After solid start to rookie season, Marlins’ Trevor Rogers is an MLB All-Star
An announcement that seemed like all but a formality became official on Sunday.
Trevor Rogers is an All-Star.
The Miami Marlins’ left-handed pitcher and the front-runner to be the National League Rookie of the Year was named as one of 12 pitchers from the NL to participate in the All-Star Game, set to take place on July 13 at Denver’s Coors Field.
“Being an All-Star my first year, I mean it can’t get much better than that,” Rogers said shortly after the announcement. “Still in shock a little bit. Still need to let it sink in. I’m just super grateful.”
And the decision was more than deserved.
Rogers, 23, is 7-5 in 16 starts with a 2.14 ERA and 110 strikeouts against 32 walks over 92 1/3 innings while holding opponents to a .197 batting average and an average of 1.04 walks and hits per inning. He has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his starts this season.
His ERA is the best among Marlins starters and sixth among qualified NL pitchers. The group he trails: the New York Mets’ Jacob deGrom (0.95), the San Francisco Giants’ Kevin Gausman (1.68), the Milwaukee Brewers’ Brandon Woodruff (1.87), the Philadelphia Phillies’ Zack Wheeler (2.05) and the Washington Nationals’ Max Scherzer (2.10). Scherzer is the only member of that group not named an All-Star this year.
His 10.72 strikeouts per nine innings are 10th in the NL and is the third-best among all qualified rookie pitchers.
“I can’t really ask for a whole lot more,” Rogers said. “Really great first half [of the season]. I just tip my hat to my teammates and coaches for getting me here.”
His advanced metrics are also among the best in baseball, too. According to Statcast, Rogers ranked among the top-20 percent of qualified pitchers this season in the following categories heading into Sunday’s slate of games:
▪ Swing-and-miss rate: 33.5 percent (88th percentile)
▪ Expected ERA: 3.04 (85th percentile)
▪ Expected slugging against: .333 (84th percentile)
▪ Barrel rate against: 5 percent (84th percentile)
▪ Strikeout rate: 30 percent (83rd percentile)
▪ Expected batting average against: .207 (81st percentile)
▪ Average exit velocity against: 87.3 mph (80th percentile)
Quite a long way from his limited showing in 2020, when Rogers showed promise in seven starts but pitched to a 6.11 ERA and had a .283 batting average against over 28 innings.
“He’s done everything that I expected him to do at this point,” Marlins pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. said last month. “Going into the winter and looking at some of the things that he did last year, some of the outings that he that he put together, we talked about those and how to get more consistent. He’s a man on a mission, and his work is so detailed. We’ve really harnessed his game plan and helped him understand how his weapons play. It’s been a matter of him going out and executing that plan and he done some great things. I try not to put too much pressure on the kid. And when I use the word kid, he’s still young. He’s still got some things to learn. There’s a few little hurdles that we’ve got to get past, maybe not as obvious to your guys’ eye but just things that we are working on to get better and he is always trying to get better.”
The main question left to answer: Will Rogers be available to pitch in the All-Star Game?
Stottlemyre previously said the Marlins were planning to use the All-Star Break to give Rogers extended time off, ideally about 10 days or so, as they monitor his innings and usage during his first full big-league season. Rogers has already thrown 92 1/3 innings this season and is scheduled to pitch Monday and Saturday on the Marlins’ upcoming homestand. Stottlemyre said ideally Rogers would be held to about 175 innings this season.
“I don’t know as of right now,” Rogers said. “But definitely will get with them [Stottlemyre and manager Don Mattingly] and see what the plan is.”
This story was originally published July 4, 2021 at 5:57 PM.
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