Cleveland Guardians Slugger Floored By Shocking All-Star Selection

This Guardians player is soaking in his improbable All-Star appearance.

Jun 1, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder David Fry (6) advances to third on a fly out during the sixth inning against the Washington Nationals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians are sending five players to the All-Star Game this month, but perhaps no selection was more eye-opening than that of designated hitter David Fry.

Going into 2024, Fry was nothing more than a part-time bat off the bench. He made his MLB debut last season, playing in 57 games and slashing .238/.319/.416 with four home runs and 15 RBI over 113 plate appearances.

Fry did a little bit of everything in his rookie campaign, catching 28 games and also playing both corner infield spots and some outfield.

His versatility was enough for the Guardians to give him a spot on the roster this year, and it has paid significant dividends.

Fry has slashed .305/.412/.508 with eight homers and 33 RBI across 226 trips to the dish, and he has been rewarded with a spot on the American League All-Star team because of it.

The 28-year-old, who had spent parts of nine years in the minors before finally being called up to the big leagues in 2023, said that going into the season, he felt it would have been more likely that he would be a "Triple-A All-Star" rather than making the actual midsummer classic.

“Obviously God had a plan because it wasn’t really much I did,” Fry said, via Joe Noga of Cleveland.com. “A lot of guys work hard. I’ve worked hard, but there was a lot of help from the staff that we have here. From catching coaches to infield coaches, hitting coaches, I’ve had nothing but support and just really great help.”

Fry earned his All-Star spot as a designated hitter, but much like last year, he has played all over the diamond through the first several months of the 2024 campaign.

Much of Fry's production came during a red-hot month of May, when he totaled seven long balls and 18 RBI while hitting to the tune of a 1.263 OPS. His bat has slowed down considerably since then, as he slashed just .246/.307/.362 in June and has not done much in the early stages of July, but his numbers as a whole are certainly worth of an All-Star appearance.