Aaron Judge says he has no interest in defending his title in the home run derby. Neither Mookie Betts nor J.D. Martinez wants to participate. Even Bryce Harper, whose Washington Nationals are playing host to the All-Star festivities, has yet to publicly commit to the derby.
Mike Trout leads the major leagues in home runs. Will this be the first year Trout joins the derby?
“I really just don’t have any interest in it,” he said. “I like going to it, and watching it.”
In an era when baseball has struggled to market its most popular players, some league officials are frustrated that the sport’s best player has declined to participate in one of the its showcase events, on one of the rare nights there are no other major sports events in the United States.