What makes the MLB All-Star in 2022? Here’s what the MLB All-Stars had to say

Before Paul Goldschmidt a seven-time All-Star himself, he was a kid growing up in the Houston area, going to Astros games and vote for his favorite All-Stars: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Lance Berkmanfrom the generation of great Astros players in the 1990s and early 2000s.

“The hard part is deciding how good you are going to be,” Goldschmidt recalled on Monday. “I remember going to the games and taking the pamphlets and poking holes in them and handing them in. We loved voting for that and talking to our friends about who deserved it and who doesn’t.”

The St. Louis Cardinals The first baseman is still nostalgic about the blue and white paper ballots with holes punched next to each player – the National League players on one side, the American League on the other. And it turns out he’s not the only one.

Seattle Mariners first baseman Ty France and New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole both grew up in Southern California, will Angel Game.

France said: “I’m going to win a big stack, and the whole game, I just want to concede a goal.

Cole says he does the same.

“I wish we still had holes,” he said. “I’ll take a bunch of votes and use a pen and punch Salmon heart and Garrett Anderson and Darin Erstad and those people. “

New York Mets second warrior Jeff McNeil have a similar recollection.

McNeil said: “Oh, that’s right, the little breakout cards Los Angeles Dodgers influence their voting. “I don’t think I did, just because I knew a lot about baseball as a kid, I think I voted right.”

Exactly. It’s a debate still raging, nearly 90 years after the first All-Star Game was played: What makes an All-Star?

Of course, the players can now relive those childhood memories as they are part of the All-Star voting process, which picks up backups after fans pick nine player slots. begin. There are statistics to look at, advanced metrics to consume, and personal preferences to factor in.

Some take their voting responsibilities very seriously.

“It was difficult,” Goldschmidt said. “WAR is kind of overarching, but I try to look at a few different things. You can look at OPS, try to find things where they tune the ballpark, like OPS+ or generated weighted runs. out plus… Days of doing that, so I’ve been trying to factor in defense and defense. It’s tough when you can only vote for two people in each position. being special: You know how hard it is to get here.”

And every player has personal preferences when it comes to qualifying statistics. McNeil, who is just one of 21 players to qualify with an All-Star average of 0.300 or higher, pays close attention to that score.

“I’m an average hitter, so I love average hitters,” he said. “Even if the power isn’t there, it’s very difficult to be average in the game today. I spoke to [Miami Marlins first-time All-Star] Garrett Cooper and told him, ‘You’ve got my vote. I love seeing what you’re doing right now; you’re reaching over .300, you’re assembling some awesome bats. ‘ That’s huge for a team. “

Maybe McNeil is up to something; 15 of the 21 players reaching .300 have joined the All-Star team, either on the original roster or as a replacement. It’s not as comprehensive a stat as WAR, and it’s a bit dated, but .300 is still a number players respect – especially in a year where the overall major league average is just . 242.

However, it’s not so easy to just say, “Pick the players with the best season.” Cardinals Midfielder Tommy Edmandespite placing third in the majors among positional players in WAR, did not make the list, even after all the additions.

Goldschmidt said of his team-mate: “It’s frustrating for him because of what a valuable player he is.” “I think the offensive numbers will go up a lot. I didn’t know his WAR was that high, but I know he’s a great player. There’s no right answer.”

But there’s one thing that nearly all players agree on: Selection should be based on this year’s best performances, not a lifetime achievement award.

“It’s the 2022 All-Star game,” McNeil said. “A player’s career is tied to it, but it has to be the best year.”

But what it means to have a “best” year can be complicated when it sometimes feels like everybody finally got in. Consider all the cases of injuries and player substitutions, plus asking each team to get a rep and some other quirks (like Atlanta Braves catch part-timers / DH William Contreras Win an All-Star starting spot for the injured Bryce Harperinstead of saying, Freddie Freeman or Pete Alonso). This year, we ended up with 81 All-Stars, a number that also includes 37 firsts.

