The Midsummer Classic is right around the corner and this year’s American League team will be stacked with New York Yankees players.
The New York Yankees have been carving up their opponents all season long. They continued to do so in voting for the American League All-Star Game.
On Sunday night, MLB revealed the starters and reserves for both the American and National League All-Star teams who will take the field on Tuesday, July 17 in Washington, D.C. Those rosters feature quite a few pinstriped fellows.
Aaron Judge was the first player announced, having been selected to his second-straight All-Star game through the popular fan vote. Judge has 25 home runs so far this season and a .277 batting average. Plus, he’s done some incredible work in right field. Judge will be joined in the outfield by starters Mike Trout and Mookie Betts.
The next pick was a great surprise, as Gleyber Torres earned a spot as a reserve for second base.
Torres, in his first season in the Bronx, has been a godsend for the Yankees in the infield. He has hit so many clutch three-run home runs and has fit right into the Bronx spotlight. Plus, he becomes one of the youngest Yankees to be named an All-Star selection, according to Yankees PR.
.@TorresGleyber was named to his first career All-Star team…is the fourth Yankee to be named to the AL All-Star team at age 21-or-younger, joining Joe DiMaggio (age 21 in 1936), Mickey Mantle (ages 20-21 from 1952-53) and Willie Randolph (age 21 in 1976).
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) July 8, 2018
Following up Torres is a given: Luis Severino has been selected to make another All-Star appearance. The Yankees’ ace will make his second appearance in the Midsummer Classic and it is well-deserved, seeing as how he is 14-2 on the season with a 2.12 ERA.
Severino is making moves to become a Cy Young contender and is a legitimate candidate to start the coveted All-Star Game … that is, if A.J. Hinch looks at the numbers over team loyalty (with Justin Verlander also getting a nod).
What about the bullpen? The Yankees’ recent hot spot earned recognition in the form of Aroldis Chapman. The flame-throwing closer will be making his fifth All-Star appearance, his first in the American League. Although Chapman left Saturday afternoon’s game with injury concerns, he still got the nod.
Chapman has 24 saves on the season and is working with a 1.42 ERA. He also has 66 strikeouts in 38 innings of work. He has been flat-out dominant so far this year.
But, wait…that’s not all! Giancarlo Stanton is a finalist for the All-Star Final Vote. While he started out the season poorly, he now leads the team in hits while crushing 21 home runs, good for second on the squad behind Aaron Judge.
The Yankees look to be well-represented this summer and while there may be a few teammates who got snubbed (ahem, Dellin Betances), the American League roster looks stacked as a whole.
