Stars Shine at the MLB All-Star Game
The highly anticipated MLB All-Star Game, to be held on July 15th at Truist Park in Atlanta, already has its confirmed lineups. Excitement overflows upon knowing the players who will lead the American League and the National League in this prestigious event. Among the highlights, we find the MLB home run leader, Cal Raleigh, catcher for the Seattle Mariners, and the American League Rookie of the Year candidate, Jacob Wilson, shortstop for the Athletics. Both players earned their place in the starting lineup thanks to their exceptional performance in the first half of the season.Raleigh, known as “The Big Dumper”, achieved his first All-Star selection and a starting position thanks to his impressive 33 home runs in the first half of the season and his 71 RBIs, leading MLB in this last aspect. For his part, Wilson, after a dream first half, batting .339, the second-best average in MLB, secured a place on the team. Wilson, 23 years old, is the only rookie to be chosen for the starting lineup in both leagues. His father, Jack Wilson, was also an All-Star in 2004. The American League will feature Gleyber Torres, Riley Greene, and Javier Baez from the Detroit Tigers. The National League will be led by Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, and Shohei Ohtani from the Los Angeles Dodgers, the latter obtaining the most votes in the first phase. Completing the American League headlines will be Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays, Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Guardians, and Ryan O’Hearn of the Baltimore Orioles. Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, who was the most voted player in the first phase, will also be part of the team. In the National League, accompanying the Dodgers will be Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker of the Chicago Cubs, Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres, and Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets, who debuts as a starter in the All-Star game. Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves, despite missing the first seven weeks of the season, was also selected as a starter, obtaining the most votes in his position during the second phase. In this edition, nine players will be starters for the first time. Crow-Armstrong, with 21 home runs and 64 RBIs this season, expressed his gratitude for the fans’ support. This is the fourth time in history that the Tigers have three players chosen by the fans as starters. For the Dodgers, this is the most players chosen by the fans since 1980. Freeman, 35, was selected for the ninth time, being the oldest player on both teams. Torres and Baez return to the All-Star since 2019. Baez, for his part, will play in his third different position in the All-Star. In a very close vote, Baez surpassed Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels. A total of 13 MLB teams are represented among the 18 starters, with seven American League clubs and six National League clubs. Judge, Ramirez, and Machado have been selected for the All-Star Game for the seventh time. Under the rules implemented in 2022, the voting was divided into two stages, with the second phase from Monday to Thursday. The pitchers and substitutes from both teams, totaling 23 on each side, will be selected through a combination of player votes and decisions by the MLB commissioner’s office. These will be announced on Sunday.I just try to be as consistent as possible: my work, preparing for games, and my approach at the plate. So far it’s worked and I just have to keep going and keep my head down.
Cal Raleigh
