Is Baltimore Orioles Superstar Making Mistake Participating in Home Run Derby?

With all the excitement surrounding the Baltimore Orioles superstar Gunnar Henderson competing in the Home Run Derby, there is some worry that he might be making a mistake.

Jun 27, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) reacts after grounding out in the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles will now see another one of their young superstars compete in the Home Run Derby in back-to-back years after Gunnar Henderson confirmed that he will participate in the event.

Adley Rutschman burst onto the national scene when he put on a show that saw him hit 27 total home runs from both sides of the plate as a switch-hitter. Although he was eliminated in the first round, the catcher was introduced to a new audience of baseball fans outside of the Orioles' local area and fans.

Similarly, Henderson can do the same.

Having hit 26 home runs entering Wednesday, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year is becoming much more known by national baseball fans, but with a great performance, he will truly emerge as one of the faces of the game.

However, there are some questions if he's making a mistake participating in this event.

For a long time, sluggers avoided the Home Run Derby because of the fear that their swings would get messed up or that their production would fall off.

Bobby Abreu was the posterchild of this for a while after he came into the event in 2005 with a .995 OPS and won by hitting 41 homers. Then, in the second half, his OPS dropped to .787 and the Philadelphia Phillies lost their division race by two games.

Alex Rodriguez had been outspoken about not wanting to be part of this competition in the past, and numbers analyzed by Marcus Jaiclin and Joseph McCollum for SABR in 2010 certainly seem to suggest that there is a drop off in production from players who participate in the Home Run Derby.

If that truly is the case, then there could be some thought that Henderson is making a mistake by risking his output reducing when Baltimore is going to be in a tight division race and is looking to make a deep playoff run.

But, the numbers aren't so significant that anything can truly be determined in a matter-of-fact fashion.

Like most things, it varies based on each individual.

For Henderson, the upside is too great for him not to compete.

Not only is this a chance to burst onto the scene and be in the mix as one of the most recognizable players in the sport, he also has a chance to become the youngest Home Run Derby winner of all time at 23 years and 16 days old when the event takes place.

Henderson would also become the third Orioles player to win, joining Cal Ripken Jr. and Miguel Tejada.