Home Run Derby or All Star Game Jinx?

[RockCoCougars]

Since the ASG, it seems like Prince and Rickie are both in major slumps. Prince is homerless and hitting just south of .200 and Rickie is hitting just north of .200 with 2 homers. My memory could be wrong, but it seems like anytime a Brewer takes part in this they go to pot in the near term after the break. On the other hand, it seems like the Brewers almost have an All Star Game jinx in general. Hart struggled for a long time after getting picked, as did Hardy. Guys like Jenkins really struggled and Turnbow/Kolb/Nilsson (partly by choice) pretty much fell of the face of the earth.

[rluzinski]

1. Players in the all star game are overproducing on average.

 

2. I suspect there's some selective memory going on here.

[RockCoCougars]

1. Players in the all star game are overproducing on average.

 

2. I suspect there's some selective memory going on here.

I'd agree on both points, but it does seem like a lot of guys have struggled post ASG. Capuano is another one.

[DougJones43]

I could see it hurting the position players somewhat because:

 

1) They don't really get the 3 days off for a physical/mental break.

2) The homerun derby requires a lot of excursion, and it also seems logical it could mess up their swing a little.

[rluzinski]

We could come up with a lot of reasonable explanations. I just want to see evidence that it's true first. I have no link but I recall seeing a study that showed no hangover effect from the HR derby. As I alluded to earlier, some of the problem is when some guy hits 26 HRs in the first half and people expect him to keep up that pace in the second half. Take the 10 best hitters at the break and they are practically guaranteed to do worse in the second half.

[FVBrewerFan]

Corey Hart seems to be in a slump since the All-Star break, and I don't remember seeing him in the HR derby.

 

I just don't believe there's any correlation whatsoever between participating in the All Star game/ HR derby and poor performance afterwards. Lots of players have been hot afterwards, lots have struggled. That's baseball. Keep in mind, players have a HR derby every day during batting practice.

[Hammer]

Prince is exactly the type of player that would seemingly miss the AS break the most. Big guy, runs pretty hot...exactly the guy that needed the 3 days off. That and a trip to the AL to be a DH for the rest of his career (wouldn't be a Prince post w/out that tag)...

[pitchleague]

Corey Hart seems to be in a slump since the All-Star break, and I don't remember seeing him in the HR derby.

 

I just don't believe there's any correlation whatsoever between participating in the All Star game/ HR derby and poor performance afterwards. Lots of players have been hot afterwards, lots have struggled. That's baseball. Keep in mind, players have a HR derby every day during batting practice.

it was just last year, I believe.

[owbc]

Considering the Brewers' home/road splits this year, you could probably attribute most of the drop in production to the road trip.

[logan82]

or, you know, random variance.

[JoeHova]

Here's an article about the lack of a home run derby "hangover".

[FVBrewerFan]

Corey Hart seems to be in a slump since the All-Star break, and I don't remember seeing him in the HR derby.

 

I just don't believe there's any correlation whatsoever between participating in the All Star game/ HR derby and poor performance afterwards. Lots of players have been hot afterwards, lots have struggled. That's baseball. Keep in mind, players have a HR derby every day during batting practice.

it was just last year, I believe.

 

 

Yes, but I'm talking about his slump post all star break this year.

[RockCoCougars]

Considering the Brewers' home/road splits this year, you could probably attribute most of the drop in production to the road trip.

Actually this is a good point that I hadn't considered.

[JohnBriggs12]

Here's my take on Prince. It wasn't the game or the derby, it was the media attention and in particular the focus on his upcoming free agency. We all know Prince hasn't reacted all that well in the past to the attention he gets when he's been good. He's followed up his big seasons (07 and 09) with less stellar years in 08 and 10, struggling out of the gate both years when expectations were highest.

 

I think the upcoming FA has gotten inside his head, and he's now trying too hard to put up big numbers.

[FVBrewerFan]

So, when he started the year with all the pressure of FA he hit the cover off the ball. Only now is the pressure getting to him? Impossible to prove your theory right or wrong, but it doesn't seem to add up.

 

I think a more likely reason is that no hitter sees the ball great for 162 games. He had a slump, just like every player in MLB has had a slump this year.

[RockCoCougars]

Due to Weeks' struggles, I'm bumping this thread from last year. I have copied a list of the Brewers all star reps over the past 10 seasons. Outside of Prince, Braun, Sheets, Lee, Cordero and arguably Sexson most of these guys have struggled mightily after the ASG if not fallen of the map altogether. It seems the first timers really have struggled thereafter. Hart went through a 1.5 year funk, and even Gallardo struggled at the end of '10 and the beginning of '11.

 

2002- Richie Sexson 1B, Jose Hernandez SS

2003- Richie Sexson 1B, Geoff Jenkins OF

2004- Ben Sheets P, Dan Kolb P

2005- Carlos Lee OF

2006- Chris Capuano P, Carlos Lee OF, Derrick Turnbow P

2007- Francisco Cordero P, Prince Fielder† 1B, J. J. Hardy SS, Ben Sheets P,

2008- Ryan Braun† OF, Corey Hart OF, Ben Sheets† P

2009- Ryan Braun† OF, Prince Fielder 1B, Trevor Hoffman P

2010- Ryan Braun† OF, Yovani Gallardo P, Corey Hart‡ OF

2011- Ryan Braun† OF, Prince Fielder† 1B, Rickie Weeks† 2B

[dlk9s]

I know I'm pretty shocked that Hernandez, Jenkins, Kolb, Turnbow, Capuano, and Hoffman never returned to All-Star form.

[Oxy]

I know I'm pretty shocked that Hernandez, Jenkins, Kolb, Turnbow, Capuano, and Hoffman never returned to All-Star form.

 

Well, Cappy might make it back this year! What a road it's been for that guy. He would look pretty good in that 5 slot right now...