Does the Home Run Derby Ruin a Player's Second Half

This season a number of players, including the notorious Barry Bonds, declined invitations to partcipate in the Home Run Derby. The two big excuses from each player who declined were that the derby makes you tired and that it messes up your swing. Bonds claimed it would make him too tired to finish his "quest" to top Hank Aarron's home run record. Bobby Abreu claims that his swing has not been the same since the 2005 Home Run Derby at Comerica Park, where he set a record with 41 homers in a single derby. Sox Rawk investigates the pre derby/post derby splits of the last 9 derby winnners:


1998 Ken Griffey JR

First Half    G    HR   AVG   OBP   SLG
              88   35   .299  .382  .678


Second Half   73   21   .267  .345  .541

1999 Ken Griffey JR

First Half    G    HR  AVG   OBP   SLG
              85   29  .310  .404  .620 

Second Half   79   19  .255  .360  .522

2000 Sammy Sosa

First Half    G   HR   AVG   OBP   SLG
              86  23   .305  .388  .574

Second Half   70  27   .338  .428  .711

2001 Luis Gonzalez

First Half   G   HR   AVG   OBP   SLG
             87  35   .355  .443  .745

Second Half  75  22   .290  .412  .620

2002  Jason Giambi

First Half   G   HR   AVG   OBP   SLG
             86  22   .318  .430  .602

Second Half  69  19   .309  .442  .593

2003  Garret Anderson

First Half   G   HR   AVG   OBP   SLG
             96  22   .316  .345  .597

Second Half  67  7    .313  .344  .463


2004 Miguel Tejeda

First Half   G   HR   AVG   OBP   SLG
             85  15   .311  .358  .506

Second Half  77  19   .311  .363  .566

2005 Bobby Abreu

First Half   G   HR   AVG   OBP   SLG
             89  18   .307  .428  .526

Second Half   73  6    .260  .376  .787


2006 Ryan Howard
First Half   G   HR   AVG   OBP   SLG
             84  28   .278  .341  .582

Second Half   75  30   .355  .509  .751

Sox Notes


-Our Sox picked up another win tonight. Daisuke was not spectacular allowing four runs on nine hits in 6 innings, but pitched well enough for the win. Manny Delcarmen continues to prove that he is capable of being the 7th innning guy giving up no runs on four hits over 2. Okajima did his thang in the 9th to finish off the Jays.

-It looks like Julio might finally be breaking out with a great 3-4 performance at the plate tonight.