SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Be aware Bryce Harper.
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner says he wants to participate in the Major League Baseball Home Run Derby in San Diego this year.
Bumgarner told ESPN’s Buster Olney he wants to be part of the contest.
“I want to do it,” he told Olney.
Bumgarner has been one of the best hitting pitchers in baseball since Babe Ruth. In 2016, he’s hitting .156 but with two home runs in 32 at-bats.
He has 11 career home runs, including two off one of the best pitchers in baseball–Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Manager Bruce Bochy told ESPN he put his foot down to the idea of Bumgarner in the Home Run Derby.
But before Sunday’s game in St. Louis, Bumgarner proved he could hang with the big boys, launching home runs in “Big Mac Land” during batting practice.
The Home Run Derby is on Monday, July 11.