Pujols and Cabrera selected for 2022 all star

The new collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) gives Manfred the power to name one or two players of historical merit to attend the midseason classic. This year’s edition of the All-Star clash between the American League and National League will take place on Tuesday, July 19 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Pujols and Cabrera, two of the three hitters with 3,000 hits, 500 home runs and 600 doubles (the other is Hank Aaron) in baseball history, have more than enough merit to receive such an honor.

“I am thrilled that Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera have agreed to participate in the All-Star Game,” said Manfred.

“Albert and Miguel are two of the most outstanding players of their generation. They have also represented the baseball traditions of the Dominican Republic and Venezuela with excellence over the past two decades. Albert and Miguel are two all-time greats whose achievements deserve this special recognition,” added the Major League Baseball chief.

Pujols, a three-time Most Valuable Player with 10 previous All-Star Game appearances, signed a one-year contract with his original team, the St. Louis Cardinals, to conclude a remarkable 22-season career with St. Louis, the Angels and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Quintana Roo starter is batting .296 with 3,326 hits, 683 home runs, 677 doubles, 1,358 runs batted in, 2,168 RBIs and 1,883 runs scored. He was National League Rookie of the Year in 2001 and Most Valuable Player in 2005, 2008 and 2009. He helped the Cardinals win championships in 2006 and 2011.

At 42, the oldest in the league, Pujols has four home runs and 18 RBIs in 125 innings with St. Louis in 2022.

Cabrera, 39, reached 500 home runs in 2021 and 3,000 hits in the current season. He is the first Venezuelan with those statistics.

In a 20-year career that includes 11 pre-All-Star Game selections, Cabrera is batting .310 with 3,065 hits, 505 home runs, 604 doubles, 1,214 walks, 1,835 RBIs and 1,523 homers with the Florida Marlins and Detroit Tigers. His record includes four batting titles.

Cabrera won the World Series in his rookie year (2003) and received two American League Most Valuable Player trophies (2012 and 2013). In 2012, he won the young circuit’s Triple Crown for batting, becoming the first hitter to lead his league in hits, home runs and runs batted in since 1967 (Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox).

Despite his age and the physical ailments that have plagued him of late, Cabrera is batting .308 in 253 innings this season.