Major League Baseball revealed the positional starters Thursday for next month’s annual All-Star Game in Seattle (July 11, 8 p.m., FOX). The stars will be shining bright upon T-Mobile Park, as some of the biggest names in the sport will be on display.
The first phase of fan voting narrowed it down to two finalists — the top vote-getters at each position — in both the National League and the American League. The second phase ran from Monday through Thursday, and the starters were announced this evening.
The top two overall vote-getters were outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta) in the NL and designated hitter/pitcher Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels) in the American League. Acuña led all players with 3,082,600 votes, while Ohtani wasn’t far behind with 2,646,307 votes.
Texas is the highest-scoring team in all of baseball (483 runs), and the first-place Rangers dominated the fan voting among AL starters, with a total of four representatives in the lineup. The Braves and Dodgers had the most starters on the NL roster with three apiece. There are also a pair of rookies in the mix (see the full list below).
Philadelphia’s Rob Thompson and defending champion Houston’s Dusty Baker will head up the respective managerial duties after squaring off in the World Series last fall. All-Star reserves and pitchers will be announced at 5:30 p.m. this Sunday on ESPN. Here are the starters for this year’s AL and NL rosters (all stats through Wednesday):
AMERICAN LEAGUE
CATCHER — Jonah Heim (Texas)
Batting Average: .279
Home Runs: 11
Runs Batted In: 55
On Base + Slugging Percentage: .800
Heim is in his second season at the major-league level, as the former Baltimore draft pick has found a home with the first-place Rangers. Heim edged out Adley Rutschman of Baltimore in the final voting (52% to 48%).
FIRST BASE — Yandy Díaz (Tampa Bay)
Batting Average: .322
Home Runs: 12
Runs Batted In: 38
On Base + Slugging Percentage: .928
Diaz is making his All-Star Game debut for the first-place Rays. Diaz, who owns the second-best batting average in the AL (.322), outlasted Toronto power hitter Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (53% to 47%) for the starting spot.
SECOND BASE — Marcus Semien (Texas)
Batting Average: .282
Home Runs: 11
Runs Batted In: 55
On Base + Slugging Percentage: .802
Semien is making his second career ASG appearance (2021 with Toronto) after helping lead the Rangers to a stellar first half of the season. Semien beat out two-time All-Star Whit Merrifield of Toronto in the voting (65% to 35%).
THIRD BASE — Josh Jung (Texas)
Batting Average: .274
Home Runs: 16
Runs Batted In: 47
On Base + Slugging Percentage: .815
The hot-hitting rookie, who played his college ball at nearby Texas Tech, has been mashing the ball in his first full season in the majors. Jung advanced past Toronto’s Matt Chapman in the second phase of voting (58% to 42%).
SHORTSTOP — Corey Seager (Texas)
Batting Average: .345
Home Runs: 10
Runs Batted In: 48
On Base + Slugging Percentage: 1.020
Seager is an All-Star for the fourth time in his career, twice with the Dodgers and now twice in two seasons with the Rangers. The former NL Rookie of the Year (2016) was selected over Toronto’s Bo Bichette in the final voting (59% to 41%).
DESIGNATED HITTER — Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels)
Batting Average: .309
Home Runs: 28
Runs Batted In: 64
On Base + Slugging Percentage: 1.048
Ohtani is making his fourth-straight appearance in the All-Star Game. The 28-year-old Angels two-way phenom is having another superb season, both at the plate and on the mound. In addition to his eye-popping batting numbers, Ohtani (7-3, 3.02 ERA) is third among all MLB pitchers with 127 strikeouts on the year. By leading the league in votes, Ohtani secured the starting spot at DH.
OUTFIELD — Mike Trout (LA Angels)
Batting Average: .254
Home Runs: 17
Runs Batted In: 42
On Base + Slugging Percentage: .849
Trout will be making his 11th All-Star appearance in just 13 seasons in the majors — the only two times he didn’t participate were his rookie year in 2011 and 2020, when the event was canceled due to the pandemic. The Angels’ star captured 23% of the fan voting, most among the six finalists.
Randy Arozarena (Tampa Bay)
Batting Average: .286
Home Runs: 14
Runs Batted In: 54
On Base + Slugging Percentage: .876
The 2021 AL Rookie of the Year and 2020 ALCS MVP, Arozarena is making his All-Star Game debut. The talented outfielder and fan favorite, who has his own section — dubbed “Randy Land” — dedicated to him at Tampa Bay’s Tropicana Field, is a big reason why the Rays are one of the best teams in baseball. Arozarena was the second-highest among the outfielders with 21% of the vote.
