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The Mets franchise record for most players on one All-Star team was set in 2006 when New York was represented by David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, Paul Lo Duca, Tom Glavine, and Pedro Martinez at the mid-summer classic.
All-Star fan voting for 2022 opens today at MLB.com and the Mets might have a chance to tie or beat that record.
Let’s look at the Mets with the best chances:
Pete Alonso
The NL first base position is stacked.
Paul Goldschmidt is putting up Ted Williams numbers with a .341/.423/.606 slash line and will likely be the starter and possible MVP if he continues his torrid pace.
But right behind him is Alonso. Alonso leads the NL in runs batted in and home runs. Additionally, Alonso has the second-highest OPS among NL first basemen at .909.
Alonso has made two appearances at the All-Star break in his career, each time in the Home Run Derby. He’s in line to make it as a position player for the first time but playing time might be scarce with the Dodgers hosting the game and Freddie Freeman continuing his terror on the NL now in Los Angeles.
Brandon Nimmo
Nimmo is the best centerfielder in the NL. He leads all qualified centerfielders in OPS and bats leadoff for the best offense in baseball.
Nimmo’s impact is well known to Mets fans and he could be rewarded with his first career All-Star nod in his age 29 season.
Nimmo and possibly Starling Marte could each be outfield nods in a weak league-wide group.
Francisco Lindor
Lindor has been the best shortstop in the National League this season. His advanced numbers are trending better than the years he finished at the top of MVP voting.
He’ll have to beat out Trea Turner for the starting spot but a fan-favorite league-wide, there’s hope he’ll be in the opening lineup with a decisive fan vote.
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Jeff McNeil
McNeil might be tough if the NL only brings in two second basemen. Tommy Edman is the obvious choice to be an All-Star this season and with the rule that every team needs an All-Star, Ketel Marte could be the choice for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Still, McNeil has just as much a case as anyone with a .314/.369/.447 batting line while showing off his positional versatility at second base and left field.
Carlos Carrasco
Prior to the season, it was going to be a guarantee the Mets would get two All-Star pitchers in Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer. Long-term injuries have completely derailed that plan.
Stepping into their spot is Carrasco. After an injury-riddled 2021, Carrasco is back to looking like the ace he was in Cleveland. He is presently tied for the league lead with 7 wins and has a 3.52 ERA which ranks 15th in the NL.
Edwin Diaz
Diaz is tied for fourth in the NL with 11 saves this season but faces an uphill battle to make the All-Star game.
Milwaukee’s Josh Hader has not allowed a run in 19 of 20 games, Pittsburgh’s David Bednar has been exceptional with a 1.33 ERA in 27.0 innings, and San Diego’s Taylor Rodgers has 18 saves.
Diaz’s numbers this season should put him in consideration and it’s tough to argue against having the closer for the NL team with the best record.
Voting Rules
The first phase of voting begins on June 8 and ends on June 30. Fans can submit five ballots every 24 hours per email. The top overall vote-getter in each league will be given an automatic spot on the roster.
The second phase of voting will start July 5 and end July 8 to determine the All-Star game starters.
As always, fans will not be voting for the pitching staff.
