Angels' Mike Trout narrowly beat out as All-Star starter by feel-good Tigers player

Mike Trout missed all but two games in May due to knee inflammation, but was still a finalist to start in the All-Star Game. New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge received the most votes of American League players, so he automatically clinched a spot. Vying for the other two spots in the American League outfield were the Cleveland Guardians' left fielder Steven Kwan, the Detroit Tigers' left fielder Riley Greene and the Detroit Tigers' centerfielder Javier Báez.

Unfortunately, Trout missed being a starter in the Midsummer Classic by 2% -- Báez received 26%, and Trout received 24% of the fan vote. Judge, Greene and Báez will man the outfield for the AL on July 15th.

Angels' Mike Trout narrowly beat out as All-Star starter by feel-good Tigers player

Báez was almost out of baseball, and many were suggesting Detroit DFA the former star after three straight brutal campaigns. From 2022-2024, Báez slashed .221/.262/.347/.610 and posted a 341:62 K:BB. He played in just 80 games last season and posted a .184 batting average. Now, he is beating out Mike Trout in All-Star Game voting. What an amazing turn of events for Báez and the Detroit Tigers.

Trout is vying for his 12th appearance in the All-Star Game after not being voted in last season for only the second time in his MLB career. Trout missed out on the honors in 2011 (his rookie year), and in 2024 when he played his last game of the season on April 29th. So yes, he made 11 straight All-Star Games (there was no ASG in 2020).

The future Hall of Famer has the most appearances on an All-Star roster of any active player, and if he makes his 12th team this year he will tie players like Roberto Clemente, Mike Piazza, Wade Boggs, Frank Robinson, Roberto Alomar, Miguel Cabrera, Mark McGwire, Barry Larkin and Tom Seaver to name a few.

Trout will have to rely on his star power to make the squad. Per MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince: "The pitchers and reserves for both squads -- totaling 23 players for each side -- will be determined via 'Player Ballot' choices and selections made by the Commissioner’s Office." Outside of Kwan, Trout will be battling American League outfielders like Minnesota's Byron Buxton, Toronto's George Springer, Athletics' Brent Rooker, New York's Cody Bellinger, Houston's Jose Altuve and many more qualified candidates for a spot on the team. Trout might not have the most stellar case, but he is still Mike Trout at the end of the day.

Besides Trout, the LA Angels players who are looking to head to Atlanta are Zach Neto, Taylor Ward, Yusei Kikuchi, José Soriano, Jo Adell and Kenley Jansen. The rest of the All-Star game rosters will be revealed on Sunday at 2 PM PST.

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