Yankees send five players to the 2017 All-Star Game

The 2017 Yankees got off to a surprisingly good start to begin the season. They did so well and had so many strong performances on the field, that the Yankees will have five different players representing the franchise at the 2017 MLB All-Star Game in Miami. Aaron Judge received more votes than any other player in the America League to earn a spot in the starting lineup. The Yankees will also send Gary Sanchez, Starlin Castro, Dellin Betances, and Luis Severino as reserves.

We all know how well Judge has been, but Sanchez has done extremely well too. In fact, if it weren’t for Judge, we’d probably all be talking about how well Gary is doing this year. The team’s starting backstop has hit .283/.371/.524 with 13 home runs this season, even after missing time with an arm injury. Given that he’s doing this at the age of 24, this should be something we see from him on an ongoing basis.

Castro has been in the majors for eight seasons now but is still only 27 years old. Now, as he enters his prime years, we are seeing him turn into an offensive machine. He has hit .313/.348/.486 with 92 hits in what might be his best season yet. Unfortunately, Castro recently hit the disabled list, so we don’t know if he’ll be healthy enough to play by the All-Star Game. No matter what, though, this is an honor well deserved.

Dellin Betances might be having the worst season in his big league career, but it still earned him a trip to the All-Star Game. A 3.12 ERA and 2.60 FIP is pretty good for a non-closer, but the 16.6 K/9 he’s currently sporting likely got him the nod in the end.

Another player who has been overlooked this year is Luis Severino. If it wasn’t for Judge and the recent conga line of new prospect call-ups, we’d be paying more attention to what the young starter has been doing this year. Despite the questions that surrounded him heading into this season, he has a 3.15 ERA and 3.08 FIP on the season so far. Impressive peripherals and a manageable home run rate has helped prove that Severino has finally arrived.

For his effort this season, Didi Gregorius will be one of the five players on the Final Vote ballot. His .314/.335/.496 batting line and 10 home runs has put him within reach of an All-Star berth. Didi will be up against Elvis Andrus of the Texas Rangers, Mike Moustakas of the Kansas City Royals, Xander Bogaerts of the Boston Red Sox, and Logan Morrison of the Tampa Bay Rays. Make sure you vote for him!

It’s great to see these five Yankees get the recognition they deserve, but it’s even better to know that there are other players who could have earned a spot on the All-Star team as well. Gregorius could still be voted onto the team. Brett Gardner and Aaron Hicks certainly deserved some consideration. They may not have made the cut, but they have helped the Yankees this season, and that’s what matters most.