Byron Buxton has never been to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but he understands how motivating those simple, personalized stars must be. He experiences that ambition every time he arrives at Target Field.
"Walking through that hallway outside the [Twins' home] clubhouse, all those stars are on the wall. I see them each and every day," Buxton said of the stadium's All-Star display, with a star for each Twins player who has ever been selected to the American League team, and a list of the years each made it. "I tell myself, 'One of these days, I'm going to get a star.' I know I will if I just keep going, just keep working."
That day could be here. MLB will announce this year's All-Star rosters on Sunday (ESPN, 4:30 p.m.), and Buxton's case for inclusion for playing in the July 19 game at Dodger Stadium — less than five miles from the Hollywood Walk of Fame — is stronger than ever. His career-high 22 home runs rank fourth in the American League and his .552 slugging percentage ranks sixth.
"He's been on the field, he's healthy. That's huge," fellow outfielder Max Kepler said. "If he's on the field, Buck's the MVP."
Yet Buxton is probably not even the most likely Twin to hear his name called Sunday.
"For me, 100 percent [Luis] Arraez needs to be there," Twins third baseman Gio Urshela said. "He's getting two or three hits every day!"
“Hey, I'll play any position they want, you name it. It would mean a lot.”
Not every day, but more than anyone else in the majors; Arraez's 32 multi-hit games lead all of MLB, as does his .354 batting average. His .425 on-base percentage trails St. Louis' Paul Goldschmidt by two points for the major league lead, all while shifting among three infield positions.
No Twin fared well enough in the public online vote to become a finalist to start the game — starters will be revealed Friday — which is hardly a surprise. Only Jorge Polanco, elected as the starting shortstop in 2019, and Joe Mauer, the starting catcher in 2013, have been voted to the team by fans in the past dozen years. But Arraez's fourth-place finish among first basemen was the best by a Twin this year, a fact he said made him proud.
"Everyone got to vote, so that was special, [that] they voted for me," Arraez said. What position would he play if he was chosen?
"Hey, I'll play any position they want, you name it," the 25-year-old infielder said. "It would mean a lot to be [picked]. It would be my first time. Everyone says you got to just go and really enjoy it. If not, I'll just keep working really hard."
Carlos Correa has gone twice, though he didn't play in last year's game in Denver. He was chosen as the AL's starting shortstop in 2017 in Miami, and went 0-for-2. He wouldn't mind being invited to Dodger Stadium, where he's certain to be booed, because the experience is worth it.
"It's a lot of fun, absolutely," Correa said. "My favorite part is, you get to meet players from the other teams, interact with the best of the best. Getting to know them, getting to talk baseball with people who know the game, who study it, it's fun and it can help you."
Any other candidates? Well, here's an All-Star fact that might surprise Twins fans: Seven of the past eight AL All-Star rosters (there was no game in 2020) included a Twins pitcher, a couple of times two. So it's possible that Jhoan Duran, who owns a 1.95 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 37 innings, could appear on enough player ballots — the league's players will choose five starting pitchers, three relievers and a backup for every spot in the lineup — to extend that streak.
Or the commissioner's office, which will select the final six All-Stars, could pick the rookie righthander, who has thrown more pitches 102 mph or faster this year (34) than all other pitchers in the majors combined.
"He's done a great job. He's been, at times, unhittable," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "You see some bad swings against him."
Other teammates have suggested that Sonny Gray or Joe Ryan are worthy candidates, too. Kepler, for instance, pinpointed Ryan's qualifications as, "There's not much to do [in the outfield] when he's pitching, because it doesn't seem like anybody can touch his fastball."
Told of Kepler's sentiment, Ryan made a face. He's flattered, the righthander said, "but I think our .400 hitter is a better option."
