Jacob deGrom confirmed on Wednesday after his start that he would not be pithcing in the upcoming All-Star Game, regardless if he makes one more appearance before the break or not.
Citing a desire to stay healthy, rest and enjoy time with his family, the best pitcher in baseball won’t be at the Midsummer Classic, while across town, Aaron Judge declined to join the Home Run Derby, and doesn’t seem himself doing it again unless it was in New York. The Derby still boasts a stacked player field this year, but the All-Star Game festivities as a whole may not feel like the same draw as it has in years past.
But Yankees manager Aaron Boone disagrees that the modern generation of players don’t put as much weight on their All-Star selections as those who came before them.
“I don’t see it that way,” Boone said on his weekly segment with Carton and Roberts. “You’re talking about Jacob deGrom and you keep saying ‘players’ and ‘guys,’ and obviously Jacob has had some things come up, so it’s wise and he understands why he might be out on it. But you can go back every generation. You can go back to Garry Templeton, ‘If I ain’t startin’, I ain’t departin’.’ I think 95-99 percent of the cases, guys are really honoured and excited when they get selected to an All-Star Game.”
Templeton refused to play as a reserve in the 1979 All-Star Game after missing out on the starting role (though the quote Boone referenced wasn’t actually said by Templeton, a common misconception), but few players sit out the Midsummer Classic for reasons other than health concerns. DJ LeMahieu sat out in 2017 out of precaution for a groin injury, and many others have in the past. But Boone has no problem with his players taking part, even Aaron Judge, who was voted in as the starting right fielder but has battled injuries for much of his career.
“Not so much with the position players,” Boone said. “If they’re dealing with an injury of some kind, then that’s gonna trump anything for me. It has to be part of the decision. But with position players, I don’t think it’s a big deal. Pitchers, it’s a little different. If you pitch Saturday or Sunday or any time on the weekend, then I understand…there’s gonna be more pause or wiggle room there for I think pitchers.”
Of course, if Boone were to see anything from Judge that would imply he was not feeling fully healthy between now and the break, he would make it a priority that Judge rests and prepares for a pivotal second half of the season.
“Any time an injury is in play or there’s concern about a player’s health, then that trumps everything and factors into the decision,” Boone said. “But if we get through this week fine, I’m gonna have no issue with Aaron going out and playing on Tuesday night.”
Judge will have two other teammates in Denver in Gerrit Cole and Aroldis Chapman, who were announced as reserves shortly after Cole was rocked by the Mets and Chapman blew yet another save. But Boone thinks the duo is still deserving despite their recent cold streaks.
“Gerrit was pitching that day, so I was able to tell Aroldis before the day started, and I think he was very honoured and excited,” Boone said. “Gerrit, it was obviously after a devastating loss coming in and letting him know, so it certainly puts a little bit of a damper on it. It isn’t the exact forum you want to be sharing that kind of news, because even for guys like Chappy and Gerrit that have been to All-Star Games and are stars of the game, it’s still a really big honor when you’re selected.”
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