Texas Rangers: Adolis Garcia should not participate in the HR derby

We all know how electric Adolis Garcia is. If you watched any Texas Rangers games in the month of May, you’ve witnessed a player who could be special.

There’s no denying the jolt he has provided to this team upon his arrival, revitalizing what was a mundane, rebuilding squad most of this season.

On the season, Garcia has 16 homers, which is fifth-best in the American League at the time of this writing, clear evidence of his power stroke. So naturally, “El Bombi” is a perfect candidate for the 2021 All-Star Game Home Run Derby in hitter haven Coors Field in July.

Wrong.

Adolis Garcia should stay as far away from the Home Run Derby as possible.

Adolis Garcia will likely be the Texas Rangers’ All-Star representative this July, and that should be enough by itself.

The Home Run Derby is fun to watch and a spectacle of great hitting, but it can lead to a slump for those who participate, let alone those who go on to win the derby, even if the numbers only decrease a small amount.

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Sure, there are other factors that can lead to second-half decline, such as inevitable regression from a great first half and the wear and tear of a long season, but Garcia has yet to show over a full season what exactly he’s capable of. Therefore, why mess with his success (so far) by having him take exciting (but meaningless) hacks?

He’s already likely to make the All-Star Game, a proposition alone that will get him some well-deserved national recognition.

Not to mention El Bombi’s streaky nature, which has been on full display with the Texas Rangers in the form of a long ball drought. Do we want Garcia, a player who still needs to adjust to the big leagues and prove his worth over 162 games, to potentially injure himself swinging for the fences in the Home Run Derby while getting little in return other than a few hours of fame, perhaps?

The answer should be no. The Texas Rangers have a asset in the making in Adolis Garcia, and while it might be fun to see him cranking homers in the Home Run Derby, the team and the player are better off sidelining him for this event until he’s become further established.