An All-Star Whiner

Logan Morrison really wanted to be in the Home Run Derby.  He tried to play it off, saying "I'm not disappointed," but that has to be the reason he lashed out at Gary Sanchez yesterday.  A move that completely backfired.  Because all it did was make Morrison look like a cry baby.  He didn't get picked, so he whined about it, and he took it out on Sanchez.

In case you missed it, Morrison, whose 24 home runs are second-most in the Majors, took issue with the fact that Sanchez, who has 14 home runs this season, was invited to participate and he wasn't.  The fact that Sanchez missed pretty much all of April was apparently irrelevant to him, as was the fact that Sanchez took the Majors by storm with his home run barrage in the second half of last season.  All he saw was the 14 and he used that as his reason why Sanchez shouldn't be in the Home Run Derby.

Morrison's exact quote in the Tampa Bay Times was "Gary shouldn't be there.  Gary's a great player, but he shouldn't be in the Home Run Derby."  And, still hung up on the 14 homer thing, he added, "I remember when I had 14 home runs.  That was a month and a half ago."

While he didn't say that he thought he should be there instead, that's clearly what Morrison was implying.  Apparently he thinks they made a new rule that nobody else knows about where the top four guys in home runs in each league at the All*Star Break are the four that get to do the Home Run Derby.  That's a nice idea in theory, but no such rule exists.

Not surprisingly, Morrison's sour grapes drew quite the reaction.  And likely as a result, he tried to backtrack, but his "explanation" didn't really help his case.  Morrison was, of course, asked about it prior to the Rays' game against the Cubs and he said his comments weren't about Sanchez specifically (even though he was the only person he named).  His problem is apparently with the system.  He's upset that the Brewers' Eric Thames (who hit about 30 home runs in April and has done nothing since) wasn't selected, either.  Morrison didn't say why he thinks the system is flawed.  Just that he thinks it is.

To his credit, Gary Sanchez took the high road in his response to Morrison.  Sanchez was asked about it before Wednesday's Yankees-Blue Jays game and all he said was, "It's not my fault he didn't get selected.  What can I say?  They gave me a call, gave me an invitation to participate."  (And any suggestion that Sanchez was only invited to insure Aaron Judge would take part is completely ridiculous.)

The only stipulation Sanchez had was that he wouldn't do it if he didn't make the All*Star team.  Once he was selected to the AL squad, he agreed to do the Derby.  And it's here where I feel the need to mention that other major difference between Gary Sanchez and Logan Morrison.  Gary Sanchez is on the AL All*Star team.  Logan Morrison likely won't be.  He's on the ballot for the Final Vote, but is in fifth place.

Mike Moustakas is the current Final Vote leader, as well as one of the other AL participants, so if he's caught in the voting we'll have a second non-All*Star in the Home Run Derby.  I say a second because Justin Bour, who was likely only selected for the Home Run Derby because he plays for the hometown Marlins, is almost certainly not going to win the National League Final Vote (like Morrison, he's in fifth place).  So, if there's anybody who shouldn't be in the Home Run Derby, it's not Gary Sanchez.  It's Justin Bour.

I do agree with Morrison in one respect.  The Home Run Derby should be limited to members of the two All*Star teams.  There are 20 All*Star position players in each league.  You're telling me you can't find four in each who'd be willing to do the Home Run Derby?  The only exceptions I'd be willing to make would be if the defending champion or the top slugger on the home team isn't an All*Star.  Otherwise, you've got enough All*Stars to choose from that you don't need to be bringing guys in just for the Home Run Derby.

They used to pick the Home Run Derby participants only from the All*Stars, but that started to change once they did that stupid thing with team captains a couple years ago.  Since then we've had Yoenis Cespedes win the Home Run Derby despite not being on the All*Star team, and Giancarlo Stanton wasn't an All*Star last year when he won in San Diego (which he said is the primary reason he won).

And, no offense to Gary Sanchez or Mike Moustakas or any of the other participants, the reality is that six of the eight guys in this year's Home Run Derby didn't matter.  Because who doesn't want to see Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge go head-to-head in the finals?  People weren't going to tune in to see Logan Morrison in the first round.  They want to see Stanton vs. Judge.  And, I hate to break it to you Logan, but people want to see Gary Sanchez more than you, too.