Braves drink in splendor of All-Star selections

This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ATLANTA -- Chris Sale has earned more All-Star selections (10) than every active MLB player other than Mike Trout. But this latest selection still brought out the kid in the Braves’ 37-year-old ace.

“This is something that I enjoyed watching with my dad when I was a kid,” Sale said. "We always watched the All Star Game and the Home Run Derby. So, I'll never take it lightly, I'll never take it for granted, and I'll always appreciate it. But it’s pretty tough to kind of wrap your head around getting into double-digits.”

Had injuries not sidelined or limited Sale for much of four straight seasons (2020-23), this total would likely be higher. His first selection came back in 2012, when Drake Baldwin was an 11-year-old athlete aspiring to one day be in either the big leagues or the National Hockey League.

Fourteen years later, Baldwin joins Sale as one of the five players who will represent the Braves at the All-Star game. He will serve as the National League’s starting catcher. The Atlanta contingent also includes Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies and Raisel Iglesias.

“It’s pretty cool,” Baldwin said. “The All-Star Game is something you always watch growing up. I just talked to Olson and Sale about kind of how cool that day is, and stuff like that. I’m super excited for it. It's pretty special to see some of the hard work is paying off.”

Sale is among the many who have said the first All-Star selection will always be the most special. This applies to both a 25-year-old like Baldwin and a 36-year-old veteran like Iglesias, whose first selection comes in what is his 12th MLB season.

“I sort of had lost interest and didn’t really put much stock into getting an All-Star selection,” Iglesias said through an interpreter. “After having so many years of what I thought were really good seasons, and then not being chosen, I just kind of began to put that out of my mind and just looked forward to the vacation days that I would have with my family.

"Now, to have this honor instilled upon me, I feel very grateful and I’m very excited.”

This fourth All-Star selection is also a very special one for Albies, who was elected to be the NL’s starting second baseman for the first time. His most recent All-Star experience came in 2023, when he and Olson were part of a franchise-record eight selections. His first experience came back in 2018, with Mike Foltynewicz, Nick Markakis and Freddie Freeman.

Why is this latest selection special for the Curaçao native? Well, Albies hit a career-high 33 homers in 2023 and then totaled 26 over the past two years combined. His ability to bounce back from those injury-marred seasons gives him reason to be extra appreciative this year.

“It means a lot man” Albies said. “I dealt with some issues here and there over the past few years. To come back and have a better season is huge. It’s amazing.”

Amazing is how Olson will always describe last year’s All-Star experience in Atlanta. Getting a chance to participate in the Home Run Derby and play in this jewel event in the city where he was raised was an incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience.

With that being said, gaining his fourth All-Star selection and third since joining the Braves before the 2022 season is pretty special for Olson. He looked like a cinch to be the NL’s starting first baseman until his MVP candidacy stalled in mid-May. He’ll never admit that his elbow limited him for a few weeks after he visibly showed discomfort during a May 15 plate appearance. But he had a .979 OPS through that date, and he entered Sunday having produced a .766 OPS in 42 games since then. Sometimes, the numbers tell the story.

Former Brave Freddie Freeman will serve as the NL’s starting first baseman because he won the fan vote against Olson in Phase 2 of the All-Star balloting process (61%-39%). But Olson easily beat Freeman in the player balloting, 421-296.

“It’s just a cool event,” Olson said. “It's a great experience to be able to just hang out with guys that you don't normally share a clubhouse with. It's an experience that you don't normally get.”

Now, the Braves are just hoping that Dylan Lee and Michael Harris II gain an All-Star selection if roster spots open up this week. Lee ranks second only to Mason Miller among all MLB pitchers in Expected Weighted On Base Average. Harris ranks seventh among NL outfielders with a 2.3 fWAR. Bryan Reynolds (2.4) is the only NL outfielder with a higher mark who isn’t currently an All-Star.