Zac Gallen, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Make NL All-Star Roster
Two more Diamondbacks will be joining Corbin Carroll in the 2023 MLB All-Star Game, as right-hander Zac Gallen and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. have been named All-Stars. Carroll is in the starting lineup while Gallen and Gurriel are reserves.
"We're so proud of that, and I felt like we could have had more" said D-backs manager Torey Lovullo. "We're in a very good space, very good spot. When you have good players, you win baseball games. They're a major reason why we are where we are."
Gallen, 27, will be participating in his first All-Star Game. His profile was already boosted by a Top 5 finish in the Cy Young Award voting last year, so a repeat performance would push him in. In 17 starts, he is 10-2 with a 3.02 ERA and 2.74 FIP. Arizona's record with their ace on the mound is 12-5. Amongst qualified National League starters, Gallen is 6th in ERA, tied for first in wins, 5th in WHIP (1.09), 5th in innings pitched (104 1/3), and 3rd in strikeout to walk ratio (4.91). Due to those numbers, he is one of the top candidates to win a Cy Young award if he can have a strong second half.
While they were making the All-Star announcements in the clubhouse, Gallen barely looked up from his computer as he was continuing his preparation for today's start.
"That's typical for Zac, I'm sure at some point he's going to sit back and be excited about that" said Lovullo. "This has been a long time coming for him, I think he's had some All-Star moments, there were times where he should have been considered before, but it's his turn now. For me, it's the first of many. He's on his way, at the start of his journey, he's going to be a very good pitcher for a long time."
Gurriel, 29, is also participating in his first ever All-Star Game. Acquired by the D-backs along with Gabriel Moreno for Daulton Varsho in December, he has been a big presence in both the lineup and the clubhouse. On June 3rd he was one of the top hitters in the NL with a .310 average and a .909 OPS, but a minor injury and a month-long slump has lowered his numbers. Gurriel ended up making the roster on the player vote.
"He has met so much to this lineup, this organization" said Lovullo. He's so deserving of this opportunity because of his consistency, his professionalism, and his ability to help us win baseball games. I'm glad the rest of the league recognized that."
"First of all I want to thank my teammates and family for the support" said Gurriel. When asked about what it was like to hear the announcement in front of his teammates, he said that "it's even more special they're invested, they're along the ride with me". When he was named a finalist in the second phase of the fan vote, Gurriel thought it was going to be a hard-earned shot, but it's amazing that it's actually happening.
The 2023 MLB All-Star Game will be played at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on July 11th.
