Yordan Alvarez Says No to the Circuit Contest

In less than a month (on July 13), the circuit competition will take place. And as is often the case, it's hard to say in advance who will compete.

More and more, the big names are refusing to participate. There are several reasons for this (conserving energy, not disrupting their momentum, avoiding injury, etc.).

One might naturally wonder whether the new format—which is less taxing on the players—will change certain stars' perception of the popular contest.

But that won't be the case for Yordan Alvarez. The Astros player, who leads the American League (25) in home runs, has declined to participate, according to Chandler Rome.

The Astros slugger, who is injury-prone, did not disclose the reasons why he might be open to participating in the future… but made it clear that it won't happen this year.

But his bosses must be happy to hear him say no.

What Major League Baseball is looking for are high-profile players to make the contest an event that will interest fans. Alvarez was one of them.

Since the contest is taking place in Philadelphia, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber—who leads the league in home runs with 29—are undoubtedly top contenders.

Mike Trout, who's having a great season, grew up in the Philly area, and is open to participating, would also be a big name for the contest.

We'll see if he's there.

I imagine that the prospect of seeing Ben Rice—who's a power hitter and plays for the Yankees—must also have Rob Manfred salivating. And what about Pete Alonso, who loves the home run derby?

We'll see in due time who gets picked.

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