Los Angeles is a city known for star power — and there will be plenty of marquee names who will walk down baseball’s red carpet for this year’s All-Star Game on July 19.
It last hosted baseball’s Midsummer Classic in 1980. Los Angeles and the Dodgers are serving as this year’s All-Star game hosts, effectively a make-good for the 2020 version, which was scheduled to take place at Chavez Ravine but was canceled due to the pandemic.
This year, there are more than enough players who have put together All-Star worthy campaigns. Here are eight who deserve to see their name in bright lights in Hollywood.
Tony Gonsolin
Even without Major League Baseball’s rule that every team must be represented in the All-Star Game, Gonsolin has not only made a case for being named an All-Star, but the All-Star starter for the National League.
He is a Dodger, after all, so he will get a loud and raucous ovation when he takes the mound for the National League in the top of the first inning. Gonsolin is a perfect 9-0 in 14 starts. He has struck out 69 batters with a 1.58 ERA. Opponents are only hitting a mere .157 against Gonsolin.
Those are ace numbers — and those are All-Star numbers. At 28 years old, he is looking very Clayton Kershaw-esque from his prime.
Shane McClanahan
Speaking of aces, McClanahan can say he was an ace of an MLB team at 25 years old. McClanahan is just now entering his prime — meaning he will only get better and better with more experience.
McClanahan is 8-3 with an American League-leading 1.77 ERA. He also leads the majors in strikeouts with 123. In addition, he has walked only 16 hitters to go along with those strikeouts. His performance in 2022 already has plenty of Rays fans attaching the words “Cy” and “Young” to McClanahan.
That will be determined at the end of the season. As for now, Rays fans should be stuffing the online ballot for their ace.
Sandy Alcántara
The Miami Marlins are currently 33-40 and 13 games behind the National League East-leading New York Mets. Who knows where those same Marlins would be if it were not for the stellar pitching outings of Alcántara.
The 26 year old, who previously wore the red of the St. Louis Cardinals, is 7-3 with a 1.95 ERA. That mark would likely be better if Miami was not in the middle of the pack in MLB hitting-wise. In 106 innings, opposing batters are only batting .195 against him.
That stat is more impressive given the National League now has a designated hitter a la its American League counterparts. Holding opponents below the Mendoza line is quite a feat.
Alek Manoah
The sky is the limit for this pitcher who toes the rubber in the Toronto building that once was called the Skydome.
Manoah, who is from West Virginia, is 24 years old. He has a 2.05 ERA and currently sports a 9-2 record for a Blue Jays team that is setting the pace in the American League’s wild card chase. That 2.05 ERA through 14 games puts Manoah in rarefied air.
Someone by the name of Roger Clemens once posted a 2.02 ERA through his first 14 starts for Toronto in 1997. If we recall, that Clemens guy was pretty good.
Yordan Álvarez
We spotlighted some of MLB’s best hurlers this season. Now, we move to those who have made magic with their bats in 2022.
Álvarez is one of those, and he has the Houston Astros in a position they are used to being in as of late – in first place of the American League West and in the midst of a pennant chase.
Álvarez has played in 66 contests this season for Houston. He is batting a robust .321 with 23 home runs and 56 RBIs. Not only is Álvarez a candidate for Tuesday’s All-Star Game, but he also ought to get consideration for the Home Run Derby the day prior to the Midsummer Classic.
Paul Goldschmidt
Throughout Goldschmidt’s career with the Arizona Diamondbacks, it was rare that he was in the thick of a playoff push as the D-backs only qualified for October baseball once during his tenure (in 2017 as a wild card).
He is certainly in the midst of a postseason push with the Cardinals. Goldschmidt is hitting .347 with 19 home runs and a team-leading 65 RBIs. He is also a king of extra bases with 24 doubles and two triples in 2022.
Goldschmidt already made the All-Star Game on six previous occasions. He appears to have a seventh in his sights.
Mike Trout
This next notable is sure to get the attention of baseball fans in the area even if he is not currently wearing Dodger blue.
Trout has played his entire career with the Los Angeles Angels. He already has nine All-Star appearances under his belt and 2022 could likely be his 10th. Trout has looked like Trout this season with a .285 average, 23 home runs and 46 RBIs.
With all of the accolades Trout already obtained in his career, it is somewhat hard to believe he is in only his prime at 30 years old.
Pete Alonso
Alonso is one of two Mets that put themselves in good position to not only be All-Star Game participants, but starters for the National League (Starling Marte could be the other).
He is batting .282 with 22 home runs and 69 RBIs. It is hard to believe that Alonso has been involved in only one All-Star Game since his rookie season in 2019, but a second appearance looks all but assured.
In addition, he is threatening to break the Mets’ RBI record of 124 RBIs that is currently held by both Mike Piazza and David Wright.
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