These unsung players were worthy of All-Star spots, and a Phillie is on the list
Ceddanne Rafaela of the Red Sox has blossomed in his second full season in the majors. And Cristopher Sánchez of the Phillies clearly has the numbers to be an All-Star.
This group of players won’t be featured at the All-Star Game in Atlanta on Tuesday night, but they are having great under-the-radar seasons through the first half.
Ceddanne Rafaela, Red Sox: The 24-year-old center fielder has blossomed in his second full MLB season and is hitting .271 with 14 homers, 48 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases, all while playing excellent defense.
Nico Hoerner and Michael Busch, Cubs: Hoerner continues to be one of the game’s best second basemen, batting .283 with 18 doubles, 39 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases, all while providing Gold Glove-caliber defense. The 27-year-old Busch is batting .290 with 19 homers, providing the NL Central-leading Cubs some thump.
Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies: The left-hander has been a big part of a stacked Philadelphia rotation with a 8-2 record, 2.50 ERA, and 122 strikeouts in 115 innings. Sánchez put an exclamation point on his first half on Sunday, giving up just one run over 7⅓ innings in a 2-1 win over the Padres.
Framber Valdez, Astros: The righty had a terrific first half with a 10-4 record, 2.75 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 121 innings.
Here come the Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox have won 10 straight games heading into the All-Star break — their longest winning streak since 2018 — setting up an intriguing second half for a club that looked very average for most of the season’s first three months.
Rafaela has been one of the major catalysts for Boston’s surge, hitting a walk-off homer on Friday night and another two-run homer in Sunday’s win.
The AL East race could be a barn burner as summer turns to fall with the Blue Jays (55-41), Yankees (53-43), Red Sox (53-45), and Rays (50-47) all in the mix. Even the last-place Orioles aren’t completely out of it yet, sitting at 43-52, which is 11½ games out of first place.