Yankees’ Jose Trevino has perfect response to All-Star debate

Should New York Yankees catcher Jose Trevino be named to the All-Star team in 2022 despite opening the season as a backup and piling up just 113 at-bats, through games as of June 22? The unbiased take: probably!

Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk has a 76 at-bat advantage on Trevino, has .7 more WAR, and a 17% higher OPS+. It doesn’t take a mathematician to discern why Trevino is lagging slightly behind Kirk in the voting, though he sits close enough to participate in a runoff.

But the AL will certainly carry more than one catcher, and … who’s been more valuable than Trevino? Stalwart Kansas City backstop Salvador Perez has been 11% below league average offensively. Jonah Heim of the Rangers is right up there with Trevino on framing leaderboards, but he trails him in WAR 2.2 to 1.6.

Also, not for nothing, but Trevino’s walk-offs have been frameable moments, and he’s helped bring the Yankees’ starters and relievers to the forefront of MLB (alongside Matt Blake). He’s had a more tangible footprint on the 2022 season than Heim. He’s also (clears throat) on the team with the best record in baseball by a significant margin, a squad that really should get extra recognition.

Ask Trevino about it, though, and … how to put this … it’s not that he doesn’t care. He obviously cares. The No. 1 most obvious thing about Trevino is that he cares extra about everything.

It’s just that he cares so much more about the end goal, and his statements on a potential All-Star berth are catnip for Yankee fans who’ve been waiting for this kind of leadership for years.

Yankees’ Jose Trevino wants a championship, not the All-Star Game

Yes. Yes. That is … exactly what you’re all here for.

The 2022 season has been exactly the right kind of majestic so far. The Yankees have performed so well, with so many singular moments, that it’s been difficult for even the most cynical fans to roll their eyes and say, “Yeah, sure, but just wait for the playoffs. It’s all about October.”

And, of course, it is. A championship will define whether or not the 2022 Yankees are record-setting wannabes or all-timers. Still, it’s OK for us to slow down and drink in just how special Trevino’s ascent has been, even as the player himself remains focused on the end goal.

For what it’s worth, Trevino’s teammates don’t need to be as humble as he is, and even Aaron Judge took time to advocate for his backstop on Wednesday, a player who’s “worked his butt off.”

As recently as a few weeks ago, sending Trevino to Hollywood for an All-Star showcase felt like a novelty act. Like campaigning for Ronald Torreyes a few years back.

Now? Not only is it in sight, but … who displaces him, logically? Whether Trevino’s gunning for the All-Star Game nod or not, he really should get it, and he’s already earned it.

Come on, MLB. Martin Perez as the Rangers representative, Trevino in his rightful role behind the plate. Get it done.

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