Francisco Lindor named All-Star for first time with Mets. These 3 should be there too

NEW YORK — Francisco Lindor has finally locked up his first All-Star selection as a member of the Mets.

Despite three straight seasons cracking the top 10 in National League Most Valuable Player voting, slow starts had plagued Lindor in the past. With an electric start to 2025, the Mets shortstop earned the selection by topping the Dodgers' Mookie Betts in the second phase of All-Star voting.

When he takes the field as the NL's starting shortstop on July 15 at Truist Park in Atlanta, Lindor will be making his fifth appearance as an All-Star and first as a member of the NL. He appeared in four straight seasons for Cleveland between 2016 and 2019.

Lindor becomes the first fan elected All-Star starter since Yoenis Cespedes started in the outfield in 2016. He becomes the Mets' third starting NL shortstop, joining Buddy Harrelson (1971) and Jose Reyes (2007).

Entering Wednesday's doubleheader, Lindor was slashing .258/.327/.447 with 16 home runs, 43 RBI, 51 runs, 15 doubles and 13 stolen bases.

The Mets shortstop locked up his selection despite a rocky run over the Mets' last five series. During that stretch, Lindor is 8-for-57 (.140) with two home runs, five RBI, four runs and 13 strikeouts in 14 games.

Here are three other Mets players who deserve a trip to Atlanta as members of the National League All-Star team:

Pete Alonso

Alonso was a finalist in the National League's second phase of voting, alongside the Dodgers' Freddie Freeman.

The Mets first baseman entered Wednesday's second game of the doubleheader slashing .291/.381/.539 with 18 home runs, 66 RBIs and 47 runs. He leads the National League with 24 doubles.

Alonso's RBIs are the third-most in the NL behind the Cubs' Seiya Suzuki and Diamondbacks' Eugenio Suarez. Alonso's .920 OPS is fourth-best in the NL and tops among the league's first baseman.

The 31-year-old has far better numbers approaching the break than a season ago when he logged his fourth selection with a .240/.319/.454 slash line, including 19 home runs and 51 RBI at the break.

Juan Soto

Juan Soto is one of the hottest players in baseball, quickly erasing a sluggish start with one of the best months in MLB this season.

In the month of June, Soto slashed .322/.474/.722 with 11 home runs, 20 RBI and 25 runs.

Obviously earning an All-Star selection is based on the totality of a player's season, and now Soto has done enough to warrant a look. Entering Wednesday night's second half of the doubleheader, Soto is slashing .256/.392/.502 with 20 home runs, 47 RBI and 10 stolen bases.

Soto is third in the National League with 62 runs and leads all of Major League Baseball with 69 walks. His .392 on-base percentage trails only the Yankees' Aaron Judge and Cubs' Kyle Tucker in baseball.

Soto, who was one of the finalists for the second phase of voting, is a four-time All-Star — twice with the Nationals and one apiece with the Padres and Yankees.

Edwin Diaz

Edwin Diaz has returned to his dominant form after a middling campaign a season ago.

The Mets closer has allowed seven earned runs in 31⅔ innings (1.99 ERA) while converting 16 out of his 17 save opportunities. He has also struck out 46 batters and produced a WHIP of 0.95.

Diaz has allowed one earned run in his last 22 outings, covering 22 innings. He is in the top 2 percent of Major League Baseball in expected ERA (2.25), expected batting average (.166), whiff rate (38.7 percent) and strikeout rate (36.8 percent).

An All-Star selection would be Diaz's third after he earned a nod in 2022 for the Mets and 218 for the Mariners.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Francisco Lindor named All-Star for first time with NY Mets