As Major League Baseball’s midsummer classic approaches, the fans select the starting All-Stars, and the winner of the fan vote is awarded the honor of starting with the league’s best. The New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers are both represented well.
For Detroit, they are in the midst of a historical regular season. They are 54-33 before the All-Star break, and sit atop the American League Standings. On top of that, Detroit has a comfortable 12.5-game lead in its division, the AL Central. They are essentially a shoo-in for the playoffs, and a real threat to go to the World Series.
Detroit’s Three All-Star Starters
After the final wave of fan voting for the American League starters in the All-Star game, both the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers are well represented. For Detroit, Javier Baéz will make his third ASG appearance, and first since 2019, with the Chicago Cubs. Gleyber Torres is also making his third appearance in the game, his first berth since 2019, with the Yankees. Tigers star Riley Greene was awarded his first starting nod, his second appearance in consecutive seasons. All three are having solid first halves, but the real news came when former Yankees infielder Torres took to social media to express his love for Detroit.
Torres Takes Indirect Jab at Yankees
The fallout between Torres and the New York Yankees was sort of messy. It was largely due to Torres not being as productive in his 2024 campaign as he had been in his previous seasons with New York. Although New York advanced to the World Series, it was obvious that Torres was going to test free agency after last season, and he landed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Detroit Tigers. He will be a free agent again after this season. Gleyber took to social media earlier today, and here is what he had to say in a post titled “to the fans”.
“I want to express my gratitude for all the support you have given me during this season. I’ve never felt that support more strongly than now after the starting position players have been announced for the 2025 All-Star Game. I’m so proud to have been voted the starting second baseman for the American League All-Star team by you, the fans.”
“This has been a team effort, with you giving me that push, both in the good times as well as the difficult ones. I’m also thankful for the support from my manager, my coaches and my teammates who, together with the rest of the staff, have made this an extremely exciting 2025 season with the Detroit Tigers. When I take the field on July 15th, all of you will be there with me.”
S0, What Went Wrong in New York?
So, there’s a lot to unpack in that excerpt, but starting with the first couple of sentences, it is apparent he is glorifying the Detroit Tigers organization, while also throwing a shot at the New York Yankees, and certainly their fans as well. Gleyber has 22 extra-base hits this season, including nine home runs and 22 doubles, and is also hitting .279, which would be a career-high if that mark holds through the season. Gleyber isn’t necessarily performing that much better than he did in New York, but it’s clear he feels more supported and comfortable.
It would certainly make for an entertaining series if Gleyber’s new team and old team met one another in October in a huge playoff series.
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