Six members of the Boston Red Sox are heading to San Diego to play in the MLB All Star Game.
Six members of the Boston Red Sox were named to the American League All-Star team Tuesday night; David Ortiz, Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Steven Wright, and Craig Kimbrel.
Ortiz, Bogaerts, Betts, and Bradley Jr. will all be starting at their respective positions. The starting pitchers have yet to be announced.
This will be tenth All-Star Game for David Ortiz, who played in his first game in 2004. Ortiz has been nothing short of phenomenal in his final season, recording a .339 batting average, hitting 19 home runs, 94 hits, 66 RBIs, and leading the league with 34 doubles.
Apart from Ortiz, Kimbrel is the only other Red Sox player not making his All-Star game debut, today marks his fifth selection. This year, Kimbrel has recorded 17 saves, 48 strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.53 and a WHIP of 0.938. He has a record of 1-3 in 32 appearances.
Betts and Bradley Jr. will be the first pair of Red Sox outfielders to start an All-Star game since Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon in 2005. Bradley Jr. has has a great year at the plate, recording a batting average of .294, 83 hits, 53 RBIs, 13 home runs, and, well, you all know about the hit streak.
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And then there is Betts, who, along with Bradley Jr., has been stellar defensively. At the plate, however, Betts has hit 18 home runs, 108 hits, 57 RBIs, 21 doubles, and a .296 batting average.
Starting at short stop for the American League will be Xander Bogaerts, who has been one of the best all-around players in the league. He currently has one of the highest batting averages in baseball at .336, and has recorded 114 hits, 9 home runs, 51 RBIs, and 22 doubles.
Finally, there is Steven Wright; the team’s number two pitcher who currently has the second lowest ERA in the American League and the sixth lowest in baseball at 2.42. Wright has been a bright light in a pitching staff that has been nothing short of terrible this season. Thus far, he has recorded 87 strikeouts, allowed only 6 home runs and 29 earned runs, and has a WHIP of 1.1185 and a record of 9-5.
The Red Sox may be able to send a seventh player to the All-Star game, as Dustin Pedroia is one of five players selected as final vote-in candidates.
“We’ve got a number of starters, and I think that’s more of a validation around the country for the votes that they’ve generated, not just by our fans,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said. “Whether they’re young players or a veteran as David is, this is a great combination of players that we’re going to send to San Diego.”
The All-Star game will be held on July 12 at 8:00 PM EST in San Diego.