Bryce Harper Suggesting Usage of Aluminum Bats in Home Run Derby Sparks WILD Reactions From Fans

Bryce Harper will play in his 3rd Home Run Derby on Monday after being named as an All-Star for a 9th time in his career.

Bryce Harper Suggesting Usage of Aluminum Bats in Home Run Derby Sparks WILD Reactions From Fans

Bryce Harper (Image via X/@TalkinBaseball_)

Bryce Harper will play in the Home Run Derby this year. After he confirmed his participation on Thursday, the Philadelphia Phillies star dropped a wild suggestion of using aluminum bats during the event.

This year, the Home Run Derby will have some changes. The league eliminated the use of “outs” and a timer. Each player will have 20 swings in the first round. As for the latter stages, a hitter will be allotted 15 swings.

This decision was made in light of injury concerns associated with the clock. As the timer kept ticking, players could be seen rushing with their swings. This year, there will not be any such thing, as every participant will get a fixed amount of chances.

With the event set to take place at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies, Harper decided he will play in this competition. Last week, he earned a 9th All-Star selection through the Legend Pick by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.

While the excitement levels are already high during a Home Run Derby, the fans in Philadelphia will have two home stars in Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber competing in the event. To heighten this experience even further, Harper suggested a wild idea of using metal bats.

Bryce Harper has a fun idea for the HR Derby: When the gold balls are brought into play, let the hitters swing aluminum bats. That would be a show… and you might see balls leave Citizens Bank Park.

MLB insider Buster Olney shared on X

Gold balls are usually used when a player was down to their final out, or the timer was about to expire. These gold balls typically resulted in charitable donations. While the usage of aluminum bats would have resulted in huge home runs, the idea has been vetoed.

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Social media went wild following Bryce Harper’s suggestion to use aluminum bats in Home Run Derby

Bryce Harper’s idea of using aluminum bats for the Home Run Derby was shot down by the league. Fans on social media, however, went into a frenzy and shared several wild reactions.

Bryce Harper
Bryce Harper (Image via Imago)

Many fans brought up the safety of the kids. During the Home Run Derby, children aged 7-14, who are national finalists in the MLB’s annual Pitch, Hit & Run competition, are seen in the outfield working as ball retrievers.

The use of metal bats could put them at risk. While a few users on X highlighted this, many made jokes about it. Check out some of the reactions below:

Speaking of Harper, this will be his 3rd appearance in the Home Run Derby. He won the event in 2018 in front of the Washington Nationals fans while having his father, Ron, as the pitcher. This year, he will have Dodgers’ coach Dino Ebel pitching for him.

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Bryce Harper has also found himself in controversy before All-Star Game

Bryce Harper will play in his 9th All-Star Game on Tuesday after being named as a Legend Pick by Rob Manfred. Ahead of this game, he has found himself under some controversy as well.

Phillies' Bryce Harper
Bryce Harper (Image via Imago)

On Tuesday, a video of Harper went viral on social media. In the video acquired by The Philadelphia Inquirer, the first baseman can be seen sending a message to a bettor through FanDuel.

In the video, reported to be from 2024, Harper is not seen wearing any FanDuel merch. There are also no records of him having a partnership with them.

As per the reports, the bettor Terry Thompson began gambling on sports in 2020 and grew addicted to it. He had wagered over $18.5 million and lost $1.5 million. He also contemplated taking his own life before police intervened and stopped him.

While Harper did not break any rules, it raised several ethical questions. He and his agent, Scott Boras, declined to comment on the matter. The 2-time NL MVP likely had no idea that Thompson was suffering from addiction.

He will now look to put this behind him and turn his attention to the Midsummer Classic. As of Friday, he is batting .258 with 20 home runs and 57 RBIs in 95 games.

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