At age 31, Cooper an All-Star for 1st time
Christina De Nicola
@cdenicola13MIAMI -- Over the past few years, you'd be hard-pressed to find a player more vocal about the universal designated hitter than the Marlins' Garrett Cooper.
Its return in 2022 has paid off for Cooper, who was named to the National League's roster for the 2022 All-Star Game as a replacement for injured Phillies star Bryce Harper. The next NL DH in line via the Player Ballot, Cooper earns his first All-Star selection. He joins second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. and ace Sandy Alcantara as Marlins representatives, marking the first time since 2016 (Marcell Ozuna, José Fernández, A.J. Ramos and Fernando Rodney) the franchise will have at least three All-Stars.
"Just to be in the same headwind as those kinds of guys and to be in the same space as that, that's all you can ask for in your career as you progress," Cooper said. "It's something that I thought could have been done, maybe some people didn't, but to be healthy and to put up numbers is what I came into this year to do, and I've done so far."
Cooper left in the sixth inning of the Marlins' 3-2 loss to the Pirates after fouling a pitch off his shin Tuesday night at loanDepot park. He originally continued the at-bat but limped back to the dugout after striking out and was replaced at first base in the top of the seventh inning. His X-rays came back negative and he was listed as day-to-day following the game.
Entering Tuesday, Cooper ranks 10th in the NL in average (.299), 12th in on-base percentage (.367), 17th in OPS (.827) and 25th in slugging (.460). He has split time at DH and first base with Jesús Aguilar, playing in 76 of Miami's 85 games. That is what has been most encouraging of all for Cooper, who has been sidelined by various injuries since 2018.
Last August, Cooper underwent Tommy John surgery following a fluke play at first base in which his left arm bent awkwardly after a collision with the runner as he tried to handle a throw from catcher Jorge Alfaro. At the time, Cooper had even better numbers than this season, slashing .284/.380/.465 with nine homers and 33 RBIs in 71 games.
"We find when he's been able to stay on the field, he hits," manager Don Mattingly said. "When he gets consistent at-bats, he hits. It's pretty clear that this guy is pretty productive from that standpoint, and I'm sure he's excited. Obviously that first one's always something that guys get excited about. Happy for him that he gets that recognition."
The 92nd Midsummer Classic will be held next Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, and it will be a homecoming of sorts for the Southern California native. Cooper grew up an Angels fan among a Dodgers household. The entire family, including his four-month-old daughter, will get a chance to celebrate what he called the biggest accomplishment so far in his Major League career.
"All the stars aligned for that to be in my hometown and to have my family and friends and everyone be out there," Cooper said. "To be the first time out there, it's pretty wild."
The 31-year-old Cooper, once a Pacific Coast League Mid-Season All-Star in 2017 for Triple-A Colorado Springs, didn't make his MLB debut until he was 26. He was dealt twice in '17, including that November in a trade with the Yankees that sent him and Caleb Smith to the Marlins for Michael King and international bonus slot money.
Now, Cooper will be sharing a clubhouse with future Hall of Famers Albert Pujols and Clayton Kershaw. His Baseball Reference page will forever note he was an All-Star.
"I think everyone has a different journey up here," Cooper said. "Some guys get up here at 21, some guys get up here at 20. Some guys get up here at 29, 30. Everyone's got their different journey. I wouldn't trade it for anything, maybe the injuries I would trade a little bit for, but it just makes getting to this point bittersweet to fight off a big injury like Tommy John last year, while I was [putting up] what I felt like was the best of my career last year when that happened.
"It just makes everything bittersweet. To be in this spot, making it at 31 or 25, it's really no different. You can always say that you're an All-Star whenever you're done with the sport, and you're done playing and you're a normal dad and you experience life outside of baseball. That would be really cool to say."