Rays' Morrison: Yankees' Sanchez 'Shouldn't Be In Home Run Derby'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Logan Morrison has a beef with Major League Baseball.
The Tampa Bay Rays' slugging first baseman is not too happy with the idea of the Yankees' Gary Sanchez being invited to the Home Run Derby.
MORE: Yankees' Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez To Compete In Home Run Derby
Sanchez, who spent a month on the disabled list back at the beginning of the season, currently has 13 home runs, while Morrison, who was not invited to the hitting showcase, is tied for second in the majors with 24.
"Gary shouldn't be there," Morrison told the Tampa Bay Times. "Gary's a great player, but he shouldn't be in the Home Run Derby.
"I remember when I had 14 home runs," Morrison added. "That was a month and a half ago."
Asked about Morrison's comments Wednesday, Sanchez said through a translator: "That's something that I have no control of. They gave me a call, basically gave me an invitation, invited me to participate, and I told them, well, I don't even know if I'm making the All-Star Game, so I don't know if I will have the opportunity to attend the derby. Now, if I make the All-Star Game, then for sure, I'll do it. It's an honor to participate in the event. It's not my fault he didn't get selected."
Morrison said he wasn't advocating that he should be in the Derby over Sanchez, claiming others, like Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas, deserved to go instead of the Bombers' young catcher. He also expressed frustration over the Rays not getting the same type of respect as the high-profile Yankees.
"I'm not disappointed. It's par for the course. I play for the Rays. I get it," Morrison said. "They can't even get my picture right. When they put my name up there, they put Corey (Dickerson's) picture up there ... on MLB Network."
While Morrison waits to see if he'll get into the All-Star Game thanks to the AL Final Vote by fans, he said he "probably" would have taken part in the Derby had he been invited.
Sanchez, who took the majors by storm last season with 20 homers and 42 RBIs in just 53 games after being called up from the minors, will join teammate Aaron Judge in the Derby. Judge hit his league-leading 28th home run on Tuesday, accounting for New York's offense in a 4-1 defeat to Toronto.
