The Marlins had Sandy Alcantara in 2019, Trevor Rogers in 2021 and now Pablo López in 2022. The Venezuelan right-hander is poised to become the third Miami pitcher in as many full-length seasons to be selected as a first-time MLB All-Star. Barely one month into the regular season, it’s not premature to have this conversation: he’s been that special.
López enters Saturday with a 1.05 earned run average, which is the best mark among all qualified major league starters. For as much as baseball analysis has evolved in recent years to give us new and better ways to analyze the action on the field, ERA remains the main determinant of which arms go to the Midsummer Classic.