SF Giants closer Camilo Doval selected to first-career MLB All-Star Game
MLB announced the first complete rosters for the 2023 All-Star Game on Sunday afternoon. While additional players will be added to the rosters over the next two weeks as selections opt out for various reasons, mostly injuries, there is an added honor to being selected without needing to be an alternate. Despite several worthy candidates, the SF Giants only had one player selected, closer Camilo Doval. It is Doval's first-career selection to the All-Star game.
Doval’s All-Star selection is no surprise, as he has continued his domination of batters into the first half of the 2023 season. He has a 1.89 ERA with 53 strikeouts and 24 saves across 38 innings pitched. Doval's durability and dominance are evident, as he leads the NL in saves (24) and games finished (35). Only Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase and Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano have as many saves as him this season.
J.D. Davis is the most noteworthy Giants snub in a relatively thin National League hot corner race. He has been one of the best defensive third basemen in the league and leads them in most offensive categories. However, Nolan Arenado and Austin Riley are two big names with All-Star pedigrees that were selected instead.
LaMonte Wade Jr. has hit .280/.416/.452 in 298 plate appearances with 10 home runs, as arguably the best lead-off hitter in MLB. Wade's on-base percentage ranks third in the National League, and he ranks among the top-20 in batting average and OPS. However, in the same league as big-name stars Freddie Freeman and Matt Olson, Wade is on the outside looking in.
Northern California’s standout pitcher, Logan Webb, is another notable snub. While his 3.43 ERA and 7-7 record may not quite capture Webb's level of consistency, the Giants ace has suffered from significant bad luck. Moreover, he leads the league in innings pitched with 110.1 innings pitched and has 106 strikeouts and 21 walks.
There will be several more permutations to the 2023 MLB All-Star Game rosters before the game takes on Tuesday, July 11th. However, for now, despite having the fourth-best record in the National League, the SF Giants only have one player headed to the All-Star Game, closer Camilo Doval.
