Wainwright wants in on pitchers' HR derby
The idea of a pitcher's home run derby at the All-Star game is becoming a hot topic around baseball and St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright is one of many hurlers who wants to be included if the idea becomes a reality.
"I'm ready if they call," Wainwright told MLB.com's Nick Krueger. "If in fact there was a one-millionth of a chance to get in it, I wanted to let the world know that I wanted to be a part of it."
Madison Bumgarner, Jake Arrieta, and Jose Fernandez have all said they'd be interested in a contest between pitchers, which Wainwright believes he would have a chance of winning.
"Probably well," he explained when asked how he'd do. "Not compared to those sluggers who go out and hit 30 or 40 bombs, but among pitchers I would do pretty well."
Career HRs by active pitchers
| PITCHER | CAREER HR |
|---|---|
| Madison Bumgarner | 13 |
| Yovani Gallardo | 12 |
| Travis Wood | 9 |
| Adam Wainwright | 7 |
| 3 tied with | 6 |
Wainwright, who has hit seven home runs and knocked in 49 RBIs during his career, isn't concerned about the potential for injury either.
"There's probably more chance of a pitcher going out and hurting himself pitching in a game than hitting batting practice." Wainwright said. "We do this every day, it's not like they're going out there and asking us to go out and do something we don't ever do. We hit on the field quite a bit."
(Video courtesy: MLB.com)