Elephant Rumblings: All-Star game thoughts, losing streak snapped and more

Happy Saturday Athletics Nation!

The 2023 All-Star Game will take place on July 11 in Seattle. While the Oakland Athletics were shutout of Phase 1 of the fan voting, someone will make the trip as a reserve. Back in April, it looked like Brent Rooker was a certainty, but he has struggled of late and opened the door for someone else to grab a spot. With that as the backdrop, here are some possible candidates.

Esteury Ruiz - I have Ben critical of Ruiz’s on-base skills this season, but you can’t deny that he has added some excitement to the A’s lineup and currently leads the majors with 39 stolen bases. His 93 wRC+ is just below league average and his .666 OPS is far from what you want for an every day player, but with a renewed focus on the running game, is a viable candidate.

Ryan Noda - I don’t really know if Noda has a shot because I think he has flown under the radar for most of the season. Detractors will point out his .237 batting average and 32.8% strikeout rate, but he is walked 18.2% of the time, has a .387 on-base percentage and a 136 wRC+ for the season. You’d probably like to see the slugging percentage come up a bit, but Noda has largely been Oakland’s most consistent offensive threat.

JP Sears - When this season started, I never would have dreamed that I’d put a pitcher on this list. Like most of the A’s pitchers, Sears got off to a rough start, but has pitched well of late posting a 2.94 ERA in May and a 3.42 ERA in June. His FIPs for those two months suggest that he has been fortunate, but he has logged some solid innings for a team that needed them desperately. He is among the league leaders in home runs allowed, but has a 5.1% walk-rate which has limited the damage.

Let me know in the comments who you think should be the A’s All-Star representative.

A’s Coverage

• Shea has a day, clutch homer terminates A’s 8-game losing streak
• Esteury Ruiz and finding slugging in speed
• With one swing, Shea Langeliers snaps A’s losing streak
• A’s place Ramon Laureano on injured list, recall Conner Capel
• San Jose mayors write MLB asking for expansion team, end to territorial rights
• Rob Manfred: A’s protest lags behind ‘decade worth of inaction’

MLB News

• Angels acquire Eduardo Escobar in deal with Mets
• Rockies release Dinelson Lamet
• Julio Rodriguez looking to play hometown hero in 2023 Home Run Derby
• Reds Release Wil Myers
• How London Stadium was transformed into a baseball field
• Pirates promote Nick Gonzales
• Giants place Mike Yastrzemski on injured list, recall Isan Diaz

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