while he did other stuff.
I could relate, having muted the Fox broadcast, when not covering the game, to avoid listening to what essentially has become an MLB infomercial.
Baseball’s All-Star Game still is far superior to similar versions in the NBA, NFL and NHL, but it has changed so much over the years, it’s almost unrecognizable. Commissioner Rob Manfred’s decision to have players wear American League and National League jerseys instead of representing their cities with their team jerseys has been ridiculed by fans, players and management alike.
It’s one of the most unpopular changes Manfred has made, which says something. No one in Major League Baseball seems to understand what it means to fans, especially younger one, to see players wearing their own uniforms in the All-Star Game. The money grab isn’t worth the damage it has done to the sport, but it’s just another part of Manfred’s clouded legacy.
Many players also seem less interested in going, especially if they’re not first-timers. Cubs star Marcus Stroman pulled out because he was exhausted. Imagine Billy Williams doing likewise back in the day.
The ‘95 All-Star Game I covered in Arlington, Texas, was memorable for Thomas leaving the ballpark to catch a flight home after homering in the fourth inning and being removed in the National League’s 3-2 win.
The large contingent of Chicago reporters waiting on Thomas after the game was stunned to learn he already had departed. Thomas was ripped in the media and on talk radio the next few days for blowing off the rest of the game.
When the Sox season resumed, Thomas explained he had permission to leave and wanted to escape the 100-degree Texas heat and sleep in his own bed to get ready for the second half. He said he wasn’t really anti-All-Star Game but pro-White Sox.
Now it’s common for players to leave the park as soon as they exit the All-Star Game, so Thomas was something of a trendsetter in that regard. Whether their league wins or loses isn’t worth sticking around, so they get on a private jet and bounce.
But I’ll still be watching, and if you love baseball, so will you … even if it’s with closed captioning.
