With the final vote for the 2015 All-Star coming to a end, it seemed like Brett Gardner of the New York Yankees was going to miss the cut and the All-Star game. Mike Moustakas of the Kansas City Royals had a comfortable lead and is looking like he will have the final spot on the American League Roster. But now with Alex Gordon going down with a groin injury and going to be missing eight weeks because of it, there is a changes of plans.
Gardner will now be appearing in his first All-Star game as a professional and will be replacing Gordon on the roster. The 31-year old is hitting .298 with nine home runs and 39 RBIs. Some could say that Gardner was a snub from the original selection. His stats are fair to those that received the honor before him, and if it was not for J.D. Martinez of the Detroit Tigers going on a power surge, Gardner might have gotten in before Martinez. He will join teammates Dellin Betances and Mark Teixeira on the roster.
In Gardner's eighth season, it is the first year he is headed to the Midsummer Classic. It is the first season where he is batting over .277, which is his career high. The South Carolina native has done very well in the outfield and a lot of that has to do with his speed. Gardner led the league in stolen bases in 2011 with 49 and has swiped 20 plus bags five times.
Now Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles will be replacing Gordon in the starting lineup while Gardner take's Jones' spot on the bench. Gardner will more than likely enter the game some time later in the later innings. Gardner definitley deserves this spot on the team and should be an All-Star again somewhere in the future.