Jul 12, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets second baseman Jose Iglesias (11) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field. Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Pete Alonso won’t be the only player representing the New York Mets during the All-Star Game festivities in Arlington, Texas.

On Sunday, veteran infielder José Iglesias, who records under the moniker Candelita, announced that he would be going to Texas — but not as an All-Star. Iglesias, a Latin pop star on and off the field, will perform his hit song “OMG” during this week’s All-Star festivities.

He told reporters Sunday that he received an invitation and will head to Texas following New York’s series finale against the Colorado Rockies.

“I’ll be in Texas,” said Iglesias. “I got a privilege to make a few All-Stars as a player and now as a singer. I’m very humble about it. Thank you for the invitation. I’ll be headed over after the game.”

The 34-year-old Iglesias was an All-Star in 2015 with the Detroit Tigers.

He’s been a spark plug since his arrival in Queens. Coming into Sunday, he was slashing .347/.380/.560 with three home runs and an .940 OPS.

In addition, “OMG” was at the top of the charts and has been a hit with his teammates. It became a rallying cry for the team amidst its recent stretch, which has helped them secure a Wild Card spot — for now. Iglesias recently performed an impromptu postgame concert, and after he rounded the bases following the first multi-home run game of his career on Friday, the Mets played his music video on the jumbotron.

It’s nice to see the Mets and Major League Baseball wrap their arms around this incredible moment as they attempt to grow the game. That’s especially true, considering Iglesias signed a minor-league deal with the Mets and has had a career renaissance since being promoted to the big-league club.

[SNYtv]

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.