Four former Spokane Indians selected to participate in 2024 MLB all-star game
Fans of the Spokane Indians will recognize some familiar names and faces if they tune into the MLB All-Star Game Tuesday evening from Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
Three former players and a former manager who once called Avista Stadium home will be representing their current major league clubs at this season’s midsummer classic. All four were part of the Texas Rangers system during their time in Spokane.
Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase earned his third career All-Star appearance, while San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar and Kansas City Royals starter Cole Ragans will be making their All-Star Game debuts this year.
Reigning World Series champion Bruce Bochy of the Texas Rangers will be at the helm of the American League squad. It’s his fourth time as All-Star skipper but first time in the AL after three previous appearances with the San Francisco Giants.
The future Hall of Famer will manage the AL squad after leading the Rangers to their first World Series title last season. A four-time World Series champion and one of the greatest managers in baseball history, Bochy guided the Indians to the 1989 Northwest League title in his lone season as the bench boss in Spokane.
Profar was voted by the fans as a starting outfielder for the NL team. Once one of the top prospects in baseball, Profar struggled with injuries and inconsistency before finding his groove with the Padres this year.
The 31-year-old earned a starting spot after hitting .315 with 14 home runs, 59 RBIs, and a league-leading .408 on-base percentage. A member of the Curacao team that won the 2004 Little League World Series, Profar appeared in 63 games with the Spokane Indians as a 17-year-old in 2010 and hit .250 with four homers, 23 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 288 plate appearances.
Clase might be best remembered from his time in Spokane for committing a walk-off balk against Eugene in the deciding game of the 2018 Northwest League championship series. The 26-year-old right-hander has bounced back from an underwhelming 2023 season by his standards to regain the form that makes him one of the top relief arms in baseball.
A force behind Cleveland’s AL Central-leading record, Clase is 4-1 with an 0.85 ERA, 0.64 WHIP with a league-best 27 saves. A native of San Juan, Dominican Republic, Clase posted an 0.64 ERA and saved 12 games in 22 appearances with the Spokane Indians in 2018.
Ragans made just 13 starts for the Indians in 2017, going 3-2 with a 3.61 ERA and striking out 13.7 per nine innings. Two Tommy John surgeries and the pandemic caused the former first-round pick of the Rangers to miss the next three seasons. Once healthy, he was traded to Kansas City where the lefty has flourished.
The 26-year-old native of Crawfordville, Florida, has posted a 5-6 record, 3.28 ERA, and 11 K/9 rate to help the surprising Royals remain in contention in the AL Central.