ALL-STAR EAVESDROPS
The buzz from Tuesday’s 88th All-Star Game at Marlins Park in Miami:
Aaron Judge was all the rage a day after he won the Home Run Derby in convincing fashion. Suddenly, people want to call him the face of baseball. Commissioner Rob Manfred said that’s where the Yankees’ rookie could be heading. News flash: He might be there already.
Not so fast. There’s a certain Angels outfielder who’s on the disabled list who ought not be forgotten. Face of baseball? Buster Posey says it’s Mike Trout. Judge is 25, a rookie. Trout is 25, a six-time All-Star.
Yonder Alonso said there should be a bunch of faces, not one. “This game is too diverse and too popular, it’s worldwide,” he said. “I think this game has so many different styles. I feel there’s a style for everybody.”
Someone actually asked
Joey Votto if Judge — who leads the majors with 30 homers — could break Barry Bonds’ season record of 73. “Hitting a home run every other day, I’d bet the under,” Votto said. “I’d bet the under on everybody.” Votto didn’t rule out 60, though.
A touching pregame ceremony featured Latin-born legends, including Giants greats Juan Marichal and Orlando Cepeda. All threw first pitches to Latin-born All-Stars, and Alonso caught the pitch thrown by Tony Perez, a fellow native of Cuba. Carlos Correa caught Cepeda’s first pitch. Cepeda’s son, Orlando Jr., works for the agency that represents Correa.
Alex Rodriguez walked around the infield interviewing NL players between the first and second innings, and which misguided Fox executive thought that was a good idea? Bad for ball.
The Freeze, the speedster who gives challengers a huge lead and beats them in between-innings races as part of a Braves promotion, came all the way to the All-Star Game to beat someone ... and lost.
More Judge? Sure. Here’s Posey on the 6-foot-7, 282-pounder: “I’ve taken batting practice enough times here to know that a righty’s not supposed to hit balls in the second deck to right-center. He was flipping ’em out there.”
And Alonso: “They need a bigger field for him. We’re playing on JV fields, and he’s varsity.”