\n | \n\n Toronto Blue Jays<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Notable omission:<\/strong> Paul Goldschmidt, New York Yankees; Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City Royals; Spencer Torkelson, Detroit Tigers.<\/p>\nGoldschmidt had a terrific start, but his .464 OPS in June was the 17th worst in the majors. Torkelson wasn\u2019t as bad, but he, too, was better, in the opening months. Pasquantino was just the opposite, rallying from a difficult start.<\/p>\n Aranda might not be a familiar name, but he ended June ranked 11th in the majors in OPS, just ahead of Juan Soto and Freddie Freeman \u2014 and more than 60 points ahead of Guerrero (.903-841).<\/p>\n Second basemen<\/p>\n PlayerTeam<\/tr>\n \n | \n\n Detroit Tigers<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Tampa Bay Rays<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Notable omission:<\/strong> Jackson Holliday, Orioles.<\/p>\nLowe finished June with 18 homers to Torres\u2019 nine, but rated as one of the worst defensive second basemen in the majors. Holliday\u2019s time will come, just not yet. His OPS was nearly 100 points lower than Torres\u2019 and Lowe\u2019s.<\/p>\n Shortstop<\/p>\n PlayerTeam<\/tr>\n \n | \n\n Houston Astros<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Athletics<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Kansas City Royals<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Notable omissions:<\/strong> Javier B\u00e1ez, Detroit Tigers; Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles; Zach Neto, Los Angeles Angels.<\/p>\nPe\u00f1a, the MVP of the AL West-leading Astros, went on the injured list Monday with a fractured rib, putting his availability in question. B\u00e1ez, a Comeback Player of the Year candidate, would be the sentimental choice to replace him, but Neto is an emerging star and Henderson is coming off a monster June.<\/p>\n Third basemen<\/p>\n PlayerTeam<\/tr>\n \n | \n\n Cleveland Guardians<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Tampa Bay Rays<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Houston Astros<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Notable omissions:<\/strong> Maikel Garcia, Kansas City Royals; Miguel Vargas, Chicago White Sox.<\/p>\nCaminero\u2019s on-base percentage is barely above .300, but his 21 home runs are the most of any AL third baseman. Garcia leads both Paredes and Caminero in OPS, but lacks their power and is more of a utility player than a regular third baseman.<\/p>\n Garcia also would make four Royals, giving KC one more representative than the Tigers while trailing them by 14 games. Five Astros vs. three Tigers? Not optimal, but acceptable.<\/p>\n Outfielders<\/p>\n PlayerTeam<\/tr>\n \n | \n\n New York Yankees<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Minnesota Twins<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Detroit Tigers<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Boston Red Sox<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Los Angeles Angels<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Toronto Blue Jays<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Notable omissions:<\/strong> Randy Arozarena, Seattle Mariners; Cody Bellinger, New York Yankees; Zach McKinstry, Detroit Tigers; Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians; Cam Smith, Houston Astros.<\/p>\nSpringer was a worthy Comeback Player of the Year candidate even before he hit two home runs against the Yankees on Tuesday, including a grand slam. Adell, the Angels\u2019 lone representative, finished June with a higher OPS than all of the notable omissions.<\/p>\n Designated hitters<\/p>\n PlayerTeam<\/tr>\n \n | \n\n Athletics<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Baltimore Orioles<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Notable omissions:<\/strong> Yandy D\u00edaz, Tampa Bay Rays.<\/p>\nO\u2019Hearn tailed off in June. D\u00edaz led the majors for the month with a .400 batting average. Rooker has been the most consistent of the three.<\/p>\n National League<\/p>\n Starting pitchers<\/p>\n PlayerTeam<\/tr>\n \n | \n\n Philadelphia Phillies<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Washington Nationals<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Milwaukee Brewers<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n San Francisco Giants<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Atlanta Braves<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Pittsburgh Pirates<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n San Francisco Giants<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Los Angeles Dodgers<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Notable omissions:<\/strong> Andrew Abbott, Cincinnati Reds; Matthew Boyd, Chicago Cubs; Sonny Gray, St. Louis Cardinals; Clay Holmes, New York Mets; Nick Pivetta, San Diego Padres; Cristopher S\u00e1nchez, Philadelphia Phillies; Spencer Schwellenbach, Atlanta Braves; Ranger Su\u00e1rez, Philadelphia Phillies.