Scott Servais named to American League All-Star staff

Mariners manager Scott Servais and trainer Kyle Torgerson both receive the honor of being included in the AL staff for this year’s All-Star game in Seattle.

One day after losing the rubber match versus the Nationals, the Mariners received some positive news. Major League Baseball announced that manager Scott Servais and head athletic trainer Kyle Togerson had been named to American League’s All-Star staff for this year’s game.

This will be Servais’ first invitation to the Midsummer Classic, either as a coach or a player. He is in his eight year as Mariners manager and has the second-most wins in franchise history.

Fair or not, there will be those who claim the 56-year-old does not warrant an inclusion in the AL All-Star staff. That he has only been included as a goodwill gesture by Astros manager Dusty Baker, due to the game taking place in Seattle.

The argument for and against Servais

One of the main reasons for this opinion is based around the Mariners’ record, with them guaranteed to be under .500 at the halfway point of the 2023 regular season. Based on the talent within the roster, the suggestion is they are underperforming and that the buck stops with Servais.

However, any claim the former Major League catcher does not know how to coach can at least be countered by him finishing in the top three in AL Manager of the Year voting for each of the past two seasons. The team won 90 games both times and last year ended a playoff drought dating all the way back to 2001.

In this respect, Lou Pinella is the only other manager in franchise history to lead the Mariners to the playoffs. Servais also has a long-time connection to Baker, after playing two seasons for him in San Francisco, during 1999 and part of 2000.

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Togerson will similarly be making his first trip to the All-Star Game, as one of the athletic trainers for the AL. He is an Edmonds native, who graduated from the University of Washington in 2009 with a B.A. in physiology.

A classy move

In a nice touch, Bill North will serve as an honorary coach on Baker’s staff. He played 11 years in the Majors and won a World Series with the Athletics in 1974.

Renowned for his ability to steal bases, North was a 12th round draft pick out of Central Washington in the 1969 MLB Draft. He played three seasons for Central Washington and batted .443 during his final year with the university.

After retiring, North returned to Seattle to raise his family and became involved in local youth baseball. He is the Co-Founder of the Seattle Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) League.

This is of course a tremendous honor for all three men, although Servais is understandably getting the majority of headlines, albeit for both positive and negative reasons. He will have a tremendous opportunity to prove his worth this weekend, with a three-game series versus a Rays team with the best record in baseball.

Do you agree or disagree with the decision to include Servais on the AL All-Star staff? Further, which Mariners player do you predict will be included on the roster for this year’s game in Seattle? Let us know in the comments section below.