The complete MLB All-Star teams were announced on Sunday evening, but as is the case every year, there were a handful of clear snubs from the two rosters.
In 2022, perhaps no player had more reason to gripe with the final selections as Mariners first baseman Ty France.
The 27-year-old has been among the top players in the American League in 2022 thus far, having slashed .306/.379/.460 with 15 doubles, 10 home runs and 45 RBI in 74 games this season. He ranks first among AL players who have spent more than 50% of their time playing first base this season in batting average, on-base percentage (.384) and OPS (.851)
After getting snubbed from what would have been his first All-Star selection, France himself couldn’t quite offer an explanation as to why he was left out of the Midsummer Classic.
“I don’t know. I still have not really processed it. But it is what it is,” he said, per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. “There are a lot of really good players out there, and not to take anything away from any of them, but I definitely thought I played my way in.”
On top of all his success on the field, France earned the recognition of being one of the two finalists for the starting AL first base spot, alongside Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. However, when the time came for roster selections on Sunday, the Mariners star was left off of the roster entirely.
Even though he missed out on what could’ve been a career-defining moment as an individual player, France will still have the chance to accomplish something with the Mariners this season. Seattle (45–42) is still right in the mix to land a AL Wild Card spot later this year and will need its first baseman to continue his steady play if it hopes to do so.
