Troy Renck: If Hunter Goodman were a Coors Field Frankenstein, there would be no reason to whine. If his splits looked like Neifi Perez, Dexter Fowler or even in 1995, then critics could ignore pleas for respect. But Goodman leads all MLB players in home runs on the road this season. Of his 27 long balls, 18 have come away from Denver. Yet Major League Baseball did not see fit to include him in Monday’s Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The question is simple: Did Goodman deserve an invite?
Sean Keeler: Did Rick Blaine Did Sam and Jonah Baldwin deserve Annie? Did Will Thacker deserve Anna Scott? Dang right, they did. It never ceases to amaze me the degree to which Major League Baseball will chase the cute at the expense of the obvious. Goodman is a tater factory on two legs and has no business being snubbed for this event. I mean, Jac Caglianone (15 HR)? Bryce Harper (20 HR)? Hey, we get it — Colorado is the Siberia of MLB, especially to the power brokers on both coasts. But is the derby about rewarding the best at their craft? Or is it about selling Netflix subscriptions? I think we already know the answer to that last one, my friend.
Renck: The Rockies remaining invisible nationally is not a new story. They are the only team in the Mountain time zone, often viewed as a flyover franchise except on those occasions when Coors Field plays without gravity, and the teams combine for 25 runs and 30 hits. Naively, I thought that Larry Walker and Todd Helton entering the Hall of Fame would dull some of the bias, but those were reprieves, not trends. We are right back in 2007, when Matt Holliday was robbed of the MVP trophy and Troy Tulowitzki lost Rookie of the Year to Ryan Braun. Goodman should have been in the derby. He had his dad lined up to throw to him. He wanted to do it. He hits lasers and moonshots. He was dealing with a wrist injury over the last week, but it would not have prevented his participation. At the end of the day, he got hosed because God forbid the competition didn’t include two Phillies — Kyle Schwarber deserves it, Bryce Harper not so much — and a Yankee (Ben Rice).
Keeler: I can buy the argument for Rice (29 jacks). And the White Sox aren’t giving Rockies fans hope right now, if not for Mune Murakami (20 HR in 60 games) absolutely exploding out of the gate. But stacking the competition with a pair of hometown Phils at the top feels like half a cheesesteak bridge too far, dude. Yeah, sure, I get it — you cater to the locals when it’s an exhibition. But you’d sell that bad boy out (I’ve seen Day take swings up close, by the way. Dude rakes.)
Renck: Here is what really irks me. For those who want big names like Schwarber, Harper and Rice because they play for high-profile teams, whatever. I don’t like it. But I get it when Netflix wanted to turn this into a mini-series with a side of drama. That does not explain taking Kansas City’s Jac Caglianone and the Cardinals’ Jordan Walker. I wanted the Rockies to draft Caglianone. I have no issue with the player, but his 15 home runs match Mickey Moniak’s. He is going because he puts on a show in batting practice. As for Walker, he was this close to starting the year in Triple-A. His rebound is a nice story. But is it really better than a catcher with 27 bombs at the break? The answer is no. Full stop. Whoever excluded Goodman needs to be Johnny Benched.
Keeler: For Goodman to swing more national love going forward, there are probably only two sure-fire ways to land it. One, the Rockies need to get on about 17 heaters in the second half and join the NL Wild Card race — only 13.5 games out with 64 games to go, baby!. Or two, and this is more likely, Hunter needs to go full Cal Raleigh from here on out. He’s hit 22 of those 27 dingers as a catcher. Want to move the needle? Move Javy to No. 2.
