Three Mets named to 2019 National League All-Star Team

Three Mets have made the National League All-Star team: Jacob deGrom, Pete Alonso, and Jeff McNeil.

This will be the third All-Star appearance for deGrom, but it will be the first time he has company from his own team. After a couple of hiccups, the Mets’ ace has returned to form recently and is absolutely deserving of the nod. He is in the top ten in ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, and strikeouts per nine. deGrom had some doubts he would make the team, but his peers deemed him a worthy addition to the roster.

This will be the first All-Star appearance for Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso, who are both playing in their first full seasons in the big leagues. Alonso is also the first rookie position player in Mets history to make the All-Star team. McNeil made the roster as the result of the player vote, whereas Alonso was selected by Major League Baseball. Alonso will also be participating in the Home Run Derby, too.

McNeil perhaps seemed to be a long shot to make the team considering how deep the outfield position is. But he was rewarded by putting together incredible numbers. He has now surpassed Cody Bellinger in the race for the batting title, and he’s also among the leaders in on-base percentage. He is not the flashiest player on the diamond, but it is nice to see his talents get recognized by his contemporaries.

Alonso, on the other hand, makes you take notice. His eye-popping power is on display seemingly every night. He has already broken the Mets’ rookie record for home runs and is second overall in the league in home runs right now. He isn’t just a slugger, though, and is in the top ten in a few other offensive categories, such as slugging, OPS, RBIs, and bWAR.

This has been other disappointing season for the Mets and their fans, but the All-Star Game should be an enjoyable break where three deserving players get to play on the national stage.