The 2024 All-Star starters have been selected for this years mid summer classic, and some of the names are first timers, while others are multiple time candidates. After making my predictions for the AL & NL starters a couple weeks ago, let’s take a look to see who i was correct about, and who i missed on.
American League All-Star Starters:
C: Adley Rutschman, Orioles (x2) - The Baltimore backstop has been absolutely electric at the plate and behind the dish this season, and earns his first All-Star Starter selection. The 26 Year Old is batting .291 with 15 HR & 55 RBI’s for the team with the best record in the American League.
1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays (x4) - After a slow start, the superstar from north of the border has been raking for a struggling Blue Jays club. This will be his 3rd starter selection in a row, and is also the defending home run derby champ.
2B: Jose Altuve, Astros (x9) - My first incorrect selection as i choose the other starting 2nd baseman in Texas, Marcus Semien. Altuve has been fantastic at the plate and is continuing to cement his Hall of Fame career.
3B: Jose Ramirez, Guardians (x6) - Once dubbed the most underrated player in baseball, JRam is getting the love he deserves. The 31 year old has been the best player on a Guardians team that has surprised many with their 2nd best record in the AL.
SS: Gunnar Henderson, Orioles (x1) - The 2023 Rookie of the Year has a strong case to being the best all around player in the league this year, and when you are the best player on the best team in the AL, you are more than deserving of an All Star Starter.
OF: Aaron Judge, Yankees (x6) - I don’t think its an exaggeration to say that Aaron Judge is the best non-steroid hitter in baseball history. He already has MVP final numbers half way through the 24 campaign, with a .318 avg, 32 HR, and 83 RBIs to go with an insane 220 OPS+.
OF: Juan Soto, Yankees (x4) - Surprisingly, this is Soto’s first ever All-Star Starter selection, and is the 2nd half of what is the best duo in baseball. Soto has drawn the most walks in baseball (74) and has been 1 of 2 great Yankee hitters this season.
OF: Steven Kwan, Guardians (x1) - Who saw this coming ? After missing 24 games this season due to injury, Kwan has arguably been the best contact hitter in the league. He has the best batting avg in all of baseball, .360 to go along with a .521 slug%, while being one of the hardest guys to strikeout in baseball, incredibly deserving of his first selection. I did however have Kyle Tucker, who hasn’t returned from his early June injury yet.
DH: Yordan Alvarez, Astros (x3) - He has been one of the most feared power bats in the entire MLB for years now, but surprisingly this will be his first All-Star start. He was in the same league as Shohei Ohtani for years, so that also explains why. He currently has 18 HR for a red hot Astros club.
Starting pitchers won’t be announced till closer to the All-Star Game on July 16th in Arlington, Texas, so we will have to wait until then. Although their wasn’t much controversy with these picks, i missed on 2 selections with 2B and OF. Next article I will be doing the same with the National League starters seeing who was selected and how many i was correct on.
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