The full MLB All-Star Game rosters were released on Sunday night with the Yankees having three representatives and the Mets just one for the Midsummer Classic on July 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX.
Aaron Judge was the first All-Star in the American to be locked in. The Yankees’ slugger will be playing in his sixth All-Star Game after he earned an automatic bid that came with leading the AL in fan votes during phase one of the selection process.
It is well deserved. Judge has been arguably the best hitter in the sport with a monstrous 1.105 OPS and a league-leading 32 home runs. “The Captain” has been earning every penny of the huge nine-year, $360 million contract that he signed with New York last offseason. Judge will not be participating in the Home Run Derby, an event that he won as a rookie in 2017.
Another Yankees outfielder is a starter for the big game. This one is their prized offseason acquisition, Juan Soto. The looming free agent has had a spectacular year in the Bronx with a .294 batting average and .983 OPS. This will be his fourth All-Star Game appearance and his first time starting.
He also leads Major League Baseball in walks with 76 — 13 higher than Judge, who is second. There is no doubt the 25-year-old has lived up to the hype, but there is still the question of whether the Yankees will be able to re-sign him. For now, at least, Judge and Soto will look to continue their robust seasons en route to a World Series.
Another All-Star for the Yankees is closer Clay Holmes. The 31-year-old has had a solid season with a 3.00 ERA and 19 saves, tied for seventh in MLB. He has slowed down lately, having not recorded a save in his last seven appearances, including a brutal blown save against the rival Boston Red Sox on Friday.
Across town, the Mets have just one All-Star in Alonso, who was a bit of a surprise pick to many as he is hitting just .243. He does have 18 home runs and 48 RBI, though. He will be participating in the Home Run Derby on July 15, an event that he won 2019 and 2021.
Shortstop Francisco Lindor had a real case to make his first All-Star game since 2019, and could still get in due to All-Star shortstop Mookie Betts being hurt. The Mets leadoff man has had a nice season with 15 home runs and 16 stolen bases. Yet again, he has shined defensively which has helped him compile a solid 3.5 WAR. That leads the team by a relatively wide margin and is second among NL shortstops only to Cincinnati Reds youngster Elly De La Cruz.
Outfielder Brandon Nimmo also did not make the big game to pack another notable surprise. The 31-year-old has yet to make the All-Star Game despite having another nice season with a solid .811 OPS and team-leading .368 on-base percentage. He also, somewhat surprisingly, leads the team with 53 RBI. His WAR is 2.8, good enough to be second among all NL outfielders, which makes this feel like a legitimate snub.
Both New York teams have at least one representative for the All-Star game. It will be fun to see Judge and Soto batting against the best pitchers in the NL and Alonso attempting to win the Home Run Derby for a third time, which has only been done by Ken Griffey Jr.
