Washington Nationals slugger Kyle Schwarber won’t be taking his talents to Denver for the Home Run Derby next month despite being tied for the National League lead after hitting yet another leadoff home run in the team’s 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.
While Schwarber said he hasn’t been approached about competing in the event, if he was, he said he’d pass.
“I think the best thing to do is probably let it pass and rest up and look forward to the second half,” Schwarber said after Tuesday’s game. “The biggest thing is you’re going to get sore, after the fact. You’re taking almost 13-15 minutes of full swings. You never do that in a day [of] your daily routine in baseball. That’s just torturing yourself. It’s definitely taxing on the body.”
Schwarber, 28, came in second in the Home Run Derby in 2018 in Washington, losing out to Bryce Harper. He said he loved the experience, but it’s not something he necessarily needs to do again.
