'Very deserving' López named to first All-Star roster

MINNEAPOLIS -- When Pablo López was summoned to manager Rocco Baldelli’s office on Saturday, he figured the Twins were just looking to touch base on López’s plans for the All-Star break, to make sure that he’d be staying on his pitching schedule.

Well, that did end up being the intent of the meeting -- just not in the way López expected.

• MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard: Tuesday on FOX, 8 p.m. ET

López instead got the news that he will head to Seattle alongside rotation-mate Sonny Gray to represent the Twins at the Midsummer Classic after being named to his first All-Star team, as announced by the league on Saturday. López will take the spot of the Blue Jays' Kevin Gausman, who will not pitch in the All-Star Game due to his start for Toronto on Saturday.

“It meant a lot for me,” López said. “I can’t remember the last time I didn’t watch an All-Star Game, starting when I was little. It’s probably one of my favorite things to watch. Back when I was growing up, I used to watch it, telling myself, ‘I want to be there someday.’”

And it’s only fitting that the Majors’ best starting rotation would get some more representation in the All-Star Game.

This marks the third time in the last 20 years in which the Twins have had multiple starting pitchers named to the All-Star Game. The last time was in 2019, when both José Berríos and Jake Odorizzi were named All-Stars, and before that, it last happened all the way back in ‘06, when Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano both represented the Twins.

López has been a workhorse since starting Opening Day for the Twins, ranking fourth in the AL with 111 innings pitched and second with 138 strikeouts (trailing only Gausman's 153), which marked a club record for most before the All-Star break.

And though López finished his first half with a 3.89 ERA, capped with his first career shutout and a career-high 12 strikeouts on Wednesday against the Royals, his underlying metrics have continued to paint him as one of the game’s elite pitchers in his first season since arriving in Minnesota in the deal that sent All-Star second baseman Luis Arraez to Miami.

López’s 3.18 FIP (which strips away batted ball luck) ranks fifth among qualified American League starters, while his 30.5% strikeout rate ranks third to only Gausman and the Angels' Shohei Ohtani. His 1.09 WHIP ranks 10th.

“Pablo is a very deserving All-Star,” Baldelli said. “He’s had some of our most memorable first-half moments, team-wise and starter-wise. You could look all around our rotation and see some really great performances. … The stuff has been excellent all the way through. And he finished the half strong, too. I love handing him the ball.”

López hopes to pitch in the All-Star Game itself to fully lock in the experience, particularly since he’ll be fully rested in time for Tuesday’s contest. He still looks back on his favorite memories of watching the All-Star Game, from countryman Félix Hernández’s start for the AL in 2014 to the story of Roy Halladay learning his cutter from Mariano Rivera when they crossed paths at the Midsummer Classic.

And now, he’ll get to experience those moments firsthand.

“I think in baseball, we don’t get to choose or pick when we get recognized a lot of the time,” López said. “So I think when the time comes, it’s really a good opportunity to cherish it and just remember that we’re doing our thing and when certain opportunities arrive, it’s just a matter of enjoying them and having a good time.”