Long-awaited Rangers breakout should be getting more All-Star buzz

It feels like eons ago, but Rangers' third baseman Josh Jung has already been an All-Star in his short MLB career. He came out of the gates on fire in his rookie season and made the 2023 American League squad by slashing .280/.356/.504, clobbering 17 homers and driving in 56 in the first half of the season.

It has been a rollercoaster in the two-and-a-half years that have followed, but Jung is rounding back into that kind of form, and the league should be put on notice that he is staking a claim as the best third sacker in the AL worthy of a second All-Star nod. His .310 batting average is second in the AL and sixth best in MLB.

With a slash of .310/.372/.495, Jung has been the most consistent hitter among American League third basemen through May. The only other players who are close to him in production are the Rays' Junior Caminero (.877 OPS) and the White Sox's Miguel Vargas (12 HR, 34 RBI). Vargas is only hitting .232, however.

What's even more impressive about Jung's 2026 is his approach at the plate. He leads the league in batting average with two strikes and is showing much better discipline and command of the strike zone.

He is taking advantage of mistakes that he can drive with 7 homers and 16 doubles, but is also shortening his swing and getting to pitches on the inner half to push singles to the opposite field. On top of that, Jung is still maintaining Gold Glove-level defense at the hot corner.

This time last year, Jung was completely lost in the box. He was flailing away at pitches way out of the zone and taking the few good pitches that he did see. He looked like a defeated player hitting rock bottom. What a difference a year makes as he looks confident at the plate, poised to head back to the Midsummer Classic in July.

The Rangers organization needs to push for Jung's All-Star nod, and fans need to hit the ballot box in support

The Rangers' PR and media teams should absolutely be pushing Jung as the team's top candidate to make the All-Star Game right now. Even before the voting officially starts on Wednesday, June 3, at 12:00 p.m. ET. Fans can support Jung by going online to cast their vote.

He doesn't appear to be slowing down as he has put up multi-hit games in three of his last four while picking up two more dingers in the process. He has raised his average from .302 to .316 since May 25.

He is Skip Schumaker's most reliable hitter, allowing the new Ranger manager to plug him anywhere from 2nd to 5th in the lineup without hesitation.

After everything he endured in 2025, from being demoted to Triple-A Round Rock and later benched by Bruce Bochy, he really deserves the hype for his stellar play thus far. More importantly, he has earned the buzz he is getting and should continue on his way to All-Star recognition.

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