Predicting Yankees' representatives in the 2023 All-Star Game

Best of Luck...: Anthony Rizzo

Anthony Rizzo is really the ... only other Yankees candidate on the bubble. Anthony Volpe? We wish. Giancarlo Stanton? Missed too much time. DJ LeMahieu? It's 2023. Billy McKinney? Only if you write him in, personally, 847,000 times.

Rizzo appeared headed for the American League's third first base spot a few weeks back, but his recent Fernando Tatis Jr.-aided slump has made it more difficult to envision his seven-season All-Star drought ending. His 117 OPS+ entering play on Wednesday is still solid, but the counting numbers have to really stand out if he's going to be carried at a notoriously tough position behind Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Yandy Diaz.

Rizzo has the AL's fifth-highest OPS at first, behind Guerrero Jr., Diaz, Ryan Noda of the Oakland A's (!!) and Josh Naylor of the Guardians. While Noda is unlikely to make the roster (Brent Rooker is the likelier representative, and they ain't getting two), Naylor has knocked in 48 runs, seven more than any AL first baseman. Nathaniel Lowe of the Rangers, also a trendier pick, ranks a sliver behind Rizzo in OPS and has the narrative advantage. In order to make his way off the ballot of his peers and pass Naylor, Rizzo's going to have to sock a few more homers and really hope the players and coaches let their implicit past biases dictate the process.

But who are we kidding? Players hate the Yankees! This'll be a tough one.