That seems high – but it turns out it’s not a record. Last year, there were 42 All-Stars for the first time. Nine of the 10 All-Star highest-scoring rookies since 2010 (1988 and 2003 also ranked 10th), excluding the first contest, in 1933.

This view that current year value outweighs career value or name recognition has evolved over the past two decades both in terms of how players feel and how fans vote for starters. . Previously, many of the same players would be voted starters year after year – no matter what season they were facing. Rod Carew started 15 All-Star games – certainly many when he had won batting titles, but some towards the end of his career when he was no longer an elite first hitter . Wade Boggs started 11 consecutive All-Star games at the third base for the American League. Cal Ripken Jr. start 16 in a row. Once you’re an All-Star, you’re an All-Star for the rest of your career.

There is actually a simple way to quantify this. Starting in 1970, the first year punch ballots were distributed at football fields, I added up the number of previous All-Star starts (not appearances) for each player on the squad, never including the starting pitcher.

The most “veteran” line-ups in each tournament are the 1972 National League team, with 46 All-Star starts, and the 1999 American League squad, with 48. Check out:

National Tournament 1972

C – Johnny Bench (4)

1B – Lee May (1)

2B – Joe Morgan (1)

3B – Joe Torre (6)

SS – Don Kessinger (4)

LF – Willie Stargell (3)

CF – Willie Mays (14)

RF – Henry Aaron (13)

1999 US National Championship

C – Ivan Rodriguez (7)

1B – Jim Thome (2)

2B – Roberto Alomar (8)

3B – Cal Ripken Jr. (16)

SS – Nomar Garciaparra (1)

LF – Kenny Lofton (4)

CF – Ken Griffey Jr. (8)

RF – Manny Ramirez (1)

DH – Rafael Palmeiro (1)

Sure, in both formations, a long runner or two would mess things up a bit, but they went further. In 1972, Mays hit .233 with four home runs. Fans still vote for him. Compare that to more recent fan philosophy, even to the future Hall of Famer Albert Pujolsone-time beginner since leaving Cardinals in 2011.

The total of past starts is over. In 2021, the American League’s total is just 16 All-Star career starts, with Salvador Perez lead with his Friday. The league total is 14, and seven of the nine players in this position are first-timers.

In 2022, the total AL is just 17 All-Star careers started; Aaron Judge leading the way with his fourth career start. NL’s 20 years old, with Mookie Betting also lead with four starts.

It’s fair to attribute this change to the young talent in the game, but it also speaks to the difficulty of maintaining a top spot in the sport into 2022. Perhaps. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Rafael Devers, both starting their second careers, will be voted on for the next decade. But even the Dodgers first team athlete Freeman, who has started the past three All-Star Games and only replaced the team this year, said he still hasn’t done enough to secure an automatic selection. .

“I only have 12 seasons,” he laughs. “Maybe after 20 seasons, I’ve done enough for that.”

The MLB fixed this in a small way, adding “legendary” spots, selected by the commissioner’s office, which this year saw Pujols and Miguel Cabrera join the team – kind of a 2022 version of the fans voting for an aging Willie Mays.

“I love that legacy,” says stopper Yanks Cole. “It was amazing. I played against Miggy for a long time. It was nice to sit with him on the bus and talk to him, because usually we just talk about passing the ball on the field. . Unless you [Justin Verlander], at the end of your career, you may not be giving out electric firsts to get you the vote you deserve, but there is so much knowledge that those types of players can cause for some players Younger, first time players join especially to meet some of their heroes. That information circle will only be good for the product. “

And of course, there will always be an element of fandom participating in All-Star voting. Undoubtedly, the high votes cast come in from fan bases like Atlanta, New York or Boston every summer – and it turns out, in the ranks of the players too.

Mets slugger Alonso described his philosophy simply: “I voted for myself and all my teammates.”

Freeman laughed at that. “Honestly, I voted for all the Dodgers,” he said. “I promise you, we all voted for our teammates.”