NEW YORK — Former Auburn standout Garrett Cooper has been added to the MLB All-Star Game as a member of the National League, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday.
Cooper becomes the sixth former Auburn player to make the MLB All-Star Game, joining Bo Jackson (1989), Gregg Olson (1990), Frank Thomas (5x), Tim Hudson (4x) and Josh Donaldson (3x) on the list. He is the program’s first All-Star since 2016.
The 92nd Midsummer Classic takes place Tuesday, July 19, at Dodger Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on FOX.
After being placed on the 60-day injured list in July last year and missing the remainder of the season, Cooper has come back and turned in a career-best season in 2022. He ranks seventh in the National League with 21 doubles, 10th with a .299 average and 12th with a .367 on-base percentage. The sixth-year pro has added seven homers and has driven in 40 runs, good for second most on the Marlins.
A two-year starter for the Tigers from 2012-13, Cooper turned in a .340 average with 21 doubles, 12 homers and 68 RBI in 105 games in an Auburn uniform. Cooper finished the 2013 season hitting .354, which was seventh among SEC players at the end of the regular season, and was named Second Team All-SEC. His .481 on base percentage was good for second in the league and ranks 10th all-time in Auburn’s single-season history.
Cooper went on to be selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the sixth round of the 2013 MLB Draft and made his MLB debut with the New York Yankees on July 14, 2017. In parts of six seasons and 315 games, he is a .286 career hitter in the big leagues and has collected 61 doubles, 37 homers and 151 RBI.
