Robinson Cano Being Booed at Home Run Derby: Fair or Foul?

Monday night, Robinson Cano was booed at the Home Run Derby in Kansas City for not picking the hometown slugger Billy Butler. Did the Kansas City faithful do the right thing? Believe me, I am one of the first to boo a Yankee when given the chance, but this is ridiculous. The fact is that Robinson Cano was trying to win the Home Run Derby for the American League and that does not always mean making everyone happy. Yes, the hometown player should get picked if he has the numbers that the other players picked have, but in this case the only player that he had more home runs than was Prince Fielder. Billy Butler has sixteen home runs so far this season. Mark Trumbo has 22, Bautista has 27, Cano has 20, and Fielder has 15 home runs.  Looking back now, I do not think you can blame Cano for that pick considering that Fielder won the contest for the American League. In fact after the first round of the Derby the only one of Cano’s picks that did not move on to the next round was Cano himself. 

Now the MLB wants to institute a rule that says that a player from the hometown team will have a participant in the Home Run Derby. I believe this rule makes no sense. I believe the most qualified guys that want to participate in the Derby should be the ones chosen. It is called the Home Run Derby for a reason and no one wants to see line drives that do not leave the park. People go to the Home Run Derby to see monster shots, not bloopers that barely get over the wall. I am not saying this would have been the case with Butler, but if the rule is put in effect that means that a shortstop or centerfielder that is the only representative from their team could take part in the Home Run Derby. Some shortstops or centerfielders do have some power, but this is not always the case. I believe that the player could get embarrassed by not hitting any home runs and it would take away from the already dying Derby that needs something to get it back jump started.

The fact is that Robinson Cano is one of the best players in baseball and had to make a decision. Now whether or not you liked the decision, I believe that he picked a pretty good team with established players who have been in the league for awhile, minus Trumbo. Trumbo was brought on to hit bombs and he did. Prince won the contest so you cannot blame that pick, and Bautista has been the home run king in the league the last two years. So Kansas City fans, get over it. You got to see Butler as an All-Star and he will be back in years to come along with Mike Moustakas and probably Eric Hosmer. The American League won the Derby, which is more than they can say for that poor excuse for a baseball game that they called the 83^rd All-Star Game.