Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler named to first MLB All-Star Game
· Yahoo Sports
ARLINGTON, TX – Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler was named to his first MLB All-Star team on Saturday, July 4.
The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Tuesday, July 14 (8 p.m., Fox).
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“He's playing at the top of the game at a position that's really hard to play, and I say that with all respect to every position, as catcher-biased as I am,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “He's doing incredible things.”
Dingler is the first Tigers catcher to make the All-Star Game since Alex Avila in 2011 and just the fourth in the past 30 seasons. Iván Rodríguez made the game for four straight years from 2004-07. Before that, Brad Ausmus went in 1999.
"It's awesome," Dingler said. I'm super-excited. It [shows]hard work pays off."
Dingler joins Kevin McGonigle and Riley Greene as Tigers All-Stars in 2026.
"Growing up, you see All-Stars," Dingler said. "It's kind of surreal now to know that I'll be in that group. So, it's really cool."
By most metrics, Dingler has been the best catcher in baseball this season. He has 3.9 fWAR (per Fangraphs), which blows away Shea Langeliers of the Athletics, who is second at 2.2 fWAR.
"He's been the best catcher in the league and that's no disrespect to Shea or Cal [Raleigh] or any of the guys that get mentioned in that high regard," Hinch said. "It's just what he's doing behind the plate at the plate, 80-plus games, as a DH or catcher. He does it with the preparation of an All-Star, and so to get recognized and have the rest of the league know how valuable he is and how important he is. ... It's very gratifying for our player development system, coming through our system as a draftee."
At the 80-game mark of the season, Dingler had a career-best 19 home runs, 59 RBIs, 18 doubles and two triples. Only two Tigers in history have equaled those marks through 80 games: Hank Greenberg, who did it three times (1935, 1937 and 1946) and Rocky Colavito (1961).
“A player who came up with an enormous defensive reputation, won a Gold Glove, caught at the highest moments for us,” Hinch said. “Offensively, he's been as close to carrying us as player in our lineup, and he's been very consistent with, with very little rest.”
Dingler talked about the All-Star Game on Thursday, days before he learned he made the game.
“You kind of don't realize it growing up, but the All-Star Game, it's pretty much all about your good start,” Dingler said. “It doesn’t capture a full season.”
“So, hopefully, I'm able to do what I did this first half and kind of transfer it into the second half and have a full complete year,” he said. “But you know it is a huge honor. Nobody can ever take that away, being an All-Star in the league, so it would be a huge honor, and you know it is what it is. If it doesn't happen, you can't do anything about.”
In 2025, the Tigers had six players in the All-Star Game, including three starters selected by fan vote – outfielders Javier Báez and Riley Greene and second baseman Gleyber Torres– one position player reserve – Zach McKinstry – and two pitchers – Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal (who started the game for the AL).
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler named to first MLB All-Star Game