Four members of the New York Mets — Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Edwin Diaz, and Starling Marte — were named to the National League’s squad for the 2022 MLB All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on July 19.
Alonso, who finished second in the fan voting for starting first-base duties behind St. Louis Cardinals star Paul Goldschmidt, will head to his second career All-Star Game — the first coming in his record-breaking 2019 campaign in which he launched a rookie record 53 home runs.
Entering Sunday’s action, the 27-year-old ranks second in the National League behind Kyle Schwarber with 23 home runs with an MLB-leading 73 RBI.
McNeil also gets his second nod to the All-Star Game in his career with his other appearance also coming in 2019. The versatile defender who has played four different positions this season is also one of the top natural hitters in the game, ranking third in the NL with a .315 average.
“I was thinking ‘Thank God,'” Showalter said when he found out that the fiery McNeil was in. “I saw his face when he walked in… and I said — what’s the line [from Field of Dreams]? — ease his pain.
“He deserves it, first of all… He’s one of the most consistent players in baseball.”
Marte is an All-Star in his first season with the Mets, batting .291 with an .803 OPS, nine home runs, and 40 RBI. He used an especially strong push over his previous 24 games, batting .326 with a .914 OPS.
It looks as though the 33-year-old will be able to participate in the Mid-Summer Classic after tests on his injured groin came back negative.
“It’s one of those things, we’re almost too close to it,” Showalter said “The consistency you get every day from him… I wouldn’t say we take it for granted… But we get the same guy every day and he’s been so coveted on so many clubs.”
For New York’s closer, Diaz continues to reach the heights that were originally expected of him when he was acquired from the Seattle Mariners in 2019. The fireballing right-hander has saved 18 games this season with a 1.83 ERA along with 68 strikeouts in just 34.1 innings of work. That’s a staggering 17.9 K/9 ratio.
“There were times [in New York] where he got his moxie tested a little bit,” Showalter said. “The way he responded to that… he’s got a lot of competitive juices.”
