5 reasons Madison Bumgarner should participate in the Home Run Derby
By Brad Weiss
3. Make Baseball Fun Again
Recently, baseball has gotten a reputation for being boring. Whether it is shortening the length of games, cutting down on the amount of emotion a player can show, or just kids gravitating to other sports, baseball has taken a backseat to the other major sports in America. Spicing things up a bit by adding a pitcher to a slugging contest would definitely get some new viewers to the sport, even if it is for one night.
Bryce Harper recently started a campaign to Make Baseball Fun Again, an obvious play on Presidential Hopeful Donald Trump’s slogan. And while the Home Run Derby is always a fun night, the addition of a slugging pitcher would do a lot to heighten the contest. People who do not usually tune in would be intrigued to see if Bumgarner could hang with the best sluggers in the land.
In the past few years, the Home Run Derby has lacked some luster, and really has not been great since Josh Hamilton went on his home run binge at the old Yankee Stadium in 2008. And while he may not put on a show like Hamilton did that night, he does have a flare for the dramatic, as evidenced by his biggest moment on the biggest stage two years ago.
Bumgarner captivated America when he single-handedly won the San Francisco Giants a World Series in 2014, and maybe he can do the same this July.
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