Aaron Judge (NY Yankees)
Batting Average: .291
Home Runs: 19
Runs Batted In: 40
On Base + Slugging Percentage: 1.078
Qualifying for his fifth All-Star Game, and third in a row, Judge has been injured since June 3, but he’s still tied for ninth in the majors with his 19 homers in just 49 games. The reigning AL MVP and home run champ is not expected to be back in time to participate in Seattle, but still managed to acquire 19% of the vote for the final spot. The three other AL outfield finalists were Yordan Alvarez (Astros), Kevin Kiermaier (Blue Jays) and Adolis Garcia (Texas), all of whom are viable candidates to replace Judge in the lineup.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
CATCHER — Sean Murphy (Atlanta)
Batting Average: .289
Home Runs: 13
Runs Batted In: 44
On Base + Slugging Percentage: .926
Murphy joined the Braves after playing his first three seasons with the A’s, and has been a key contributor in Atlanta’s success. LA’s Will Smith was the runner-up in the voting (61% to 39%).
FIRST BASE — Freddie Freeman (LA Dodgers)
Batting Average: .317
Home Runs: 14
Runs Batted In: 49
On Base + Slugging Percentage: .938
Freeman will be making his seventh ASG appearance, and second as a member of the Dodgers. Freeman outlasted Atlanta’s Matt Olson for the starting job at first (60% to 40%).
SECOND BASE — Luis Arráez (Miami)
Batting Average: .396
Home Runs: 3
Runs Batted In: 39
On Base + Slugging Percentage: .936
Arráez has been dominating the headlines, as he’s been right at the .400 mark for a majority of the season. The Marlins are off to their best start in years, and Arráez, in his first year with the club, has been the main ingredient. He’s making his second-straight ASG appearance after winning the AL batting title with the Twins last season. Arráez won the final van vote (53% to 47%) over Ozzie Albies of Atlanta.
THIRD BASE — Nolan Arenado (St. Louis)
Batting Average: .273
Home Runs: 16
Runs Batted In: 54
On Base + Slugging Percentage: .806
Arenado is in the All-Star Game for the eighth time in his storied career. Arenado defeated Atlanta’s Austin Riley (57% to 43%) in the final fan vote.
SHORTSTOP — Orlando Arcia (Atlanta)
Batting Average: .303
Home Runs: 6
Runs Batted In: 26
On Base + Slugging Percentage: .794
The former Milwaukee Brewer will be making his All-Star Game debut, and he won the job by a landslide. Four-time All-Star Francisco Lindor (NY Mets) was the distant NL runner-up at shortstop by a 69%-to-31% final vote.
DESIGNATED HITTER — J.D. Martinez (LA Dodgers)
Batting Average: .257
Home Runs: 18
Runs Batted In: 51
On Base + Slugging Percentage: .874
Playing in his sixth All-Star Game, Martinez has made a splash in his first season with the Dodgers after spending his last five years in Boston. The last time there was an All-Star Game played without Martinez in it was 2017. He came out on top over seven-time All-Star and former Washington National Bryce Harper (Philadelphia) in the final voting (53% to 47%).
OUTFIELD — Ronald Acuña (Atlanta)
Batting Average: .331
Home Runs: 19
Runs Batted In: 51
On Base + Slugging Percentage: .993
Acuña is playing in his fourth All-Star Game. The Braves superstar is second in the majors with a .331 batting average and leads the NL with 36 stolen bases, second only to Oakland’s Esteury Ruiz’s 40 swipes. Acuña locked up his starting spot after earning the most votes in the first phase.
Mookie Betts (LA Dodgers)
Batting Average: .255
Home Runs: 20
Runs Batted In: 50
On Base + Slugging Percentage: .869
Betts is making his seventh ASG appearance after once again leading the way for the Dodgers. Betts was the top vote-getter of the four other NL outfield finalists, garnering 34% of the vote.
Corbin Carroll (Arizona)
Batting Average: .292
Home Runs: 17
Runs Batted In: 44
On Base + Slugging Percentage: .932
The talented rookie was a 2019 first-round pick (No. 7 overall), and the Diamondbacks are starting to see his potential on full display. Carroll received 30% of the vote for the final spot. The other two finalists that didn’t make the cut in the NL outfielder voting were Corbin’s Arizona teammate, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Atlanta’s Michael Harris II.
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