Andrew Stetka: Cruz's Home Run Derby decision not a bad thing

It looks more and more like Nelson Cruz won't be taking part in this year's Home Run Derby at Target Field. Despite an invite from American League team captain Jose Bautista, Cruz said he'd rather not risk taking part in the event and having it alter his swing going into the second half of the season.

Despite being tied for the major league lead of 25 homers with Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Abreu, Cruz's decision is a logical one. He participated in the derby in 2009 while with the Texas Rangers, losing in the championship round to Prince Fielder. He knows what this is all about, so he's not missing anything by passing it up. He's also already in line to start as the designated hitter for the AL in the actual All-Star Game, so he's sure to be part of the festivities in Minneapolis either way.

Orioles fans have seen firsthand what kind of impact having a player in the Home Run Derby can have. Chris Davis posted record numbers last season, but they were significantly down in the second half. On his way to a club-record 53 dingers, Davis hit just 16 out after the All-Star break. Davis also tore a blister open during the derby, and while it didn't seem to hamper his play on the field, it's the kind of unwarranted risk players take by participating.

Davis wasn't the only player impacted by last year's derby. Aside from the winner, Oakland's Yoenis Cespedes, each participant saw a fairly significant drop in their home run numbers. Cespedes hit 15 before the break while hitting 11 afterward. The other six guys suffered:

Bryce Harper: 13 in first half, seven in second half
Michael Cuddyer: 16 in first half, four in second half
Pedro Alvarez: 24 in first half, 12 in second half
Prince Fielder: 16 in first half, nine in second half
David Wright: 13 in first half, five in second half
Robinson Cano: 21 in first half, six in second half

You can look back at previous years and see similar results. No matter how often players say otherwise, it's tough to enter that type of competition and have so much adrenaline pumping in an effort to win, then turn it off a few days later. Even if it's just for one night, for a few hours, it can throw a hitter off.

Swinging in a Home Run Derby isn't like taking batting practice. During BP, players are working on specific parts of their swing and attempting to spray the ball across the field. When you attempt to hit a home run on every swing during the Derby, your whole mindset changes.

It was great to see Davis take part in last year's derby. It was even fun to see former Oriole Miguel Tejada win the thing in 2004 at Houston's Minute Maid Park and Cal Ripken Jr. take the crown in Toronto back in 1992. It gives fans a sense of pride to watch the team well-represented during the All-Star festivities.

But in the case of Cruz, can you imagine if something were to go wrong? Where would the O's offense be without Cruz in the lineup at this point in the season? The Birds can't afford to lose a player like him, whether to injury or a lost swing. When the idea is winning games that count, it's better to focus on the greater good and turn attention to the second half, where the Orioles will hope to make a push toward the playoffs with Cruz in the middle of the lineup.

Andrew Stetka blogs about the Orioles for Eutaw Street Report. Follow him on Twitter: @AStetka. His thoughts on the O's appear here as part of MASNsports.com's continuing commitment to welcome guest bloggers to our little corner of cyberspace. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.