Five Dodgers are in Philadelphia for the All-Star game on Tuesday, two of them first timers in Andy Pages and Justin Wrobleski.
Sonja Chen of MLB.com covers why it should be Pages’ second All-Star nod.
“It should be his second. I think he should have had it last year,” said Freddie Freeman, who will be in the NL’s starting lineup alongside Pages at his 10th All-Star Game. “Andy has been great for a couple years now. So I’m glad he’s getting the recognition. I’m glad the fans are gonna get to see him in Philadelphia.”
Last year, the Dodgers centerfielder was one of three finalists for the fan vote to make the Midsummer Classic. He was not chosen by the fans, nor was he added as a replacement. Did that give him motivation to make it this season?
“I think it did affect me,” Pages said through interpreter Juan Dorado. “But obviously, coming into this year I’m trying to focus on the things that I can control, the things that I need to do, and kind of learn from what happened last year and put myself in a better spot this year.”
Andy didn’t talk much about it, but focused on being better and getting to the All-Star team, in addition to being better overall for the team. While he’s had his ups and downs, he’s proud of the work he’s put in that has resulted in him being the starting centerfielder for the National League.
“This is one of those things that … you feel proud of all the work you’ve done,” Pages said in Spanish. “It’s doing those little things that you think can make you better, keeping working and trying to do the best every day.”
Max Muncy is on his third All-Star team, but it’s been five years since his last appearance, and he’s had to work through some significant injuries in the meantime.
“It’s coming back from injuries, finding ways to stay healthy – regaining form I guess you’d call it,” Muncy said. “Just getting back to the player that I had been for several years before I started getting hurt. For me, it’s just a recognition of that.”
This time around, Muncy is very much looking forward to the family aspect of it, and for his kids to experience this with their dad.
Over the offseason, Muncy put a lot of effort into making sure his body was in the best shape for this season, knowing that being the Dodgers’ third baseman was his only path to staying on the team which whom he hopes to retire.
“The reality of the situation was if I want to continue being a Dodger I had to learn to play third base. There really is no ifs ands or butts about that. I had to get better.”
His offseason work has paid off, as Muncy leads all NL third basemen in slugging and OPS, and is tied for second in home runs with 17. He’s ranked third among third basemen in defensive runs saved, even with his two errors in his last two games.
“For me, it was never about getting the money. It was always about getting the opportunity to win,” he said. “That was the thing for me. If I’m going to play this game that I love, the reason I love it is because I love to compete, I want to be in the best spot to compete to win and there’s no better spot than here. That was always the deciding factor in those decisions. That’s why it’s always been a no-brainer for me. The money didn’t really matter. It’s the chance to compete and win and I get that every day here.
Bill Plunkett of the OC Register covers more of Muncy and manager Dave Roberts’ thoughts on his season and what he means to the team here.
