Major League Baseball’s All-Star rosters were announced on Sunday for the National and American League teams.
Among those chosen for the National League were Rockies teammates Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon and Trevor Story.
Arenado, 27, was selected to his fourth straight All-Star Game, which is his second straight as a starter, and it’s his second straight year winning the total fan vote. Through his first 84 games, he’s hit .305 with 22 home runs and 63 RBI.
“I’m very thankful for the fans,” Arenado said on Sunday. “I thank God I’m able to stay healthy. I work extremely hard. It’s great starting an All-Star game two years in a row. It’s an amazing feeling. I’m a little bit in shock. It doesn’t get old.”
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⭐️ #NOLANBEINGNOLAN ⭐️
Nolan Arenado will start the #ASG at third base after winning back-to-back fan votes. Best in the game. pic.twitter.com/a9op86fATx
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) July 8, 2018
Blackmon, 32, was selected to his second straight All-Star Game and third overall. Through his first 85 games, he’s hitting .276 with 17 home runs and is on pace for another outstanding season. Last year, in 2017, he finished fifth in the MVP voting, leading the league in hitting with a .332 average and hitting 37 home runs, most from the leadoff position.
“There’s going to be the best players in the world there,” Blackmon said Sunday. “I’m very humbled to be included in that bunch. I didn’t do what I did last year to this point, and to still get voted in by your peers means that they appreciate what you’re doing I guess. I’m definitely happy to be there.”
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Trevor Story will join Blackmon and Arenado on the All-Star team this year. The 25-year-old shortstop will be making his first appearance in the mid-summer classic after an outstanding first half of the season. Through 89 games, Story has hit .284 with 17 home runs and 62 RBI.
“That’s one of my goals. Ever since I was a little kid, you kind of dream about that, playing in an All-Star game. To be voted in by the players and the managers means a lot to me. It’s kind of hard to explain. I don’t know if it’s even set in yet. It’s just really exciting.”
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All three Rockies All-Stars are also focused on another important part of their life: their faith in God.
“The baseball culture hasn’t made Jesus very cool,” Blackmon told Sports Spectrum in March. “You’re going against the grain in a sense, but we have quite a few Christians on the team and we have a Bible study. We have a good chaplain and we have a pretty good sense of community on the team.”
“We’re here playing baseball, but we’re called to do something greater, I believe,” Story told Sports Spectrum. “That’s to further God’s kingdom, to help others and try to be like Jesus as close as we can.”
“When it comes to baseball I start to become a different animal. I start to just focus on the game. But my faith keeps me level headed,” Arenado told Mile High Sports in September 2016. “It makes me know that I have someone to rely on … I feel like it gives me peace of mind when things are going tough and when things are going good. Don’t get too high, don’t get too low.”
The MLB All-Star Game will be televised live on FOX Sports and ESPN Radio at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, July 17.
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