Dennis Eckersley Says Home Run Derby 'Absolutely' May Have Had Effect on Suddenly Slumping Adrian Gonzalez

Dennis Eckersley Says Home Run Derby ‘Absolutely’ May Have Had Effect on Suddenly Slumping Adrian Gonzalez

by NESN Staff on Tue, Jul 19, 2011 at 10:43PM

After a monster first half of the season, Adrian Gonzalez entered the All-Star break as the consensus MVP of the American League. But the Red Sox first baseman has started slow out of the gate in the second half, which makes you wonder what he's doing differently at the plate.

Gonzalez is 2-for-24 with seven strikeouts in five games since the All-Star break. He said after Monday's game that the days off may have hurt him and that it's just a matter of timing right now, although he said he isn't concerned.

NESN's Dennis Eckersley thinks that the Home Run Derby may have something to do with Gonzalez's rough start to the second half, though. He thinks the competition can hurt a hitter's swing because of the amount of full hacks needed.

To hear what Eckersley had to say about Gonzalez's struggles, check out the video above.