Elías Díaz winning MVP is what MLB All-Star Game is all about
SEATTLE — The All-Star Game MVP is essentially a random number generator for awards. For one player to emerge as the standout in a single game where no hitter or pitcher actually plays all nine innings, a very specific sequence of events needs to happen — and it can basically happen to anyone.
Still, even with the inherent unpredictability accounted for, the history of the All-Star Game MVP is littered with Hall of Famers and high-profile names who don’t necessarily look out of place in a list of award winners. This makes sense considering the purpose of the game of putting all the league’s best talent on display at one time, but each year’s rosters do still consist of relatively less-heralded players who are selected as replacements, or as bad teams’ lone representative. In general, though, those are not the players who have historically had the biggest moments in the annual summer showcase.
Until 2023, anyway.
Enter Rockies catcher Elías Díaz, who raised the trophy bat on Tuesday night in Seattle as the MVP of the 93rd MLB All-Star Game. Díaz, a 32-year-old who's never appeared in more than 106 games in his previous eight seasons and arrived in Seattle with a career .693 OPS, might have been the most anonymous player on this year’s All-Star rosters. But with one swing, he etched his name into the permanent history of the Midsummer Classic.
This was not a situation where Díaz merely won by default because he just happened to have a couple hits and RBIs in an otherwise non-competitive, consistently low-leverage game. Díaz delivered a dramatic game-winning homer in one of the more challenging and unlikely circumstances: facing one of the game’s most fearsome fireballers in Orioles right-hander Félix Bautista, whose nickname "The Mountain" somehow doesn’t even do his massive frame justice. Bautista has emerged as a uniquely devastating reliever thanks to his triple-digit heat and wipeout splitter.
Pinch-hitting for Jorge Soler in the top of the eighth inning with a runner on first, Díaz stepped in against Bautista — whom he had never faced before in the big leagues. In a 2-2 count, Bautista tried to sneak his trademark splitty past Díaz for the strikeout, but the 32-year-old veteran was ready for it. He lifted the ball just beyond the left-field fence to give the National League a 3-2 lead that ultimately would hold for the victory — a moment definitively MVP-worthy.
Just one hitter this season had elevated Bautista’s splitter for a home run before Díaz: Aaron Judge back on May 23. Decent company.
This game-changing swing against a pitcher like Bautista would be impressive for any hitter. But that Díaz of all players was the one to give the National League its first All-Star victory since 2012 was a wonderful encapsulation of what makes this sport so great. Some may roll their eyes at the league rule ensuring that at least one player from every team. While Díaz was a deserving candidate as the sole representative for the last-place Rockies, his numbers didn't stack up with those of, say, William Contreras or Francisco Álvarez.
Here’s the thing, though: Moments like this are exactly why this rule is in place. It’s not just about giving every fan base at least one player to cheer for and celebrate throughout the week — though that element is an undeniable positive. It’s about rewarding individuals having standout seasons irrespective of team success, and showcasing a diverse selection of players across the league from markets who don’t necessarily always find themselves in the spotlight.
Furthermore, it’s an excellent reminder of just how good the best players in the world are — even those on the teams with ugly records. For a player who was non-tendered by a 93-loss Pirates team less than four years ago, hitting this homer and winning MVP means more to Díaz than it ever could to the likes of Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts or any of the game’s superstars who have been casually collecting hardware their entire careers. That emotion was evident when Díaz received the trophy postgame.
As the first Rockies catcher to make the All-Star Game, Díaz also became the first Rockies player to win the Midsummer Classic’s MVP award. Díaz had the rare opportunity to showcase his ability on one of the game’s biggest stages and seized it sensationally. Sure, he isn't the household name that we’ve come to expect to raise this trophy — at least one sportsbook offered 95-1 odds on Díaz winning MVP coming into the game — even with the randomness of the award. But hey, maybe it’s better that way.
Jordan Shusterman is half of @CespedesBBQ and a baseball writer for FOX Sports. He has covered baseball for his entire adult life, most notably for MLB.com, DAZN and The Ringer. He's a Mariners fan living in the Eastern Time Zone, which means he loves a good 10 p.m. first pitch. You can follow him on Twitter @j_shusterman_.