HOUSTON, TX - Four more Astros players were named to the American League All-Star squad today. Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker and Justin Verlander were selected via the player vote while Framber Valdez was selected by Major League Baseball.
With Jose Altuve earning a starting spot on Friday, the Astros will have five players on the 2022 AL All-Star team. The last time the Astros had five All-Stars was in 2019. The club record is six, which they achieved in both 2017 and 2018.
Additionally, the Astros now have 27 All-Star selections since 2017, which is more than any other club in that span. This will be the first All-Star selections for Alvarez, Tucker and Valdez and the ninth for Verlander.
Alvarez, who is having an MVP-caliber season, currently leads the Majors in OPS (1.058) and slugging pct. (.653) and ranks third in home runs (26) and fourth in on-base pct. (.405). Tucker has also been one of the top hitters in the AL, currently ranking fourth in RBI with 60. He also has 15 home runs while posting an .829 OPS.
In his 17 starts, Valdez is 8-4 with a 2.67 ERA. He is the only pitcher in the AL to register two complete games this season and his 109.0 innings pitched rank second in the AL. He also ranks sixth in the AL in ERA and tied for sixth in wins.
At 39 years young, Verlander is on pace to have one of the top seasons of his Hall of Fame career. In 16 starts, he is 11-3 with a 2.00 ERA. He currently leads the AL in wins while ranking second in ERA, WHIP (0.87) and opponents average (.190). Verlander was the AL’s starting pitcher in the 2019 All-Star Game.
On Friday, MLB announced that Jose Altuve was voted by the fans as the American League starting second baseman for the All-Star Game. Altuve was the top vote-getter among fans at his position. For Altuve, this marks his eighth All-Star selection and fifth start, both of which are franchise records, surpassing Craig Biggio, who was a seven-time All-Star with four starts.
Entering today, Altuve was leading Major League second basemen in HR (17), OPS (.906), OBP (.370) and SLG (.536) while ranking third in runs (44).
This year’s All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday, July 19 at Dodger Stadium. FOX will broadcast the game, with their telecast beginning at 6:30 p.m. CT. In the last All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium in 1980, Astros hurler J.R. Richard was the starting pitcher for the National League.
ASTROS ALL-STAR GAME NOTES
**MULTIPLE STARS: **The 27 All-Star selections for the Astros since 2017 are more than any other club in that span (source: Elias). Entering this season, the Dodgers were second with 19 selections. The Astros franchise record for All-Stars in one season is six, which was reached in both 2017 and 2018. Prior to this year, 2019 was the last time that the Astros had five All-Stars. There was no All-Star Game in 2020 due to the pandemic.
**STARTING PITCHERS: **Five Astros pitchers have started the All-Star Game. They are: Verlander (2019); **LHP Dallas Keuchel (2015); RHP Roger Clemens (2004); RHP Mike Scott (1987); RHP J.R. Richard (1980). **Richard’s start came in the last All-Star Game played at Dodger Stadium in 1980.
HOME RUN DERBY: Alex Bregman is the last Astros player to take part in the Home Run Derby, participating in both 2018 and 2019.
**ALL-STAR MVP: **The Astros have had one All-Star Game MVP. Bregman earned MVP honors in the 2018 Midsummer Classic after his 10th-inning home run helped lead the AL to an 8-6 win at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.
MANAGER/COACHING STAFF: As defending AL Champions, Dusty Baker and his coaching staff will manage the AL squad. This will mark the third time that an Astros manager and his staff will manage an All-Star Game. The other times were in 2006 (NL) and 2018 (AL). The Astros staff was in line to manage the 2020 All-Star Game before it was cancelled due to the pandemic.