Randy Arozarena will likely be the Mariners lone representative at the All-Star game in 2026.<\/p>\n
Major League Baseball announced on Saturday the initial rosters for the American and National League All-Star teams. This included each team\u2019s starting lineup (chosen by fans) as well as their pitchers and reserves (chosen by players and the commissioner\u2019s office).<\/p>\n
Arozarena was the only Mariner named to the team for the AL. He was not selected by fan vote, nor did any Mariners players make it to the second phase of fan voting. But he\u2019s a deserving All-Star nonetheless, ranking fifth among AL outfielders with 2.3 fWAR. He\u2019s been the Mariners most valuable hitter with a 141 wRC+ (.280\/.370\/.436) and their most valuable base runner (19 stolen bases and 2.2 BsR). No matter what flavor of WAR you use, Arozarena is on track to have his most valuable season as a big-leaguer should current trends hold, something he credits to fully buying in to the Mariners\u2019 approach of using the whole field.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year, I came with a different approach,\u201d Arozarena said through team interpreter Freddy Llanos. \u201cI\u2019ve been listening a lot more to the hitting coaches, coming in with a plan and sticking to that plan, and you\u2019ve seen teh results this season. Before, I think I would just go out there and every pitch, my mentality was, hit this ball out of the ballpark.<\/p>\n
Now, I\u2019ve been able to use the middle of the field, hit the ball around and make those adjustments. Now I\u2019m going up there and thinking, where can I place this ball, and trying to use all my tools that I can to place that ball in that spot.\u201c<\/p>\n
Rosters were announced on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. At about 1:45 p.m., Arozarena capped his bid with a massive grand slam to push the Mariners past the Blue Jays. He also doubled earlier in the game.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s Arozarena\u2019s third All-Star selection and second with the Mariners. Last year, he was named to the team after Julio Rodr\u00edguez declined to participate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this [selection] for me is the one that feels a little more special,\u201d said Arozarena. \u201cI see it as a mixture of all the discipline, all the hard work, everything I\u2019ve done, but also all the teammates that have helped me, the fans, especially the fans – I use them as a motor to energize me when I\u2019m out there, I\u2019m able to identify with them, and they\u2019re able to identify with me. So when you get a recognition like this, you kind of look at it in terms of all the hard work and all these little aspects that come together to make something like this happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking of Julio, he was not named to the team after making it in three of his first four years as a big leaguer. Neither was Cal Raleigh, who received the second most votes in the AL just last year. In fact, no other Mariners were selected, reflecting what\u2019s been a frustrating, injury-plagued season in Seattle.<\/p>\n
One could argue Bryan Woo deserved a nod. He leads the Mariners with 2.7 fWAR, good enough for sixth in the AL as of Saturday morning. But Woo\u2019s 4.17 ERA (driven by severe home-road splits) likely hurt his chances. Logan Gilbert, Emerson Hancock, and George Kirby are each having better seasons by more traditional metrics, though none rank in the top 10 by ERA.<\/p>\n