Bartolo Colon named to National League All-Star team

Mets starting pitcher Bartolo Colon has been named to the National League All-Star team. The 43-year-old takes the place of Madison Bumgarner. This will be Colon's fourth All-Star appearance and first since 2013, when he made the game as a member of the Oakland A's.

Colon had his worst start of the season last night against the Nationals, but he finished baseball's first half—barring a relief appearance at the end of the Mets' four-game series against Washington—with a 3.28 ERA and 4.12 FIP. He's struck out just 5.93 batters per nine, but he's maintained his incredibly low walk rate with 1.55 per nine this year.

The overall results are the best of Colon's Mets career thus far. He signed a one-year, $7.25 million contract to come back to the team following the 2015 season, and he'll earn a $50,000 bonus for making the All-Star team. And while he won't get a chance to hit in the game, the highlight of his year—and one of the best parts of this Mets season—was undoubtedly the first home run he hit in his major league career.

Perhaps Colon wouldn't have made the team if Terry Collins weren't managing it, but hey, those are the perks of getting to the World Series.