It isn't a mystery why some hitters are hesitant to participate in the Home Run Derby. Most want to make sure that the event doesn't mess with their swings heading into the season's second half, as it has for previous participants.
It's a subject Red Sox hitting coach Tim Hyers recently broached with WEEI.com.
"I think it is individual to each hitter. But I would say, and I'm just looking based on numbers, there are some guys ... You do see some of the swings where there is such a fatigue and a mental fatigue where they start the second half on a slow start," Hyers said. "With the batting average and the slug, there are some guys who get off to a slow start in the second half. I think it affects each guy differently, but I have seen some guys personally who loses the barrel and start using the body a lot more. Work underneath the baseball a little more probably they did right before the competition. They've just got to get their swing back in gear and find sweet spot.
"It is different. It is totally different because the ball is coming in slow. You're using some of the bigger muscles. You can create that sequence of your swing to elevate, because that's what you want to do to get the ball up in the air to create homers. But when you start game competition and you're having to combat different speed and different velocities, you want to tighten that back up. You obviously want to stay above the ball and flatten that swing out. How does it affect each hitter? To me an individual basis."
But thanks to Alex Cora's appearance on OMF Thursday, we have a bit more insight as to exactly why Rafael Devers declined the invitation.
“He declined. He feels like he’s not a home run hitter in B.P. Great answer by him, I guess,” Cora said, adding, "“I wanted Raffy to do it. I think he was going to be O.K. I understand why not and I respect that decision.”
Devers heads into Friday night with the eighth-most homers in the American League (21). His teammates Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez are also declining to be part of the eight-hitter field.