Four players of Cuban heritage were slated for the All-Star starting lineup in Seattle as per the voting the are Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena in the American League. While Cuban- Americans Nolan Arenado, and J.D. Martínez made the cut in the National League. But with the injury to Aaron Judge a fifth player of Cuban heritage was added to the fray, he is Adolis García.
García will replace Judge in right field. The slugger from Ciego de Ávila, Cuba leads MLB with 73 runs batted in and is third in the American League with 23 longballs. The Cuban might end up being a formidable challenger to Shohei Othani for the AL MVP before seasons end.
Díaz is having a career year this season in Tampa. The native of Villa Clara, Cuba is hitting a robust .316 leaving second in the American League in that category. He has also launched 12 longballs and knocked in 38 runs , but the most eye catching stat here is his .404/.500/.904 slash line and 2.5 WAR. This will be Diaz’s his first trip to the mid-summer classic.
Con la adición de Adolis García a la alineación de la Liga Americana ahora hay cinco jugadores de herencia cubana elegidos como abridores para el Juego de Estrellas. #pelotacubana #MLBAllStarWeek pic.twitter.com/h2d5pwQiZU
— Yusseff305 🇨🇺🇺🇲 (@yusseff305) July 8, 2023
Randy Arozarena (.278,16HR, 58RBI) is one the most dynamic players in today’s game. The outfielder sports a sparkling .386 and has stolen nine bases. Arozarena slow but surely has become the face of the Tampa Bay Rays. This will also be the Cuban’s first trip to the All-Star Game.
Nolan Arenado (.282,19HR,62RBI) has been a fixture in the All-Star Game for the last ten years and this season is no different for the native of California. Since May 3 he’s slashing .299/.348/.599 and has gone yard 16 times. J.D. Martínez (.252,21HR,61RBI) has arguably been the best DH in the National League and has resurrected a career that looked dead coming into the season. The native of Miami is fourth the National League with a .560 slugging percentage.
The NL is loaded.
What would your #AllStarGame lineup look like? pic.twitter.com/B55PERbCrG
— MLB (@MLB) June 29, 2023