Detroit Tigers: Gregory Soto pitched himself into an All-Star selection
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Tigers now know which player will represent the team at Coors Field for the 2021 MLB All-Star festivities. In 2020 there were no All-Star festivities due to the pandemic that raged on. So with the all-star game returning to the league in 2021, the Tigers, like all other 30 teams, have to send, at minimum, one player to Coors Field to take part in the game.
The Detroit Tigers are sending reliever Gregory Soto who has had a stellar start to the 2021 season so far. The reliever is headed to Coors Field, where he will likely be called upon to throw in relief by Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash.
Soto is the Tigers’ first all-star since Shane Greene, who was named to the American League (AL) roster in 2019. Greene wound up being traded to the Atlanta Braves in the trade deadline deal that brought prospect southpaw Joey Wentz back to the Tigers organization.
It turns out, Soto is also the last left-handed Tigers reliever to be named an all-star since Willie Hernández was named to the team in 1986. The last left-handed pitcher to be named to an all-star team was David Price back in the 2015 season before the tear-down officially began.
The Detroit Tigers are sending Gregory Soto to the 2021 MLB All-Star festivities in Colorado.
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In 2021, Soto has been pretty dominant from the left side for the Tigers and has been pitching quite well. The southpaw has logged 33.2 innings over 36 appearances, where he has a 2.94 ERA and 1.34 WHIP for the Tigers.
He also has 40 total punchouts on the season. He’s been called upon as a closer on occasion, converting on six saves for the Tigers.
Of his 36 appearances, the left-hander has finished 20 games for the Tigers this season. Soto is deserving of the nod, but there are a few questions to be asked.
Congratulations for Soto, but it seems like the better move for baseball would be to send Akil Baddoo or Casey Mize to Coors Field. Baddoo is vaulting himself into the Rookie of the Year conversation, the national media may be missing out, but he sure deserves some credit.
On the other hand, Mize may not be as easy of an ask for an all-star bid since he is a starting pitcher. While his numbers are not absurdly good, he is still looking mighty good and starting to figure things out on the bump in the big leagues.
If there was an emphasis on showcasing the future of the Tigers, Mize would have been the guy for sure. Baddoo’s unreal rise from High-A to the big leagues would make for a fun story if he got the nod, but instead, it is Soto.
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Congratulations to Gregory Soto; he will head to Coors Field to represent the Detroit Tigers in this year’s All-Star festivities.