Padres: Manny Machado and Joe Musgrove named to the All-Star Game roster

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado and pitcher Joe Musgrove have both been selected to the MLB All-Star Game roster.

Machado and Musgrove have both been key factors in the success of the Padres this season. The season seemed to be unpredictable coming in with power hitter Fernando Tatís Jr. entering on the injured list, but Machado stepped up to provide what the team lacks offensively.

Machado is, by far, the best hitter in San Diego this season. He’s hitting .309/.385/.530 for an OPS of .915 and an isolated power of .223. He’s hit the most home runs (14) on the team so far.

The Padres have a great roster of talented pitchers, but Musgrove manages to stand out above all. So far this season, he has the best batting average against (.194), WHIP (0.93), earned run average (2.09) and has struck out the most hitters (98). In all of MLB, he has the fifth-best ERA, sixth-best BAA and is tied for sixth-best WHIP.

This makes Machado’s sixth All-Star Game appearance and Musgrove’s first.

Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove will appear in his first All-Star Game

Musgrove typically spends the All-Star break at home with his family watching the game (courtesy of KNSD NBC 7 San Diego sportscaster Todd Strain). He states, “It’ll be cool to be on the other side of that, playing.”

Machado will make his second appearance with the Padres in the All-Star Game. He represented San Diego as an All-Star in 2021 for the first time, but he wasn’t a starter. Most of his appearances were with the Baltimore Orioles.

Machado won the fan vote, making the achievement even more special to him. In an interview with 97.3 The Fan, Machado stated, “It was voted by the fans, and it shows you how much San Diego fans have been enjoying what we’ve been doing on the field and supporting us throughout this whole year.”