Jarrod Saltalamacchia — yes, it is 14 letters and the longest last name in baseball history — has been the talk around Boston for the past week. Now, his name is being associated with the Midsummer Classic as a potential candidate to represent the Red Sox.
Saltalamacchia was the hero of Saturday night's game when he hit a pinch-hit walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning off Rays closer Fernando Rodney. That came shortly after Salty received IV treatment for dehydration.
The Boston catcher has been on fire of late, and maybe that's the reason for the dehydration. He ranks second in the major leagues among catchers with eight home runs. He was 4-for-10 with two homers and four RBIs in last weekend's series in Philadelphia, and he's been a threat at the plate all season.
The numbers don't even factor in Saltalamacchia's leadership and ability to handle the pitching staff, which are obvious to most covering the team.
Salty has been impressive, but is it enough to earn him a spot on the American League All-Star roster? Adrian Gonzalez thinks so, but you make the call.
