Major League Baseball All-Star Starters Are A Mixed Bag
It's hard to believe, but the Major League Baseball All-Star Game is just two weeks away, and voting for the midseason honors has officially closed.
The league announced Wednesday who'd be starting the game by virtue of the fan vote, and yet again, MLB fans did a, well, mediocre job at selecting the best players in the sport's most important showcase.
Here's the full list of National League starters:
- C: William Contreras, MIL
- 1B: Bryce Harper, PHI
- 2B: Ketel Marte, ARI
- SS: Trea Turner, PHI
- 3B: Alec Bohm, PHI
- LF: Jurickson Profar, SD
- CF: Christian Yelich, MIL
- RF: Fernando Tatis Jr., SD
- DH: Shohei Ohtani, LAD
And the corresponding list for the American League:
- C: Adley Rutschman, BAL
- 1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR
- 2B: Jose Altuve, HOU
- SS: Gunnar Henderson, BAL
- 3B: Jose Ramirez, CLE
- OF: Steven Kwan, CLE
- OF: Aaron Judge, NYY
- OF: Juan Soto, NYY
- DH: Yordan Alvarez, HOU
For whatever reason, the American League voters did a much better job with their choices, but boy oh boy, we need an intervention for the National League.
May 22, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates with center fielder Aaron Judge (99) after hitting his second home run of the game in the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Phillies, Padres Voters Dominate MLB All-Star Starters
To be fair to the fans, at some positions, there weren't an excessive amount of quality choices. But Trea Turner and Fernando Tatis Jr. have no business being named starters at their respective positions.
Turner has been excellent when on the field, though has enjoyed exceptional luck with batting average on balls in play. The league average is well below .300, but Turner's is effectively .400. Still, production aside, Turner's played just 46 games this season. Meanwhile, the Reds' Elly De La Cruz has stolen 40 bases with half the season left, added 15 home runs and played exceptional defense.
If fans wanted to reward a star level player who's dealt with injuries, they could also have voted for Mookie Betts, who's significantly outproduced Turner and played 72 games before getting hit by a pitch. Even Francisco Lindor would have been a better choice; the Mets star has been healthy and added well-rounded value on offense and defense.
Similarly, Fernando Tatis Jr. is hurt and set to miss the All-Star Game. While he's ridden a recent hot streak to an above average batting line, other players like Brandon Nimmo or Teoscar Hernandez have added similar value and aren't hurt.
But Phillies and Padres fans clearly got out the vote for their favorite players, something Dodgers fans didn't do in snubbing catcher Will Smith.
The American League team though, is about as good as it gets.
It's a mixed bag, though as always, with injuries, replacements and other drop outs, the rosters may look drastically different when the game gets underway July 16.