ATLANTA – Initially, Jacob Misiorowski was planning on doing “absolutely nothing” this week.
Despite a dazzling five-start sample to begin his big-league career, the 23-year-old flame-throwing rookie didn’t think there was any possibility he’d be an All-Star.
“I was going to sit in Milwaukee,” Misiorowski said, “and order in Chinese food.”
Luckily, those plans were easy to change when he found out Saturday that he would be named a replacement for Cubs starter Matthew Boyd.
By the end of last week, 16 different players were told that they would be filling in as All-Star replacements. Many of them did not find out until the middle or end of last week, after a host of pitchers bowed out of the competition to avoid throwing on short rest.
That meant a lot of gleeful postponements and cancellations from the newly-named All-Stars, who had to change their plans for the break.
Rays starter Drew Rasmussen, for instance, is no longer going on his family trip to Cape Cod. The Rays finished out the first half in Boston, so he thought it made sense to stay in the area to relax for a few days.
Instead, he was named an All-Star replacement for Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi on Friday.
“This is definitely a little bit more special,” said Rasmussen, who now plans to head right back to Tampa to get a bit of rest after the All-Star Game before the Rays start the second half at home.
A trip to Cape Cod is off the books for Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen after getting called up to the All-Star Game. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
For Tigers starter Casey Mize, meanwhile, an All-Star nod meant canceling a trip to Tampa, where he calls home. Mize’s wife is pregnant with their first child, who is due this fall, and he had planned to accompany her for a check-up.
“Luckily, it wasn’t the biggest appointment ever, and she was able to reschedule,” Mize said.
Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia was also planning a trip to Florida after getting snubbed. He did not find out he was going to replace the injured Brandon Lowe until Friday, just a few days ago, at which point he had already planned a trip to Miami. (He was still able to get his money back, he said.)
Another American League third baseman had arrangements on the other side of the country.
The Tigers’ Zach McKinstry was going to stay in a cabin and enjoy some time in the sun on a boat in Washington. Those Pacific Northwest plans have changed. An injury to Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena cleared the path for McKinstry to go to Atlanta, where he will be an All-Star for the first time.
Mets starting pitcher David Peterson, meanwhile, is still keeping his initial plans, just pushing them back a couple of days. He is splitting a house with a teammate in the Hamptons.
“They’re there, getting to use it,” Peterson said. “They told us it’s great, so I’m looking forward to having a little downtime once all this is wrapped up.”
After the initial list of All-Star pitchers were unveiled, Peterson still thought there was a chance he could make it after logging a 3.06 ERA in the first half. He was ultimately named a replacement for Giants starter Robbie Ray on Thursday.
“When the selections came out, I kind of put it out of my mind, like if it happens, it happens,” Peterson said. “But I still had a couple starts to go, and I needed to focus on those. So, I tried to put my head down and continue helping the Mets win ballgames and see where we end up.”
Other replacements, meanwhile, put nothing on the books this week even after being left off the initial vote.
“I actually held out hope,” said Reds pitcher Andrew Abbott. “I thought I deserved to be here off the start, but obviously everybody here is deserving.”
Andrew Abbott purposely didn’t make All-Star break plans. It worked out after getting the nod. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images)
Among National League pitchers who’ve thrown at least 90 innings this year, Abbott has the second-lowest ERA (2.07) behind only All-Star Game starter Paul Skenes (2.01). The Virginia native decided he was going to stay out in Cincinnati rather than go back home, hoping he would eventually get the call.
He was named an All-Star last Tuesday as a replacement for Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
“I hoped I was on the short list of replacements, but there was no communication like, ‘Oh, you’re No. 1 or No. 3,’” Abbott said.
Last season, Trevor Megill had a 2.05 ERA and was 18-for-20 in save chances before the break while filling in for the injured Devin Williams, but he wasn’t named an All-Star.
This year, after taking over the closing role in Milwaukee full-time, he made it a goal to get to Atlanta.
That objective remained even after he was left off the initial vote by the players. Megill, who has the second-most saves in the National League, was either going to get the nod eventually or sit at home in Milwaukee, much like his teammate Misiorowski.
“I planned on being here from the beginning of the season,” said Megill, who found out Wednesday that he would be replacing teammate Freddy Peralta. “Last year I was within arm’s reach of being here and things just didn’t fall the way I wanted to. It was all or nothing here this year.”
Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.
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