Phase 1 of the fan voting process of the 2022 MLB All-Star game was just complete, as the MLB released its standings. The two leaders so far: Aaron Judge and Mookie Betts.
Aaron Judge is on a tear for the best team in baseball, the New York Yankees, as the team has earned a 52-19 record so far, and is on pace for 120 wins. During the 58 games that he has played, he is batting .304, with 27 home runs, 53 RBI, with an on-base percentage of .379, and a slugging percentage of .658. He also has a total of 79 hits and 58 runs scored.
His runs scored and home run total are both leading all of baseball, and Judge is on pace for 60 home runs, which would be the first time anyone has reached that milestone since 2001, when both Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds each hit over 60.
Mookie Betts, who just recently went on the injured list with a cracked rib, had one of the best months of May in the history of the Los Angeles Dodgers. During that month, he had 12 home runs, 27 RBI, an on-base percentage of .411, a slugging percentage of .741, and was batting .342 during that span. Overall, in the 60 games he has played, he is batting .273, hitting 17 home runs and 60 RBI, a .349 on-base percentage, and a .535 slugging percentage.
If Betts or Judge can continue to lead the All-Star polls, and either be the voting leader when it is all said and done, it would be the first time a Black player would have the most All-Star votes since Ken Griffey Jr. of the Seattle Mariners did it in 1999.
As Betts locked in his massive deal back in 2020, now it is Judge’s turn to get his. Judge, who had just agreed to a one-year, $19 million contract to avoid arbitration, is set to be a free agent at the end of the 2022 season.
He turned down an seven-year, $213.5 million offer at the beginning of the season from the Yankees, and with the season he is having, it is looking like he made the right decision. He is set for an even bigger payday, whether that is from the Yankees, or from a different team.
As Judge is essentially a lock to start in the Midsummer Classic, Betts will be, too, if he can make it back from the IL in time. After the All-Star break, the next focus is to continue their respective sensational seasons during the second half to try and lock up awards for the season, like MVPs, All-MLB team slots, and most importantly, a championship. Although there are nine players in each lineup, plus the pitchers, neither the Dodgers nor the Yankees will be the last one standing without their stars continuing to do what they are doing.
When Shawn Carter said, “They pray and pray on my downfall, but every time I hit the ground, I bounce up like round ball,” he was referencing Tyrone Taylor’s baseball career as it ricochets continuously from the show to the minors and vice versa.
Brewers placed Tyrone Taylor (right shoulder strain) on 10-day injured list. It's retroactive to yesterday.
Utility player Tim Lopes is up from Triple-A Nashville.
During his rehab assignment for the Nashville Sound, the Triple-A affiliate for the Milwaukee Brewers, Taylor received Triple-A East Player of the Week, making him the first Sounds player to don the award.
BIG FLY! Hello, Tyrone Taylor. An oppo shot to right-center for a homer in his first game down from The Crew. We're up 3-0 in the 6th in Columbus.
— Nashville Sounds (@nashvillesounds) May 28, 2021
Homering in three out of his first four games, Taylor averaged .533 with eight RBI, seven runs, four bases on balls, and two doubles, while assisting the Sounds to the best record in the minors at 18-5 as they rode a 12-game hitting streak.
Congratulations to Sounds outfielder @tyrone_taylor15 who has been named Triple-A East Player of the Week! Taylor hit .533 (8-for-15) with 7 runs, 5 XBH and 8 RBI, and has helped Nashville to a Minor League-best 12-game winning streak.
— Nashville Sounds (@nashvillesounds) May 31, 2021
The 27-year-old outfielder recently made his return from the Injury List after he suffered some right shoulder complications. Before the diagnosis, in 88 plate appearances, Taylor impressed the Brewers while displaying some pop in his bat as he launched six home runs in limited game action.
Taylor made himself indispensable to the Brew Crew as he replaced fellow outfielders and MLBbros, Jackie Bradley Jr. and the often-injured Lorenzo Cain, during stints of the 2021 season as he showed range and versatility by playing all three outfield positions.
When asked about his development in the field of play and at the plate, Brewers’ manager Craig Counsell told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “Tyrone has played well this year. He’s played in a way that he is kind of past some of these guys, and he deserves to be here. He has made an impact on this team, and he will continue to make an impact going forward.”
Counsell added, “Tyrone is a good player, and his development this year is clear. He has taken a big step forward, and he is ready for the big leagues. He is ready to be a significant contributor as we’ve seen it, and he has been consistent with it.”
Over the holiday weekend, Taylor came up clutch with a two-RBI triple in the fourth inning to help the Brewers take a 5-1 lead vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates.
He later made an extra-base saving web gem to end the eighth, drew a walk in the top of the ninth, stole third, and later scored a much-needed insurance run for a 7-2 victory. It was the Brewers’ 10th win in a row.
Although injuries are a part of the game, Taylor said, “I’m thankful for all the opportunities I’ve had this season.” He added, “It’s been a fun ride with these guys and this coaching staff, and hopefully, we keep it going here.”
Tyrone Taylor appears to have cemented a spot on the #Brewers roster with his recent play. He talked before today’s game about his approach and his production of late. pic.twitter.com/malDvv7ySL
Since his return from Triple-A Nashville, Taylor is batting .236 with 21 RBI and six home runs as the Brewers are winners of 11 out of their last 12.
With Cain on the shelf until after the Midsummer Classic, Taylor, thanks to his uncanny abilities at the plate as he bats with power and exert speed, and plays all three outfield positions, he and the Brewers should have a long-lasting relationship moving forward.
MLB is considering moving the Mid-Summer Classic (All-Star Game), out of Atlanta in response to recently signed legislation that tightens voting laws in Georgia and is an obvious attempt to suppress the vote of Black and Brown people.
President Joe Biden was even asked about it and he said he’d support the move away from the “ATL.”
MLBPA union chief Tony Clark had this to say:
“Players are very much aware” of the Georgia voting bill, which places restrictions on voting that some believe will make it particularly difficult for Black voters to reach the polls, said Tony Clark in an interview with the Boston Globe. “As it relates to the All-Star Game, we have not had a conversation with the league on that issue. If there is an opportunity to, we would look forward to having that conversation.”
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred also mentioned that “he was talking to various constituencies within the game and he’s just “not going beyond that in terms of what to and what not to consider.”
The Georgia Law that has things in disarray, was signed last week by Gov. Brian Kemp and has become a flashpoint in the debate over GOP efforts to restrict and hinder voting access in wake of losing the 2020 Presidential election. The Georgia legislation expands early-voting hours, requires additional voter ID to complete mail-in voting, grants additional authority to electors to challenge voter eligibility and makes it a crime for non-election workers to provide food and water to voters standing in line.
On the other hand, Democrats have denounced the law, arguing that it disenfranchises voters while curtailing access to the ballot. Several other Republican legislatures are considering similar measures after former President Trump made repeated false claims that the 2020 election was riddled with voter fraud.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts who is Black and Asian says he’d consider declining the honor of managing the National League team. Roberts is one of only two Black managers along with Dusty Baker (Houston Astros). Roberts is also just one of two Black managers to win a World Series, along with Cito Gaston (Toronto Blue Jays).
His platform continues to allow him to speak out and be heard on high-profile issues, such as the recent wave of recent hate crimes that have targeted Asian-Americans.
This has happened in the NBA and NFL before. MLB moved their 2017 All-Star Game, from Charlotte after North Carolina adopted a “bathroom bill” that limited anti-discrimination protections. As for the NFL, it moved the 1993 Super Bowl out of Arizona after voters rejected a proposal to honor and make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a state-mandated and recognized holiday.
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