Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. (7) celebrates after his solo home run with Vinnie Pasquantino (9) during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Friday, July 12, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Seth Lugo faced Bobby Witt Jr. and the rest of the Kansas City Royals last year when they were on their way to a last-place finish in the AL Central.
The right-hander picked the Royals in free agency and now is a first-time All-Star along with Witt and nine-time participant Salvador Perez for a postseason contender.
“I know they had a bad year, but they had a pretty good lineup,” said Lugo, who was with San Diego when he gave up five runs in two innings in a 5-4 loss to Kansas City in May 2023. “They weren’t easy outs. There’s a few guys that laid off some pitches, I thought, that a young team should probably go for.”
Lugo and Witt, a shortstop, are among 39 first-timers set for the All-Star Game on Tuesday night at the home of the World Series champion Texas Rangers.
“It kind of speaks to the youth that’s coming into the game right now,” said starting NL third baseman Alec Bohm of Philadelphia, a 27-year-old first-timer who is among a franchise-record eight All-Stars for the Phillies.
“I think the game’s just kind of developing in that way where I think a lot of the technology and information is out now,” Bohm said. “Kids are starting to train the right way from such a young age. Now it’s not weird to see some of these 20-, 21-year-old kids come up and play well and excel.”
Lugo doesn’t actually fit the first-timer profile when it comes to age.
The 34-year-old is in his second season as a full-time starter after trying to convince the New York Mets that was the best role for him in his first seven big league seasons.
Of Lugo’s 275 appearances for the Mets, 237 were as a reliever before he entered free agency and signed with the Padres. In 26 starts for San Diego last year, Lugo was 8-7 with a 3.57 ERA.
Lugo entered the All-Star break tied with Baltimore right-hander Grayson Rodriguez for the AL lead in wins. Lugo is 11-4 record and 2.48 ERA, making his point to the Mets from afar.
“There’s no animosity, no need for an apology,” Lugo said. “I understand how this game works, and I understand how teams are built. So it’s fine.”
Witt, the son of former major league pitcher Bobby Witt, grew up in the Dallas area as a fan of the Rangers. His dad played for seven teams over 16 seasons, but all or part of 11 of those were with Texas.
The younger Witt was 12 when Jurickson Profar homered in his first big league at-bat as a 19-year-old top prospect for the Rangers in 2012. Now they are first-time All-Stars together, with San Diego’s Profar starting in left field for the NL.
Profar didn’t play for the Rangers at Globe Life Field, which has a retractable roof that made a return to the stifling Texas heat for an All-Star Game possible. He played across the street at Globe Life Park, which is where Witt watched games as a kid.
“Just being an All-Star is an honor,” said Witt, who also was set to participate in the Home Run Derby on Monday night. “First one being in the hometown is just incredible. I know there are millions of other kids that would die to be in my shoes.”
Cole Ragans is a first-time All-Star just more than a year after the Rangers traded one of their top pitching prospects to Kansas City for seven-time All-Star reliever Aroldis Chapman.
The 26-year-old Ragans made nine starts among 26 appearances over two seasons with the Rangers. Unlike Lugo with the Mets, Texas viewed Ragans as a starter, and that’s all the left-hander has done since joining the Royals. He’s 6-6 with a 3.16 ERA in 20 starts, the same number for Lugo.
“Like I’ve told everybody, it’s a lot of firsts on this field,” Ragans said. “It kind of makes sense that the first All-Star Game is also here. Pretty special.”
Ragans wasn’t sure the change of scenery was the catalyst for an All-Star surge, and still speaks glowingly of Texas general manager Chris Young and manager Bruce Bochy.
“I think it worked out well,” Ragans said. “Texas won the World Series. I watched every single game of the playoffs. I have some lifelong friends over here. I think it worked out for both of us.”
Profar is six seasons removed from his time with the Rangers, and has been playing it cool with describing his reaction to getting his first All-Star nod as a 31-year-old in Texas. The official word came a week and a half ago when he was in the visiting clubhouse with the Padres.
After saying Texas was like a second home for the native of Curacao, Profar was asked when it stopped being a second home.
He reminded a reporter his 6-year-old son was born in the Dallas area when he was still with the Rangers, and he and his wife decided to use the same hospital for the recent birth of their four-month-old daughter.
“Texas is always going to be my home, man,” said Profar, even though he no longer lives in the state where he came of age as a big leaguer.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
By SCHUYLER DIXON
AP Sports Writer
