There is an argument to be made that the entire New York Yankees starting rotation should be considered All-Stars. However, it is unlikely that the entire group will gain enough votes to make the team.
Voting for the All-Star game began on Wednesday, and given how successful the Yankees have been to open the season, hosting a 40-16 record, it would be surprising if only three players became All-Stars.
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However, Jim Bowden of The Athletic believes these three players will make the team:
1.) Aaron Judge
It would be ludicrous for Aaron Judge not to make the All-Star team this year, given he’s hitting .311 with a league-high 22 homers and 45 RBIs. Over 54 games, he’s getting on base at 38.3% and hosts a .675 slugging percentage.
Judge is producing career-highs in hard-hit and barrel rates, indicating he is smacking the daylight out of the baseball. He also has a personal best 96.1 mph exit velocity.
If Aaron can continue at this pace and maintain his health, he will be in line to win an MVP, a much more notable accomplishment.
2.) Nestor Cortes
Despite a tough outing against Minnesota on Wednesday, giving up seven hits and four earned runs over 4.1 innings pitched, Nestor Cortes remains one of baseball’s best starters.
Cortes currently features a 1.96 ERA, 2.85 FIP, and 1.7 WAR. His 87.2% left on base rate and 36.4% ground ball rate showcases his ability to get out of trouble and curate weak contact. He’s allowing the lowest amount of HRs — 0.84 per nine.
In addition, Cortes has incorporated a cutter into his repertoire of pitches, which he’s throwing 38.7% of the time. He has significantly decreased his slider usage, relying on different arm angles and unique stances to confuse batters.
3.) Gerrit Cole
On the other hand, Gerrit Cole hosts a 2.78 ERA over 64.2 innings. According to Bowden, he’s the only other Yankee projected to secure an All-Star nod.
Cole still remains one of the best starters on the team, featuring 11.27 strikeouts per nine, 2.71 SIERA, and 2.59 xFIP. Cortes has simply had an unbelievable season up to this point, but Cole is still doing his normal damage. His velocity is hovering at 97.7 mph, tied for the highest in his career. He’s also producing a cutter this season, throwing it at 13.9%.
Clearly, new pitching coach Matt Blake had a strategy in mind when it came to adding a new pitch to the starter’s sequence.
Cole becoming an All-Star is not a surprise given his prolonged success, and he’s earned his way this season despite a few tough outings to begin the year.