Less than three years since moving to shortstop and making a home there, DeJong is the Cardinals’ lone representative in the 90th All-Star Game on Tuesday at Cleveland’s Progressive Field. The Cardinals, circling .500 all summer, were one of two National League teams that did not have a player elected by either the fans or the vote of players and coaches. That left the commissioner’s office to sift through the candidates to pick a Cardinal.
DeJong doesn’t lead the team in traditional statistics like homers, batting average, or RBIs. He’s not the flashiest fielder on the team, nor is he the swiftest runner.