With Randy Arozarena’s selection, the Seattle Mariners now have five All-Stars for the first time since the 2002 Major League season.
With a 49-45 record and sitting just outside a playoff spot as of Saturday morning, opinion on how the Seattle Mariners season is going so far will understandably be split. However, if the All-Star Game is anything to go by, there’s plenty of star power on the inconsistent M’s roster regardless.
As confirmed via a press release from the Mariners on Friday, Randy Arozarena has been selected to the American League roster for the 95th MLB All-Star Game next Tuesday in Atlanta, Georgia. And in an interesting twist he will be replacing teammate Julio Rodríguez.
We entirely respect Rodríguez’s decision to forego the All-Star festivities, in order to take care of his body and fully prepare for the second half of the season. However, purely playing devils advocate, you do at least have to wonder if taking part in the game might have helped galvanize him following an up-and-down first half of the 2025 Major League campaign?
A deserved call-up as the fifth Mariners All-Star
In any event it’s good to see Arozarena earn the second All-Star selection of his career, with plenty of people believing he was one of the bigger snubs in the first place. While he is a mercurial talent, the reality is that the Mariners have mostly seen the positive so far during his first full season in Seattle.
The 30-year-old has often proved to be a much-needed spark-plug for the Mariners lineup, with a .793 OPS projected to be his best since 2021. He also has a 132 OPS+ on course to be his highest ever as a regular player, while his 3.2 bWAR is fourth among all AL outfielders.
Heck, Arozarena is even regularly putting his body on the line, leading the Majors with 15 hits by pitches, a category in which he led the way just last year with a painful career-high 22. Overall, he’s shown the ability which saw him named ALCS MVP in 2020 and then AL Rookie of the Year the following season.
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A happy occasion for Randy Arozarena
As per Dawn Klemish of MLB.com, Arozarena discussed his selection with the media on Friday. With Mariners bench coach Manny Acta translating, he said:
“I had hope that I was going to be called, even if it was last minute.”
Mariners manager Dan Wilson captured the emotion of the whole team when talking about Arozarena’s call-up. He said:
“It’s been really cool to see just the whole clubhouse really erupting in those announcements and everybody feeling really happy for each other. And Randy with a big smile today. I thought [it was] just great news for him, and for the team, too.”
With 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases ahead of Saturday’s game in Detroit, one thing to keep an eye on moving forward is Arozarena’s quest to become the ninth player in Major League history with five consecutive 20-20 seasons. First things first though, he will go and enjoy the hoopla surrounding the All-Star Game, along with teammates Cal Raleigh, Bryan Woo and Andrés Muñoz.
Photos courtesy of Tim Rodgers Photography
No matter if you believe Rodríguez deserved to be selected or not, do you agree with his decision to withdraw from the All-Star Game or not, and why? Let us know in the comments section below.
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