NEW YORK: Paul Skenes, James Wood, and Elly De La Cruz were selected Sunday for the July 15 showcase at Atlanta’s Truist Park, bringing the number of players under 23 to five. Clayton Kershaw, a pitcher for the Dodgers, was selected for his 11th All-Star Game.
Of the 65 All-Stars, Wood is the youngest at age 22, followed by Skenes, De La Cruz, and fan-selected starters Jacob Wilson and Pete Crow-Armstrong, all of whom are 23.
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Among the 19 first-time All-Stars, Cal Raleigh and Yoshinobu Yamamoto joined Wood, Wilson, and Crow-Armstrong. In the August 2022 transaction that sent outfielder Juan Soto to San Diego, Wood was acquired by Washington.
“Being around some of the best players in the game will be cool,” Wood added.
In accordance with a clause in the then-new collective bargaining agreement, Kershaw and Commissioner Rob Manfred selected the left-hander as the 65th All-Star as a so-called Legend Pick last week, his first since.
For the sixth consecutive season, Kershaw provides the Dodgers with at least five All-Stars. Along with Yamamoto and fan-selected starts Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Will Smith, Kershaw is the oldest NL All-Star at 37 and the most senior All-Star with 11 picks.
Kershaw stated that he was unwilling to talk about the choice on Sunday.
Dave Roberts, the Dodgers manager in charge of the NL team, is willing to select Pittsburgh’s Skenes to start his second consecutive All-Star Game.
Saying no to it would be foolish, in my opinion. Skenes stated, “It’s a pretty cool opportunity.” “I didn’t plan anything during the All-Star break. So, yes, I’m really excited.
At the game, Detroit and Seattle will each have four players.
Along with relievers Aroldis Chapman of Boston, Josh Hader of Houston, and Andr’s Mu oz of Seattle, players, managers, and coaches voted for starting pitchers Hunter Brown of Houston, Garrett Crochet of Boston, Jacob deGrom of Texas, Max Fried of the New York Yankees, and Tarik Skubal of Detroit to be on the AL staff.
Chapman, who was born 19 days ahead of Kershaw, is the oldest All-Star.
The following players were selected as AL reserves by the players: Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker, Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk, Tampa Bay first basemen Jonathan Aranda and Brandon Lowe, Houston shortstop Jeremy Pea, Boston third baseman Alex Bregman, and outfielders Byron Buxton of Minnesota, Steven Kwan of Cleveland, and Julio Rodriguez of Seattle.
In addition to Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., MLB used its six picks on pitchers Bryan Woo of Seattle, Yusei Kikuchi of the Los Angeles Angels, Shane Smith of the Chicago White Sox, and Kris Bubic of Kansas City.
“I like the red carpet,” Chisholm remarked. I do have an idea for a “fit.”
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Smith became the second player since 2000 to be named an All-Star in the season, after Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla in 2006. Smith joined Wilson (Athletics) as the lone rookie on the All-Star squads after Milwaukee failed to provide him with any protection.
Players selected Skenes, MacKenzie Gore of Washington, Chris Sale of Atlanta, Logan Webb of San Francisco, and Zack Wheeler of Philadelphia to start in addition to relievers Jason Adam of San Diego, Edwin D. Az of the New York Mets, and Randy Rodriguez of San Francisco.
Just 66 days after making his major league debut, Skenes began the NL’s 5-3 loss in Arlington, Texas, for last year’s All-Star Game.
Hunter Goodman of Colorado, Pete Alonso of the Mets, Brendan Donovan of St. Louis, De La Cruz of Cincinnati at shortstop, Eugenio Surez of Arizona at third base, Philadelphia DH Kyle Schwarber and Wood, Arizona’s Corbin Carroll, and Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres in the outfield were all player-selected NL reserves.
Along with Miami outfielder Kyle Stowers and Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson, MLB’s NL selections for the pitching staff were Yamamoto, Matthew Boyd of the Cubs, Freddy Peralta of Milwaukee, and Robbie Ray of the Giants.
Outfielders Juan Soto of the Mets, Mookie Betts of the Dodgers, George Springer of the Blue Jays, Trea Turner of the Phillies, and Sonny Gray of the Cardinals were not selected. In between the announcements and the game, there are typically ten or more roster changes.
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This report was written by AP freelance reporters Mike DiGiovanni and Patrick Stevens, as well as AP sports writer Andrew Destin.
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