The Rockies have a clear, albeit surprising choice for All-Star nod
Jun 5, 2023, 6:47 PM
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game is closing in and voting is now open to send your favorite big league stars to Seattle.
Every MLB club gets a representative in the mid-summer classic, meaning even a team lacking Hollywood razzle or a place in the standings worth a dazzle, there will be a Colorado Rockies All-Star in 2023. So who should be wearing purple on July 11 at T-Mobile Park?
You can fill out your MLB All-Star Game ballot here for the starters, and do so until June 22, with the announcement of who made it later this month. When I pick out my ballot, it’s hard to justify giving any Rockies player the starting nod, so I won’t be doing that. But it’s clear to me who the Commissioner’s Office will likely pick.
Elias Díaz is in the middle of his best-ever season and it just so happens to be the best season any Rockies player is having. Díaz, a 32-year-old starting catcher, isn’t setting the world on fire but his steady play has risen him above his teammates.
In 52 games heading into Tuesday, Díaz is slashing career-bests .309/.362/.475 with six home runs and 29 RBI. His plus-offense has been backed by his strong backstopping behind the dish. All of this has amassed him a 1.1 rWAR, which clearly leads the team.
Ryan McMahon will likely be Díaz biggest competition both because there are few catching spots on the All-Star rosters and the Rockies infielder matches good defense with a bat that will likely be first on the team to 10 homers and 40 RBI. Rookie Ezequiel Tovar has an outside chance of heading to the Pacific Northwest, otherwise looking at the rotation and top starter Kyle Freeland might be an okay choice.
The fun part of Díaz surging season is you could make the case he’s had several seasons where he’s been the worst player in MLB. In 2017, 2019 and in 2022 Díaz was -1.0 fWAR or worse was second-worst in the National League in 2017, 2019 and worst in the National League in 2022. Meaning Díaz story of redemption, into his 30s and being a decent player, is a nice story of what is mostly mundane Rockies season.
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