Gibson, Gallo, Garcia named to All Star team

The 2021 American League All Star team has Texas Rangers players Joey Gallo, Adolis Garcia and Kyle Gibson on the roster, it was announced today.

This is somewhat surprising, not because the individuals aren’t worthy of the honor, but because the Rangers record has been poor this season, and you don’t expect to see bad teams have multiple All Stars. When there are players on the bubble, you anticipate that guys who are on bad teams are less likely to make it.

Kyle Gibson seemed the most likely Ranger candidate to make the roster, as his 4.4 bWAR is second in the A.L. overall, and first among pitchers, and his 1.98 ERA leads the league. This is his first All Star appearance.

Joey Gallo and Adolis Garcia both have been All Star worthy, as well, at 2.8 and 2.5 bWAR, respectively. Gallo is second in the American League among outfielders in fWAR, with 3.0, while Adolis is tied for fifth, with 2.0.