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Detroit Tigers 2B Gleyber Torres named AL starter in 2025 MLB All-Star Game
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- Detroit Tigers 2B Gleyber Torres named AL starter in 2025 MLB All-Star Game
It didn't take long for second baseman Gleyber Torres to establish himself as a key member of the Detroit Tigers .
And now, he has been named starting second baseman for the American League in the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, set for July 15 at Atlanta 's Truist Park (8 p.m., Fox).
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Torres was the top vote-getter among AL second basemen in Phase 2 of the vote, beating out the Baltimore Orioles ' Jackson Holiday for a starting spot for the first time in his third career All-Star nod. This marks the 28-year-old's first All-Star appearance since back-to-back picks in 2018-19. The voting wasn't close, either, with Torres taking 66% of the Phase 2 ballots.
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Torres will be the first Tigers second baseman to start an All-Star game since 2007, when Plácido Polanco was one of three Tigers position players among the starting nine. The Tigers will again have three position players start for the first time since 2007, with Javier Báez and Riley Greene winning the final two outfield positions . They could add a fourth starter, with left-hander Tarik Skubal considered the favorite to start on the mound. Overall, he's the fourth Tiger to start a Midsummer Classic at second base, over 11 games, following Polanco, Lou Whitaker (1984, '85, '86) and Charlie Gehringer (1933, '34, '35, '36, '37, '38). (Of the four, only Torres, Polanco and Whitaker were elected by fan vote.)
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The other AL infield starters this year: Toronto 's Vladimir Guererro Jr. at first base, the Athletics' Jacob Wilson at shortstop, Cleveland 's José Ramírez at third base, Seattle 's Cal Raleigh at catcher and Baltimore's Ryan O'Hearn at designated hitter.
In the outfield, Báez and Greene will be joined by Torres' former teammate, Aaron Judge ; the New York Yankees outfielder received an automatic starting spot by receiving the most votes in the AL in Phase 1 of voting.
Torres signed a 1-year, $15 million deal with the Tigers on Dec. 27 after spending his first seven seasons with the New York Yankees . Entering Wednesday, he was slashing .284/.386/.487 in 311 plate appearances over 72 games for the Tigers in 2025, adding nine home runs and 43 RBIs near the top of the order for a resurgent Tigers offense.
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His 2.3 fWAR is tops among MLB second basemen (per FanGraphs), putting him on track for the best season of his career. His 134 OPS+ entering Wednesday was second-best among qualified Tigers (behind Riley Greene , at 148).
Torres began his MLB career as a touted prospect, starring in the minors as a shortstop in the Chicago Cubs organization before being traded to the Yankees in a deadline-deal package for reliever Aroldis Chapman . Torres made the AL All-Star team with the Yankees in 2018 and 2019, his first two seasons in the big leagues. He moved to second base full time in 2022, though advanced defensive metrics have rated Torres as a below-average defender at both positions throughout his career.
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Torres' defense has improved this year, however, with Statcast grading him out in the 50th percentile in Fielding Run Value, marking him as a league-average defender. But Torres mostly made the Midsummer Classic on the strength of his bat, which has been a steady presence in the Tigers lineup so far in 2025.
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers 2B Gleyber Torres to start 2025 MLB All-Star Game
