KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Andrew Chafin overheard the topic of conversation, so the Detroit Tigers‘ outspoken left-handed reliever confidently bellowed his opinion in the clubhouse.
“If you’re not a closer, you’re never going to get in,” Chafin said. “That’s exactly how it is.”
Michael Fulmer, a right-handed reliever and perhaps the most respected player in the room, tried to downplay his teammate’s comment.
“It’s all good,” he said.
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The topic is the All-Star Game, particularly All-Star Game snubs, and there were several worthy candidates from the Tigers’ elite bullpen: Chafin, Fulmer, left-hander Gregory Soto, right-hander Alex Lange and righty Joe Jiménez.
Soto, the team’s closer, received the honor for the second year in a row.
“They really could have picked any number of relievers on this team,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “I knew they were going to pick somewhere out of our bullpen, but Soto gets to go back-to-back. As one of the established closers in the league, he’ll represent us well.”
Soto is the Tigers’ first back-to-back All-Star since Miguel Cabrera made seven straight Midsummer Classics from 2010-16, the first pitcher with consecutive All-Star nods since Max Scherzer in 2013-14 and the first reliever to do so since José Valverde in 2010-11.
“He’s been solid for us,” Fulmer said. “He’s been the guy in the bullpen that, when we need a win, we go to him, and for the right reasons. I’m very happy for Greg and his success. To be broadcast on a national scale as an All-Star is pretty impressive back-to-back years for him.”
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Cabrera, an “All-Star Legends Selection” by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, and Tigers great Willie Horton, an honorary coach on manager Dusty Baker’s American League staff, will accompany Soto.
All five relievers — Soto, Fulmer, Lange, Chafin and Jiménez — posted All-Star-worthy numbers ahead of last Sunday’s All-Star rosters reveal. The game is July 19 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
Every MLB team must be represented on an All-Star roster, and since Cabrera’s legacy inclusion was a separate special selection, the Tigers were required to have a primary player representative.
This year, 14 of 30 teams have one primary representative.
Relief pitching is the best thing the Tigers have going for them, when taking into account the team’s miserable offense and slew of injuries to starting pitchers. Detroit’s bullpen ranks third in baseball with a 3.05 ERA, only trailing the Houston Astros (2.63 ERA) and New York Yankees (2.74 ERA).
There was no doubt a reliever would be chosen. Three of the five candidates had already competed in the All-Star Game: Soto in 2021, Jiménez in 2018 and Fulmer (as a starting pitcher) in 2017.
“I always want to be picked,” Fulmer said. “But I think you could go with anybody. We’re obviously happy for anybody who gets chosen, but I think the fact that we could have five or six guys out of the bullpen able and worthy of going to the All-Star Game is really something special. That’s more important to me than a personal achievement.”
Here’s how the numbers compared, entering Sunday:
• Soto: 0.4 fWAR, 30 IP, 2.70 ERA, 3.47 FIP, 24.6 K%, 11.9 BB%, 17 SV.
• Fulmer: 0.7 fWAR, 32 IP, 1.97 ERA, 3.11 FIP, 24.8 K%, 11.6 BB%, 2 SV.
• Lange: 0.7 fWAR, 32 IP, 1.97 ERA, 2.45 FIP, 31.8 K%, 11.4 BB%, 0 SV.
• Chafin: 0.7 fWAR, 25⅔ IP, 2.45 ERA, 2.21 FIP, 29.7 K%, 6.9 BB%, 1 SV.
• Jiménez: 0.6 fWAR, 32⅓ IP, 3.06 ERA, 2.37 FIP, 32.8 K%, 5.5 BB%, 1 SV.
Soto had 17 saves in 19 chances.
His save total, entering Sunday’s game, ranked fourth in the AL, behind Emmanuel Clase (19), Jordan Romano (18) and Ryan Pressly (18). At the time, there were 11 AL relievers with more than 10 saves.
“Even though he can be a little erratic from time to time, he still maintains his composure and competitiveness,” Hinch said of Soto. “I love his approach to the game, and that’s why I keep giving him the ball at critical times.”
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Across MLB, many players could be considered All-Star snubs. Just 32 players from each league — not including the commissioner’s legacy selections — are named to the teams, with the rosters featuring 20 position players and 12 pitchers.
Four of the 12 pitchers on this year’s AL team are relievers: Clase, Soto, Clay Holmes and Jorge López.
Some AL pitchers that weren’t put on the roster but deserve to be recognized for their accomplishments in the first half this season: Kevin Gausman, Robbie Ray, Logan Gilbert, Dylan Cease and Michael King.
The same is true for four relievers from the Tigers.
“I’m just here to pitch, brother,” Lange said. “Whatever happens, happens. I just want to win. I’m super excited for Soto. He’s been anchoring the bullpen all year, and he’s going to represent us well.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.