First-time MLB All-Stars dominate the 2023 selections as some familiar faces stay home
Those screams you heard Sunday were from St. Louis Cardinals fans wondering how in the world NL defending MVP Paul Goldschmidt wasn’t invited to the All-Star Game, while the Tampa Bay Rays are wondering how Wander Franco got left behind.
Perennial All-Stars Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, J.T. Realmuto, Francisco Lindor, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Fernando Tatis won’t be going to the All-Star Game, either.
But Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout and Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw will be returning to the All-Star Game for the 11th and 10th time, respectively. Two-way legend Shohei Ohtani and home-run king Aaron Judge will be back, too, virtually guaranteed berths before opening day.
And who would ever have imagined that the Texas Rangers would have as many All-Stars (6) as the Yankees, Mets, Phillies and Padres combined, with Atlanta leading the way with eight All-Stars?
If Yankees ace Gerrit Cole doesn’t pitch in the game, and with Judge on the injured list, this could be only the third time in history that no Yankees player appears in the All-Star Game, and the only the second time since 1941.
The Seattle Mariners, who are hosting the All-Star game, didn’t have a single player selected by the fans or players, with MLB picking starter Luis Castillo to represent the team. The Mets also didn’t have a representative until MLB picked first baseman Pete Alonso over center fielder Brandon Nimmo despite having a stronger first half.
Yet, the most compelling storyline is the new blood in this year’s All-Star Game. There are 26 players making the All-Star team for the first time, including 19 players who are 26 years or younger. The youngest All-Star is Arizona Diamondbacks rookie Corbin Carroll, 22, who grew up in Seattle and was a diehard Mariners fan.
“I don't think you could really dream of anything more than that, right?" Carroll said. “To have your first All-Star Game in the city you grew up in, at the stadium you grew up going to, it’s very exciting.’’
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Certainly, one of the best feel-good stories among first-time All-Stars is Elias Diaz, the 32-year-old Venezuelan who becomes the Colorado Rockies’ first All-Star catcher in franchise history.
He’s the oldest first-time All-Star, and perhaps the most anonymous, a quiet workaholic who is beloved by his teammates. He had a strong first half, hitting .285 with nine homers and 45 RBI with a .796 OPS, but the National League is stacked with fabulous catchers. Yet, someone had to represent the Rockies at the All-Star Game, and the Rockies made it clear to MLB officials that he was easily the most deserving.
“He’s the toughest guy I’ve ever played with,’’ Rockies reliever Daniel Bard said. “He’s played through bumps and bruises and probably concussions, I don’t know. And he’s never in the trainer’s room. Never. Unbelievable. He’s really old-school, and just works his butt off behind the plate for pitchers.’’
Said Rockies starter Austin Gomber: “I’m super excited for him. He’s definitely been our most deserving player for sure. It’s just awesome seeing this happen to such a great guy.’’
Diaz, whose favorite player growing up was Hall of Famer Pudge Rodriguez, says he always knew that something like this was possible. He hit 18 homers in 2021 for the Rockies, batted .286 in 2018 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but badly struggled last year, hitting just .228 with nine homers and 51 RBI, while making 11 errors ― the most among all catchers.
For the first time, he has put together a complete season like this.
He has caught 69 games, second most in the major leagues. He has the second-most hits (67), third-most RBI (40) and third-most doubles (15) among catchers. He also has been brilliant defensively, ranking third among all catchers in defensive WAR, catching 13 baserunners stealing, fourth-best in baseball.
“I’m just so happy right now,’’ Diaz said. “It means a lot to be an All-Star. Every player wants to have a season like this, sometimes things don’t go the way you want, but I always believed in the process.
“Ivan Rodriguez was the one I admired the most, and now, if I ever meet him, I can tell him I was an All-Star, too.
“Just not as many times.’’
There are also plenty of other fabulous stories among first-time All-Stars:
➤ Yennier Cano, 29, of the Baltimore Orioles, nearly gave up pitching growing up in Cuba, and lost his mother at the age of 16. He was traded from the Minnesota Twins to the Orioles at last year’s trade deadline, and produced a 18.69 ERA after the trade, and 11.50 ERA for the season.
This year, he’s one of the most dominant setup relievers in the game, yielding a 1.12 ERA and 0.84 WHIP, setting a franchise-record by not giving up a hit to the first 32 batters he faced this season.
➤ Michael Lorenzen of the Detroit Tigers, that other two-way player in the game who pitches and can also play the outfield, makes his first All-Star team at the age of 31. He is just 2-6 with a 4.28 ERA, but hey, someone has got to represent the Tigers.
➤ Pittsburgh Pirates starter Mitch Keller entered the season with a career 12-29 record and 5.00 ERA. This year, he’s one of the finest pitchers in the National League, going 9-3 with a 3.34 ERA, with 118 strikeouts, second-most in the league.
➤ The Milwaukee Brewers gave up on Orlando Arcia, 28, sending him to Atlanta two years ago where he was just a utilityman. He was Atlanta’s third choice to be their starting shortstop this year before Dansby Swanson left as a free agent and rookie Vaughn Grissom lost his starting job after two weeks. Enter Arcia, who has hit .296 with a .788 OPS, and has been the best shortstop in a league filled with $300 million shortstops.
➤ There also are two rookies in the All-Star Game with Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung and Carroll. If they had just arrived a month earlier, Cincinnati Reds rookie sensation Elly De La Cruz and rookie teammate Andrew Abbott would have been joining them, too.
“There are a lot of stories of guys making the All-Star team for the first time,’’ Rockies manager Bud Black said, “but I’ll take our guy. It’s something you dream of as a player, and something they can never take away.
“You make the All-Star team just once, you’ll always be called an All-Star.’’
Follow Bob Nightengale on Twitter @Bnightengale.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB All-Star Game regulars take back seat to 26 first-time selections
