As you might know, Chase Utley hit 5 home runs in the opening round of last night’s Derby. He was 1 away from Dan Uggla of Florida and Grady Sizemore of Cleveland, who each failed to advance. He was also 23 away from the winner, Josh Hamilton of Texas (so close, yet so far away).

Despite Utley’s 5 home runs and not moving along to the next rounds, I am actually happy about it. Why? Flash back to Bobby Abreu winning in 2005. The first half of the year, he had a decent swing, got plenty of hits. The second half of his year was disastrous, and did not record as many hits. The same went for Ryan Howard when he won in 2006. Why did it happen? Believe it or not, the Home Run Derby messes with your swing. You’re swinging for the fences, the pitches aren’t as hard, and the longer you last in the Derby, the worse it is. Not only did Utley not last very long, he didn’t hit nearly as many home runs as the guys who moved on. I’m not saying Utley’s numbers after the All-Star break will be like how they were before the break because he didn’t last long, but it’s a thought. We’ll have to see.