Fans react to Javier Baez getting named a starter in MLB All-Star Game

Fans were stunned to see the news about Baez starting, especially alongside teammate Riley Greene (who has produced 19 homers and 63 RBIs in just 83 games) and Aaron Judge (who leads MLB in every major slash line category). Take a look at some of the reactions, featuring some voicing disbelief and skepticism and others voicing support for Baez.

Baez’s numbers look good this year with a .285 batting average and a .783 OPS to go along with nine home runs and 36 RBI. But what is absolutely staggering is the dramatic improvement (at 32 years old) that Baez has shown since last season.

In 2024, Baez was one of the worst statistical hitters in all of baseball. On a contract paying him over $23 million per year, Baez was a negative WAR player for the Tigers, batting below The Mendoza Line at .184 and striking out 69 times in just 80 games. But in 2025, Baez (against all odds) has improved his batting average by over 100 points, has sizably trimmed down his strikeouts, and is hitting for consistent power once again.

Some fans believe that Minnesota’s Byron Buxton or Cleveland’s Steven Kwan deserved the starting nod for the AL over Baez instead. But what everyone can agree on is that Baez and the MLB-best Tigers have been one of the very best stories in baseball this season (especially with how big of a laughingstock Baez had become in recent years).