San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner has got some power in his swing. Since the start of 2014, he has 11 home runs in just 175 at-bats.
Prior to Sunday night’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Bumgarner hit more than a dozen balls into the left field seats at Busch Stadium during batting practice, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. Two of them landed in the third deck, and he put another one in the fourth deck.
Madison Bumgarner just hit a BP homer into Big Mac Land. pic.twitter.com/QR1BxNZOk1
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) June 5, 2016
ESPN’s Buster Olney said grounds crew members only remember Seattle’s Nelson Cruz hitting a ball in the upper deck during the home run derby. Bumgarner came up to Olney and said he wanted to be in the July 4 home run derby in San Diego.
Madison Bumgarner really, really wants to be in the Home Run Derby. Put on a show here today, including bashing a ball in the highest deck.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) June 5, 2016
Manager Bruce Bochy told Olney he’d love to see Bumgarner in the home run derby but couldn’t seriously let him do it for fear of injury to his 26-year-old ace pitcher.
If Bumgarner competed, though, it’d be something to see a pitcher take some hacks with the game’s best home-run hitters. Bumgarner, who stands 6’5″ and weighs 250 pounds, is no small fry, either. We’ll see if Bochy changes his mind and lets Bumgarner compete.
