Early-season MLB All-Star picks: Two-way Shohei, Ben Rice, Matt Olson and more
The first MLB All-Star fan voting phase began last Wednesday and will close on June 25. Phase 2, which is when fans vote from the list of finalists, will commence on June 30 and conclude on July 2, with the All-Star Game being held this year on July 14 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
With fans already filling out their ballots, it’s a good time to weigh in on who should be representing the American and National Leagues in this year’s Midsummer Classic. Below you’ll find my picks for the AL and NL All-Star rosters.
This year, the NL All-Star team will be loaded with aces galore and choosing a starting pitcher will be difficult. Hometown star Cristopher Sánchez would be a strong choice, and it’s easy to make an argument for Jacob Misiorowski and Shohei Ohtani, as well. All three are early-season Cy Young Award candidates.
In the AL, the dynamic left-handed hitting power duo of first baseman Ben Rice and designated hitter Yordan Alvarez will lead the lineup. The roster might only have room for one member of the strong Mariners starting rotation, which is hard to stomach but also a result of all teams needing to have at least one representative.
One thing you’ll be sure to notice on my teams is that some of the best overall players in the sport, like Ronald Acuña Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., aren’t on the rosters. Maybe one or two will find a way into the game, but with Tatis struggling to hit for power, Acuña spending time on the IL and Guerrero not performing at the level of the other top AL first basemen, they are currently on the outside of my All-Star rosters looking in.
When the actual All-Star rosters are announced, there will be deserving names left off the lists due to roster constraints — each team has 32 spots, 12 for pitchers and 20 for position players — and that is the case with the rosters I have put together here, which are built under the same rules. Several of the players whom I have snubbed will still end up voted in or make it as injury replacements. But because of the roster rules and voting process, some worthy players inevitably don’t make it.
Here is my early look at the AL and NL All-Star teams, with starters and backups for each position, if I had to pick them today. Let me know which ones I got wrong — and right — in the comments section below.
All stats are through Sat., June 6 unless noted.
National League
- First base (2)
- Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves (starter)
- Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies (backup)
- Second base (2)
- Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers (starter)
- Xavier Edwards, Miami Marlins (backup)
- Shortstop (2)
- CJ Abrams, Washington Nationals (starter)
- Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds (backup)
- Third base (2)
- Max Muncy, Los Angeles Dodgers (starter)
- Casey Schmitt, San Francisco Giants (backup)
- Right field (3)
- James Wood, Washington Nationals (starter)
- Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks (backup)
- Jordan Walker, St. Louis Cardinals (backup)
- Center field (3)
- Andy Pages, Los Angeles Dodgers (starter)
- Michael Harris II, Atlanta Braves (backup)
- Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs (backup)
- Left field (1)
- Juan Soto, New York Mets (starter)
- Catcher (3)
- Drake Baldwin, Atlanta Braves (starter)
- Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies (backup)
- Liam Hicks, Miami Marlins (backup)
- Designated hitter (2)
- Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers (starter)
- Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies (backup)
- Pitchers (12)
- Cristopher Sánchez, LHP, Philadelphia Phillies (starter)
- Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers (starter)
- Chris Sale, LHP, Atlanta Braves (starter)
- Chase Burns, RHP, Cincinnati Reds (starter)
- Paul Skenes, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates (starter)
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers (starter)
- Kyle Harrison, LHP, Milwaukee Brewers (starter)
- Braxton Ashcraft, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates (starter)
- Eduardo Rodríguez, LHP, Arizona Diamondbacks (starter)
- Mason Miller, RHP, San Diego Padres (starter)
- Jhoan Duran, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies (closer)
- Raisel Iglesias, RHP, Atlanta Braves (closer)
American League
- First base (3)
- Ben Rice, New York Yankees (starter)
- Nick Kurtz, Athletics (backup)
- Munetaka Murakami, Chicago White Sox (backup)
- Second base (1)
- Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees (starter)
- Shortstop (2)
- Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals (starter)
- Kevin McGonigle, Detroit Tigers (backup)
- Third base (3)
- José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians (starter)
- Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays (backup)
- Miguel Vargas, Chicago White Sox (backup)
- *Right field (1)
- Aaron Judge, New York Yankees (injured list)
- Cody Bellinger, New York Yankees (starter)
- Center field (3)
- Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels (starter)
- Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners (backup)
- Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins (backup)
- Left field (2)
- Randy Arozarena, Seattle Mariners (starter)
- Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers (backup)
- Catcher (3)
- Shea Langeliers, Athletics (starter)
- Dillon Dingler, Detroit Tigers (backup)
- Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles (backup)
- Designated hitter (2)
- Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros (starter)
- Yandy Díaz, Tampa Bay Rays (backup)
- Pitchers (12)
- Cam Schlittler, RHP, New York Yankees (starter)
- Davis Martin, RHP, Chicago White Sox (starter)
- Parker Messick, LHP, Cleveland Guardians (starter)
- José Soriano, RHP, Los Angeles Angels (starter)
- Dylan Cease, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays (starter)
- Gavin Williams, RHP, Cleveland Guardians (starter)
- Joe Ryan, RHP, Minnesota Twins (starter)
- Jacob deGrom, RHP, Texas Rangers (starter)
- Emerson Hancock, RHP, Seattle Mariners (starter)
- Louis Varland, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays (closer)
- Cade Smith, RHP, Cleveland Guardians (closer)
- Aroldis Chapman, LHP, Boston Red Sox (closer)