<\/p>\nSkenes is Skenes, but Wheeler deserved the 2021 NL Cy Young Award over Corbin Burnes and also finished second in \u201924 to Sale. It\u2019s time he gets his rightful due, particularly when in five June starts his ERA was 0.58.<\/p>\n Then again, if we\u2019re going strictly by ERA, Boyd, S\u00e1nchez, Holmes and Schwellenbach all are ahead of Gore among qualifiers. The omissions of Abbott, Boyd and Schwellenbach feel particularly egregious, but one figures to replace Sale. Gore makes my initial list because his strikeout rate ranks second only to Wheeler\u2019s in the NL.<\/p>\n Relief pitchers<\/p>\n PlayerTeam<\/tr>\n \n | \n\n New York Mets<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Cincinnati Reds<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n San Francisco Giants<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n San Diego Padres<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Notable omissions:<\/strong> Jason Adam, San Diego Padres; David Bednar, Pittsburgh Pirates; Jake Bird, Colorado Rockies; Kyle Finnegan, Washington Nationals; Phil Maton, St. Louis Cardinals; Trevor Megill, Milwaukee Brewers; Adrian Morejon, San Diego Padres; Dennis Santana, Pittsburgh Pirates; Abner Uribe, Milwaukee Brewers.<\/p>\nWith the exception of Rodr\u00edguez, I might be leaning too heavily into save totals. Suarez arguably has not even been the Padres\u2019 best reliever. Still, closers merit extra consideration for a reason \u2014 they\u2019re the ones their managers trust to pitch the ninth inning. And yes, the distinction still matters.<\/p>\n Catchers<\/p>\n PlayerTeam<\/tr>\n \n | \n\n Los Angeles Dodgers<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Colorado Rockies<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Notable omissions:<\/strong> Carson Kelly, Chicago Cubs; Agust\u00edn Ram\u00edrez, Miami Marlins.<\/p>\nBet you didn\u2019t know Smith is the NL player who finished June second to Shohei Ohtani in OPS. If he can avoid his usual post All-Star Game decline, a top-five MVP finish is possible.<\/p>\n Goodman\u2019s 16 home runs and .869 OPS make him the Rockie of choice. Kelly was mostly an April phenomenon, while Ram\u00edrez finished June leading all NL rookies with 12 home runs and 28 extra-base hits.<\/p>\n First basemen<\/p>\n PlayerTeam<\/tr>\n \n | \n\n New York Mets<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Los Angeles Dodgers<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Notable omissions:<\/strong> Michael Busch, Chicago Cubs; Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies; Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves; Josh Naylor, Arizona Diamondbacks.<\/p>\nImpressive group. Alonso ended June ranked fifth in the NL in OPS, Freeman ninth, Busch 11th, Olson 18th and Naylor 20th.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s something crazy: This is Bryce Harper\u2019s seventh season with the Phillies, and only two of his eight All-Star selections have come in a Philadelphia uniform. Injuries, and the cancellation of the game in 2020, are largely responsible.<\/p>\n Harper missed a chunk of 2022 with a fractured left thumb, got a late start in \u201923 coming off Tommy John surgery and just returned from an absence of more than three weeks with right wrist inflammation.<\/p>\n Second basemen<\/p>\n PlayerTeam<\/tr>\n \n | \n\n Arizona Diamondbacks<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n St. Louis Cardinals<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Notable omission:<\/strong> Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers.<\/p>\nMarte missed nearly a month with a strained left hamstring, but with an OPS of nearly 1.000, he is easily the best second baseman in the NL. Donovan is more a super-utility man than a regular, but he arguably is the Cardinals\u2019 best player. Turang is the reigning NL Platinum Glove winner, but his offense is not at the level of the other two.<\/p>\n Shortstops<\/p>\n PlayerTeam<\/tr>\n \n | \n\n Cincinnati Reds<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n New York Mets<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Philadelphia Phillies<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Notable omissions:<\/strong> CJ Abrams, Washington Nationals; Gerardo Perdomo, Arizona Diamondbacks; Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals.