MacKenzie Gore and James Wood are All-Stars for the first time in their young careers. The Nationals’ ace and star slugger were named to the National League roster as reserves on Sunday night, marking the next milestone for the rising stars.
Wood, 22, had already been selected to participate in the Home Run Derby as part of the All-Star festivities in Atlanta on July 14.
Now, after vying to become the youngest derby champion in league history, he’ll join his National League compatriots in the Midsummer Classic.
Wood is widely considered the most deserving All-Star from Washington in years, though. The Maryland native ranks seventh in MLB in home runs and RBIs, while posting a stellar .943 OPS.
“It’ll just be cool being around some of the best players in the game,” Wood said.
Gore has enjoyed a breakout campaign since making his first Opening Day start for the Nationals this season. The 26-year-old ranks fifth in the majors with 131 strikeouts. His 3.11 ERA leads Washington starters, despite a mediocre 3-8 record.
“That’s awesome,” he said. “It’s just cool to see the kind of respect guys give you. That’s all you can ask for as a player, so that’s pretty cool.”
Gore and Wood were both elected by their fellow players.
“Those two guys have played really well this half, and I hope they keep it going,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez told reporters after Sunday’s loss to the Boston Red Sox, but before word came out that he and general manager Mike Rizzo were fired. “But it says a lot about this organization. We’d love to win some more games moving forward, but the progress for our young players has been a lot better. We’re excited about that.”
The All-Star starters, which featured household names like Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge, were announced on Wednesday. Sunday’s honorees will join them as reserves.
The Dodgers led the way in the National League after dominating the fan-voting portion of the festivities. Five Dodgers — pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, catcher Will Smith, first baseman Freddie Freeman and Ohtani — will represent the National League later this month.
This year’s All-Star Game will be the sixth in a row with at least five Dodgers.
The Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers each had four players selected in the American League. Detroit pitcher Tarik Skubal earned his second All-Star nod, while Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh, who leads MLB with 35 home runs, nabbed his first All-Star appearance.
The All-Star squads are dominated by fresh faces. The American League features nine first-time All-Stars; the National League will have 10, including Wood and Gore.
Los Angeles’ Kershaw, fresh off his 3,000th career strikeout, was named to his 11th All-Star team as a “Legends Pick” by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. The 37-year-old is the year’s oldest All-Star; Wood is the youngest.
This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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