The White Sox may trail the Twins in the AL Central, but they're sending more players to the All-Star Game.
Major League Baseball announced the Midsummer Classic's rosters this afternoon, and to nobody's surprise, Lucas Giolito and James McCann made the cut. To some surprise, Jose Abreu also cleared the bar, giving the White Sox three nods. The Twins, perhaps hurt by the depth of their lineup, are only sending two to Progressive Field.
It's weird, but it's reflective of what players pay attention to. McCann entered the game hitting .320/.378/.519 with nine homers over 57 games from the catcher's pot, making his the top American League catcher according to the metrics that don't include receiving.
Giolito was denied his third complete game and second shutout by virtue of the White Sox and Twins resuming this afternoon's affair, but he could pick up his league-leading 11th win if the White Sox can hold it. He also lowered his ERA to 2.72 in the process, with peripherals to match.
Abreu entered the day tied for the American League lead with 60 RBIs, and that's probably what carried the day for his candidacy. He's doing great in the counting stats department -- 19 homers, 20 doubles -- but his coverage of and discipline at the plate has been lagging all year. He's hitting just .262/.304/.505.
That said, the fact that the White Sox are sending three -- and Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson and Alex Colomé had cases for two more -- reflects a step in the right direction, and a tangible improvement year over year as they hit the halfway mark.