<\/p>\nCommence your outrage, Mets fans. Lindor looked like a deserving starter after the first two months, but his OPS in June was .628 and his overall mark ranked just 35th in the NL. He still should be on the team for the first time in five years as a Met, but at this rate all those fans who were clamoring for his selection will be booing him soon.<\/p>\n Turner\u2019s season is sneaky good, maybe even better than De La Cruz\u2019s. But we\u2019ll go with Electric Elly, who warrants the spotlight on the national stage.<\/p>\n Third basemen<\/p>\n PlayerTeam<\/tr>\n \n | \n\n Arizona Diamondbacks<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Los Angeles Dodgers<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n San Diego Padres<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Notable omission:<\/strong> None.<\/p>\nTough picking the starter. Su\u00e1rez ended June second in the NL to Shohei Ohtani in home runs and tied with the Cubs\u2019 Seiya Suzuki for the league lead in RBIs. Muncy recovered from a .610 OPS in March\/April to pop an .851 in May and a 1.113 in June. And then there is Machado, the biggest star of the three and still brilliant as he nears his 33rd birthday.<\/p>\n Su\u00e1rez has never started an All-Star Game. His only appearance was in 2018. Here\u2019s to one of the good guys in the game.<\/p>\n Outielders<\/p>\n PlayerTeam<\/tr>\n \n | \n\n Chicago Cubs<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Chicago Cubs<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Washington Nationals<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Ariona Diamondbacks<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n New York Mets<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Miami Marlins<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Wood over Soto? The 22-year-old prodigy over the $765 million man? Sounds crazy, especially when Soto\u2019s 1.196 OPS in June was the second best for any month of his career. But for the season Wood still has Soto beat in OPS, fWAR, bWAR, you name it. Yes, Soto is the bigger name. But the kid the Nationals once acquired for him is closing the gap pretty quickly.<\/p>\n Carroll, currently on the injured list with a chip fracture in his left wrist, might need to be replaced. If it happens, what a perfect spot for Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr., who after returning from his second major knee surgery on May 23 quickly regained his MVP form. Fans in Atlanta would go nuts.<\/p>\n Notable omissions:<\/strong> Acu\u00f1a; Andy Pages, Los Angeles Dodgers; Heliot Ramos, San Francisco Giants; Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres.<\/p>\nDesignated hitters<\/p>\n PlayerTeam<\/tr>\n \n | \n\n Los Angeles Dodgers<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n | \n\n Philadelphia Phillies<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Notable omission:<\/strong> Rafael Devers, San Francisco Giants; Seiya Suzuki, Chicago Cubs.<\/p>\nRemember when Red Sox manager Alex Cora was hailing Devers as the best DH in the American League?<\/p>\n Those were the days!<\/p>\n (Top photo of this year\u2019s All-Star Game logo: Todd Kirkland\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s baseball\u2019s answer to a tradition unlike any other. Has anyone bailed on the All-Star Game yet? My…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":32708,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[1279,1280,1276,1281,1271,1274,5048,1282,1283,1885,2382,1284,1285,2502,1286,4247,1287,1266,1305,2228,5055,1269,2083,1886,1306,1275,1288,62,3692,1289,1278,1290,67,132,68,1291],"class_list":{"0":"post-32707","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-arizona-diamondbacks","9":"tag-atlanta-braves","10":"tag-baltimore-orioles","11":"tag-boston-red-sox","12":"tag-chicago-cubs","13":"tag-chicago-white-sox","14":"tag-cincinnati-reds","15":"tag-cleveland-guardians","16":"tag-colorado-rockies","17":"tag-detroit-tigers","18":"tag-houston-astros","19":"tag-kansas-city-royals","20":"tag-los-angeles-angels","21":"tag-los-angeles-dodgers","22":"tag-miami-marlins","23":"tag-milwaukee-brewers","24":"tag-minnesota-twins","25":"tag-mlb","26":"tag-new-york-mets","27":"tag-new-york-yankees","28":"tag-oakland-athletics","29":"tag-opinion","30":"tag-philadelphia-phillies","31":"tag-pittsburgh-pirates","32":"tag-san-diego-padres","33":"tag-san-francisco-giants","34":"tag-seattle-mariners","35":"tag-sports","36":"tag-st-louis-cardinals","37":"tag-tampa-bay-rays","38":"tag-texas-rangers","39":"tag-toronto-blue-jays","40":"tag-united-states","41":"tag-unitedstates","42":"tag-us","43":"tag-washington-nationals"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32707"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32707\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |