The AL All-Star starters are set, so let's take a look at some of their best moments so far
The starters have been announced for the the 2017 American League All-Stars.
On Tuesday, July 11, the top talents in the league will face one another in the 2017 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard in Miami. Let's celebrate the starting lineup for the American League by highlighting some of their best and most fun moments of the season thus far.
Salvy is known for being outgoing and having fun with everyone around him. So, when it comes to finding a fun moment for him so far this season, it was a bit overwhelming.
Following a grand slam (using
By the time the polls closed, Salvy was not only ahead of the voting, but he had over 2 million votes alone. That's impressive.
There were a lot of talented first basemen who could have received starting honors, but that spot will go to Justin Smoak in the AL.
This will be Smoak's first All-Star roster selection, thanks to a .303/.370/.594 line highlighted by 22 homers
Here's a slow motion GIF of him hitting one of those home runs.
It's not a huge surprise Jose Altuve was named to the All-Star squad this season -- after all, he's hitting .327/.399/.523. The Astros are also dominating the American League West and are ahead of the division by 14 ½ games.
Altuve has been powerful this season, so this highlights that.
Jose Ramirez, 3B, Cleveland Indians
Jose Ramirez got the nod to be the starter at the hot corner in Miami.
The 24-year-old boasts a .325 batting average with 15 home runs and 42 RBI's.
Ramirez is also great in the arts and crafts department, too -- well, being made into an arts and crafts project.
He's so hot right now -- and the All-Star selection proves that. Very well deserved.
We already know where the Astros sit in the standings, and Carlos Correa is a big part of that success. The 22-year-old holds a .319/.394/.554 line this season and has hit 17 balls over the fence.
The 2015 Rookie of the Year has some impressive defensive skills as well.
Perhaps you have heard of young outfield sensation Aaron Judge. The 6-foot-7 phenom has not only made a name for himself this season, but he was a shoo-in for All-Star selection.
The only difficulty we had was choosing just one clip to highlight over his rookie season. So, here are a few GIFs of him destroying baseballs and everything in his path.
We know Judge can hit the ball hard. That's probably why he has the top four hardest-hit balls of the season according to Statcast and leads the league in multiple offensive categories.
And if you are wondering, no ballpark employees were harmed in the making of those GIFs -- just ballpark structures.
Mike Trout recently took batting practice and was swinging the bat 100-percent after undergoing surgery for a broken thumb last month.
He was hitting .337/.461/.742 prior to his injury and baseball feels a little lost without the six-time All-Star, but he is on the right path and will hopefully be back for the second half of the season.
The Astros continue to pile up All-Star selections, and rightfully so. They are sitting at 56-27 and lead MLB with a .283 batting average.
George Springer rounds out the starting Astros and boasts a .287/.363/.577 line over the first half.
Just as importantly, he's also a great teammate: When
And here's a dinger for good measure:
Rays slugger Corey Dickerson has had quite a first half of the season, and it's earned him a slot as the AL's starting DH. Dickerson is hitting .321/.363/.562 with 17 homers, 40 RBI and an AL-best 104 hits.
He's mashed and mashed, effortlessly blasting homers over the trees at Progressive Field and also turning in some slick defensive plays, as well.
Oh, and he's also picked up extra-base hits on pitches that bounce in the dirt -- because that's the type of season he's having.
