Twins' Luis Arraez, Byron Buxton named first-time All-Stars

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – Luis Arraez couldn't stop proudly showing off what at first glance looked like any plain white folder.

But embossed on the front was the All-Star Game logo, and the inside held his tickets, hotel information, schedule and all the other logistical details for his trip to Los Angeles in a week.

"This is amazing," Arraez said with a big smile. "… It's a goal for everybody, especially for me. It's my first time I'm going, so I'm excited."

Arraez and Byron Buxton will represent the AL Central-leading Twins at this year's All-Star Game on July 19 at Dodger Stadium. It's a first-time selection for both, and they will be reserves on the AL team.

Even though Arraez leads the league with his .348 batting average and is second with his .420 on-base percentage, the 25-year-old said he was still nervous about making it. He thought that because he is a utility player, voters could overlook him.

So when manager Rocco Baldelli called a team meeting at 11:20 a.m. before Sunday's game against the Rangers, the Venezuelan knew this was the moment he had so eagerly anticipated. Baldelli announced the All-Stars and gave them each a bottle of champagne while their teammates cheered and demanded acceptance speeches.

"I almost cried there," Arraez said. "… My heart started getting fast, I said, 'OK, relax. It's your day today, so just enjoy it.' "

Buxton, meanwhile, didn't even realize there was a meeting scheduled, so he was doubly surprised.

"Luis, we knew he was going. Me, didn't have any idea, so it was a little bit more shocking," Buxton said. "[It] didn't really show but definitely a lot of emotions, happiness, for the accomplishment."

Buxton celebrated by hitting a home run in his first at-bat after hearing the good news. The 28-year-old has a knack for generating memories in Texas, as he also made his MLB debut there against the Rangers in 2015. Since then, the Georgia native has evolved into one of the best center fielders and power hitters in the league, though injuries have limited him regularly.

This season, he has played in 67 of the Twins' 88 games so far while managing right knee tendinitis. And while he has 23 home runs in 2022, he said he is likely to skip the Home Run Derby to make sure he's available when the Twins play the Tigers the Saturday after the All-Star Game.

Baldelli said he is not concerned about Buxton participating in the festivities with his knee issue, especially since the game is a fun celebration and not a must-win.

"If he goes out there, and he's playing a few innings out there and gets an at-bat or two, I think he would be perfectly fine to do that," Baldelli said. "But I'm sure he's going to want to take the All-Star break as much as possible to take care of his body and put himself in a really good position going forward."

Both Arraez and Buxton mentioned sharing this moment with their families, including their wives and kids — Arraez has two daughters, and Buxton has two sons. It was clear that this honor meant a lot to both of them.

It meant a lot to their teammates, too. Carlos Correa, a two-time All-Star from his time with the Astros, said both Buxton and Arraez are "truly inspiring."

"Watching [Buxton] just go through everything he went through and all the bad luck and all the hit-by-pitches and injuries to finally be where he deserves to be, named an All-Star, it's pretty awesome," Correa said. "And then Louie … nobody believed he could be a big leaguer, talked him down. And he kept fighting. He kept putting in the work.

"And now he's also an All-Star."