NL June was the best player, why was Soto ignored? Fans Turned Away All Stars Failed for 5th consecutive Year

Jul 07, 2025

NL June was the best player, why was Soto ignored? Fans Turned Away All Stars Failed for 5th consecutive Year
New York Mets Juan Soto was not selected as an All-Star despite being qualified enough. AP Yonhap News



NL June was the best player, why was Soto ignored? Fans Turned Away All Stars Failed for 5th consecutive Year
Juan Soto is hitting in the sixth inning in the second game of a doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers on the 3rd (Korea time). AFP Yonhap News
If you look at the All-Star roster of both leagues announced by Major League Baseball (MLB) on the 7th (Korea time), there are many star players who wonder why they didn't choose this player.

The most unexpected player is New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto. If you selected it based on your performance this season, I wonder why you excluded Soto.

ESPN identified Soto as the most unlikely person not to be named an All-Star in the NL in an article titled 'MLB All-Star roster: The Most Insulting Player and Others'.




Reporter Bratford Dolittle, who wrote the article, said 'I'm not sure why this happened, but it's presumed that Soto fell victim to the standards he made himself. Signed for an incomprehensible sum last winter, he has so far shown nothing new as a member of the Mets. So far, it's still the league's best, but it's just the lowest version of Soto, but he insisted that the All-Star game was made for a player like Soto, and if he's really sluggish, he can be ruled out, but not here.

In other words, the reason for excluding Soto is not just because of his grades.

NL June was the best player, why was Soto ignored? Fans Turned Away All Stars Failed for 5th consecutive Year
Soto was chosen NL"Junner". AFP Yonhap News
As of today, Soto has a batting average of 0.263 (84 hits in 319 at-bats), 21 home runs, 51 RBIs, 65 runs, 72 walks, an on-base percentage of 0.396, a slugging percentage of 0.508, and an OPS of 0.904. He ranks second in on-base percentage in the NL, seventh in the OPS, seventh in home runs, and third in scoring. 1st place in both leagues with a walk. However, if you look at Soto's performance in previous years, it is true that he is below the career average.




Even so, Doolittle explains that it is not right to exclude Soto from the All-Star. This is because he still shows batting skills at the league's top-class level. Soto, in particular, was sluggish until May, before getting back on track in June and was named NL 's Player of the Moon'. I had to be an All-Star even more..

Regarding the essential reason for Soto's exclusion, Doolittle said, `McKenzie Gore and James Wood, who moved from the San Diego Padres to the Washington Nationals in the Soto trade, were selected as All-Stars this time. They deserve it. CJ Abrams, who moved to Washington together at the time, can also argue that he should become an All-Star. The same goes for Soto.

Soto was traded to San Diego in July 2022 because he did not sign an extension with Washington. At that time, six players San Diego gave to Washington were Gore, Wood, Abrams, Luke Voit, Robert Hasel and Yalin Susana. While Gore and Wood were selected as All-Stars this time, Abrams (batting 0.285, 12 Holman, 31 RBIs, 59 runs, OPS 0.838) was excluded like Soto by falling behind them.




NL June was the best player, why was Soto ignored? Fans Turned Away All Stars Failed for 5th consecutive Year
McKenzie Gore, who grew up as the Washington Nationals ace. AFP Yonhap News
Soto was traded from San Diego to the New York Yankees in December 2023 and wore a Mets uniform to the FA last winter. This year is the first season of a 15-year, $765 million contract, and it is still difficult to deny that he is still the best player in the major leagues. In the end, it is right to say that Soto was sacrificed because of the rule that each club must hire more than one person.

Journalist Doolittle said that Kyle Starworth, the most outstanding outfielder in the Marlins, was chosen based on the principle of "selecting at least one person per team." In the end, it appears that Starworth would have taken Soto's place'

In the Mets, shortstop Francisco Lindor was chosen by fan voting, and first baseman Pete Alonso and closing pitcher Edwin Diaz became All-Stars with a 'Players Pick'. In the second fan vote, Soto ranked fifth in the NL outfielder category and was also shunned by the players.

Soto was an All-Star for the fourth consecutive year since 2021 until last year.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.