Don’t worry. We are fully aware that the 2022 MLB season started less than two weeks ago. But here in Chicago, the excitement for the return of baseball is always doubled with our two hometown teams. These teams are exactly who we’re here to talk about, and more specifically, which players from the Cubs and Sox roster we think might have a shot at a 2022 MLB All-Star selection. The 2022 MLB All-Star game won’t take place until July 19th, which is about three months away. A lot can happen between now and then. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate who will be selected this season, even though we’re barely 10 games through it.
So, without wasting anymore time, let’s dive right into our Cubs and White Sox MLB All-Star predictions for 2022!
Liam Hendriks
Up first is two-time MLB All-Star and relief pitcher for the White Sox, Liam Hendriks. Hendriks stats on paper this early in the season might not look the best. Opposing batters are hitting .423 off of him and through five appearances he’s posted a 5.40 ERA. However, despite the struggles, he’s still at 4 saves out of the 5 games played.
The slow start to the season is nothing new for Hendriks, and he and the White Sox pitching coaches think that he’s really close to turning things around. In our minds, the sooner they’re right about that, the better. Once Hendriks is back to his true self, we have no question that the two-time defending Relief Pitcher of the Year will find himself back in the MLB All-Star Game.
Seiya Suzuki
This next name is a newcomer to the MLB, but he’s certainly not playing like one to start the season. Our next 2022 MLB All-Star prediction is 27-year old outfielder, Seiya Suzuki of the Chicago Cubs. Up until this past offseason, Suzuki competed in professional baseball internationally as a player for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in the Nippon Professional Baseball league in Japan. His signing stirred up plenty of excitement, as Suzuki inked the fifth largest contract in Cubs history with a five-year deal. And now that he’s seeing some regular season action, we’re starting to think it was worth it. Through 11 Cubs games, Suzuki has a whopping .414 batting average, and he even went on a 9 game hitting streak that ended last night against the Rays. If he can keep up half that pace by the time June and July roll around, we’ll be shocked if his name isn’t on the NL All-Star roster list.
Dylan Cease
The third of our 2022 MLB All-Star predictions is another one of our favorite Southside pitchers: Dylan Cease!
In his now four year career, Cease has yet to make an MLB All-Star game appearance. But, he’s shown plenty of promise, and this season might just be the year he breaks through. Through 2 starts, Cease has pitched 10.2 innings, with a video game-esque stat line of 16 strikeouts and a 1.69 ERA through both games. He’s been on fire every second he’s on the mound in 2022. Plus, the White Sox coaching staff plans to keep him firing on all cylinders as they keep a close eye on his pitch count this early in the year. As Cease works his arm into, each successful outing will only boost his confidence going forward. And with his performance so far, there’s no reason he won’t find himself making his first MLB All-Star appearance.
Tim Anderson
Last, but certainly not least, is everyone’s favorite shortstop, Mr. TA7. We have every bit of confidence that this MLB All-Star prediction comes through in 2022. Anderson found himself sneaking into last year’s All-Star game due to Carlos Correa opting not to play. But this year, we think he has a shot at making it without the gimmicks. With the way Tim Anderson is playing through the first nine games of the White Sox season, he certainly has a shot. Anderson actually sat out the first two games of this year due to a lingering suspension from last season that was the result of making contact with an umpire.
If he can keep his base-running clean, his fielding sharp, and his offensive output solid, then TA7 might just find himself in back-to-back MLB All-Star Games. Only time will tell if our MLB All-Star predictions come true, and we’ll be talking about all the Chicago Cubs and White Sox action as it unfolds in 2022!
The post 4 Way Too Early MLB All-Star Predictions for the Cubs & Sox appeared first on UrbanMatter.
