SAN DIEGO — Jake Cronenworth is again an All-Star.
No, really.
Even Cronenworth had to be convinced that Bob Melvin wasn't pranking him when the Padres' manager called him with the news that he'd be joining Manny Machado and Joe Musgrove next week at Dodger Stadium.
"He thought I was and I told him I am not," Melvin said with a laugh. " 'You really think I would mess with you on something like this?' So he was quiet for a little while and then once he realized I was serious, then I could sense a smile on his face."
For good reason.
Because Cronenworth had to crawl out of quite the hole to earn consideration as Jazz Chisholm's injury replacement on the NL squad. The 28-year-old second baseman had .210/.296/.323 batting line on May 31 before pairing four homers and 24 RBIs with a .315/.417/.537 batting line in June to begin to turn his season around.
His overall numbers (.241/.337/.394) are still down from last year's, when he hit .266/.340/.460 with 21 homers as one of five Padres in the All-Star Game, but Cronenworth ranks second among NL second basemen in WAR (2.8, per fangraphs.com), behind only the Cardinals' Tommy Edman. His nine homers are also tied for the most among NL second basemen, while he leads that group with 49 RBIs and is second with 58 runs scored.
"It's pretty surreal," Cronenworth said. "I think the tough start that I had and the crazy first couple of months and all the work I put in, it's extremely gratifying."
As was Melvin's privilege in delivering the news to a player who's quickly become someone to point to as players join the clubhouse, what with the willingness to play any position (Cronenworth sees time at first base and shortstop, too), the ability to come through when needed (he has a .950 OPS with runners on base) and the way he prepares for his job.
"It was a heartwarming feeling for everybody here," Melvin said. "If you watch him play and how he plays, he does everything right, from his work ethic to his accountability, to doing anything you ask of him. … "I think hidden in some of the overall numbers are the numbers when you really need him and you look at those, runners in scoring position, all those big spots, that's where he excels.
"His numbers are going to get better and better over the course of the season. This isn't going to be his last All-Star Game."
