Andrés Muñoz receives first career All-Star selection in well deserved nod

Initially, Logan Gilbert was to be the lone Mariners representativ at this year's Midsummer Classic in Arlington, Texas. However, with this scheduled start on Sunday in Anaheim, he would have received just one day of rest in between outings. Thus, Seattle will instead be sending their flame-throwing closer, Andrés Muñoz.

Muñoz has been lights out this year, pitching to a 1.45 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over 37.1 innings. He's got 15 saves and 1.8 rWAR, the fifth-highest mark on the team. his average exit velocity (86.5 mph), chase rate (33.5%), whiff rate (36.9%), strikeout rate (30.4%), and ground-ball rate (56.5%) are all in the top 10% of qualified pitchers.

Andres Munoz is an All-Star for the first time ever

His arsenal has remained the same since arriving 2022 consisting of a slider, four-seam fastball, and sinker, although is sinker usage has ticked up slightly since 2023. He's got great velocity on all of his pitches with his four-seam fastball averaging 98.4 mph but often eclipsing 100 mph.

Despite his stellar four-seam velocity, he actually depends on his slider as his primary weapon, throwing it 48.4% of the time. Opposing hitters are averaging just .159 against it while whiffing 43.3% of time time, culminating in a 31.6% strikeout rate. Even when they're able to make contact, the 35.2 inches of vertical drop on the slider often lead hitters to get on top of the ball, limiting exit velocity and keeping the ball on the ground. His average launch angle in 2023 and 2024 have both been lower than two degrees.

In a season marked with ups and downs, Andrés Muñoz has been a beacon of consistency for this Mariners team. A glimmering example of why Seattle has been able to remain atop the AL West despite having a relatively poor offensive output, Muñoz is more than deserving of this nod and it may be the first of many in his career.