"Coolest thing Manfred has ever done" "Two bonafide first ballot HOFers playing in their final ASG" - MLB world reacts to Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera making it to 2022 All-Star Game

Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera have been selected to the 2022 MLB All-Star Game. The pair have been named as the National and American League legendary nominees, respectively, the league announced earlier this morning.

The duo were added by league commissioner Rob Manfred as part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The commissioner may add one player each to the NL and AL rosters based on overall career and historical significance, not necessarily current season performance.

MLB Twitter ecstatic after Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera make 2022 All-Star cut

Pujols mentioned his desire to call it a day back in March when he rejoined the St. Louis Cardinals over the off-season. He is batting .200/.288/.336 (80 OPS+) with four home runs to his name in his 22nd and final season.

During his illustrious career, Pujols amassed an impressive 683 homers, 3,326 hits, 2,216 RBIs and .915 OPS. The latest All-Star call-up is the 11th for the 42-year-old and his first since 2015.

Cabrera, on the other hand, joined the 3,000 hit club on April 23 and became only the 33rd player to reach that milestone. He is hitting .308 with a 108 OPS+ for the Detroit Tigers this campaign.

Overall, Cabrera has a 144 OPS+ to go alongside 505 homers. The will be the 39-year-old’s 12th All-Star selection and his first since 2016.

Their statistics and contributions to baseball make both Pujols and Cabrera future first-ballot Hall of Famers. MLB fans on Twitter are beyond ecstatic to see the two take to the field as All-Stars one last time.

Many plaudits went the way of commissioner Manfred, as fans seemed satisfied with how he has exercised his new power.

Some fans are super efficient in finding a reason to complain. A few are saying the pair haven’t done anything of significance to earn an All-Star call-up in 2022. However, they were quickly reminded that the new quota is based on legacy, not present form.

The All-Star Game will commence at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, July 19. The full roster will be revealed on July 10.

About the author

Souvanik Seal is a senior journalist covering Major League Baseball (MLB) at Sportskeeda and began his media career at the age of 16. Since then, he has worked for some of the biggest publications in the world like Goal and Daily Mirror.

Souvanik also has an extensive background in Public Relations, having serviced brands like Eurosport, Spalding, Dunlop and Paytm. He has also managed PR deliverables for the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).

Souvanik holds an MA in Journalism from Dublin City University and an MBA in Sports Management from EDC Paris Business School.

His list of favorites includes Ken Griffey Jr., Ichiro Suzuki and Alex Rodriguez, as well as Shohei Ohtani, Jose Altuve and Bryce Harper from the current crop. His favorite MLB moments include the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series in 2016 (ending a 108-year drought), the Red Sox ending the 'Curse of Bambino,' and the Arizona Diamondbacks reaching the World Series in 2023.

Besides speaking English, Bengali and Hindi, Souvanik is also fluent in French.

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