What 2020 MLB All-Star Game Rosters Would Look Like
Image credit: (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahey/Getty)
Believe it or not, we’re already at roughly the midpoint of the 2020 season. Nineteen of the 30 teams have played at least half of their games, and another six are within two games of the midpoint.
In a normal year, that would signal the All-Star Game is approaching. But this season, due to the coronavirus pandemic and the abbreviated 60-game schedule, there will be no Midsummer Classic for the first time since 1945, when the All-Star Game was canceled due to World War II.
Still, we can dream. We at Baseball America have selected all-star rosters for both the American and National Leagues through this point in the season, following the same roster rules that govern the All-Star Game: 32 players per team (20 position players and 12 pitchers) and each team represented by at least one player.
Constructing an all-star roster in a normal year is exceedingly difficult, and it’s even more so this year with a minuscule sample size of 30 (and sometimes fewer) games to go off of. As usual, many worthy players were squeezed off by a numbers game and the requirement that each team be represented.
Player performance was the primary driver of our selections, so many brand name stars off to slow starts such as Christian Yelich and Nolan Arenado were not included.
Injured players are denoted by an *. Injury replacement selections are denoted by an ^.
All statistics are through Aug. 26.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
STARTING LINEUP
C Pedro Severino, Orioles
1B Jose Abreu, White Sox
2B Brandon Lowe, Rays
SS Tim Anderson, White Sox
3B Anthony Rendon, Angels
LF Aaron Judge, Yankees*
CF Mike Trout, Angels
RF Kyle Lewis, Mariners
DH Nelson Cruz, Twins
Most of the American League starting selections are straightforward, although the big-name outfield candidates were somewhat lacking. Orioles OF Anthony Santander—who leads the majors in extra-base hits—ascends to the starting lineup in place of the injured Judge.
RESERVES
C Salvador Perez, Royals
1B Luke Voit, Yankees
1B Mitch Moreland, Red Sox
2B D.J. LeMahieu, Yankees*
2B Jonathan Schoop, Tigers
SS David Fletcher, Angels
SS Willy Adames, Rays^
3B Kyle Seager, Mariners
OF Anthony Santander, Orioles
OF Robbie Grossman, Athletics
OF Teoscar Hernandez, Blue Jays
OF Randal Grichuk, Blue Jays^
OF Eloy Jimenez, White Sox
Xander Bogaerts and Carlos Correa are the big names among AL shortstops, but Fletcher and Adames have outplayed them to this point in the season and get the nods here. White Sox OF Luis Robert and Royals OF Whit Merrifield lead a host of deserving candidates who get squeezed out by a high-performing AL outfield group. Schoop (Tigers) and Moreland (Red Sox) make the cut as their team’s lone representatives.
Just missed: Astros 1B Yuli Gurriel, Blue Jays 2B Cavan Biggio, Orioles 2B Hanser Alberto, Astros 3B Alex Bregman, Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts, White Sox OF Luis Robert, Royals OF Whit Merrifield, Red Sox OF Alex Verdugo, Athletics OF/DH Mark Canha, Indians DH Franmil Reyes.
PITCHERS
RHP Shane Bieber, Indians (starting pitcher)
RHP Lance Lynn, Rangers
RHP Zack Greinke, Astros
RHP Kenta Maeda, Twins
RHP Dylan Bundy, Angels
RHP Lucas Giolito, White Sox
RHP Gerrit Cole, Yankees
RHP Aaron Civale, Indians
RHP Liam Hendriks, Athletics
LHP Zack Britton, Yankees*
RHP Alex Colome, White Sox
RHP James Karinchak, Indians^
RHP Trevor Rosenthal, Royals^
RHP Nick Anderson, Rays*
Closers normally make up the bulk of All-Star relief corps, but the performances of non-closers Karinchak (31 K in 60 batters faced) and Anderson (9.1 IP, 0 R, 15 K) are too loud to ignore. Twins RHP Randy Dobnak, with a 1.78 ERA in 30.1 innings, was the toughest omission among the starting pitchers and represents the AL’s biggest snub.
Just missed: White Sox LHP Dallas Keuchel, Twins RHP Randy Dobnak, Astros LHP Framber Valdez, Athletics RHP Chris Bassitt, Blue Jays LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
STARTING LINEUP
C J.T. Realmuto, Phillies
1B Freddie Freeman, Braves
2B Ketel Marte, D-backs
SS Fernando Tatis, Jr., Padres
3B Manny Machado, Padres
LF Juan Soto, Nationals
CF Mookie Betts, Dodgers
RF Bryce Harper, Phillies
DH Mike Yastrzemski, Giants
As with the AL, the starters in the National League are pretty straightforward, with the only close calls coming in the outfield. The star-power of Soto, Betts and Harper gives them the nods in a loaded NL outfield group that has three others with strong cases to be in the starting lineup. Yastrzemski, who ranks third in the NL in OPS behind only Harper and Tatis, gets the nod at DH.
RESERVES
C Travis d’Arnaud, Braves
1B Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals
1B Colin Moran, Pirates
2B Donovan Solano, Giants
SS Trevor Story, Rockies
SS Corey Seager, Dodgers
SS Trea Turner, Nationals
OF Charlie Blackmon, Rockies
OF Ian Happ, Cubs
OF Michael Conforto, Mets
OF/DH Jesse Winker, Reds
Rather than choose from a shallow crop of third basemen to back up Machado, a third shortstop is taken to round out the infield group, with Turner barely getting the nod over Braves SS Dansby Swanson, who represents the NL’s biggest snub. Moran makes the team as the Pirates’ lone representative, squeezing out other worthy position players in the process. The Mets’ Dominic Smith and Padres’ Wil Myers headline the many All-Star caliber performers excluded on account of a loaded NL outfield contingent.
Just missed: Braves SS Dansby Swanson, Mets 3B J.D. Davis, Mets OFs Dominic Smith and Brandon Nimmo, Reds OF Nick Castellanos, Padres OFs Wil Myers and Trent Grisham, D-backs OF Starling Marte, Braves DH Marcell Ozuna.
PITCHERS
LHP Max Fried, Braves (starting pitcher)
RHP Trevor Bauer, Reds
RHP Yu Darvish, Cubs
RHP Jacob deGrom, Mets
RHP Dinelson Lamet, Padres
RHP Sonny Gray, Reds
RHP Aaron Nola, Phillies
RHP Zac Gallen, D-backs
RHP Pablo Lopez, Marlins
LHP Josh Hader, Brewers
RHP Kenley Jansen, Dodgers
LHP Drew Pomeranz, Padres*
RHP Devin Williams, Brewers^
The National League is deep in starters and many worthy candidates get squeezed off by the requirement of having at least three relievers. Lopez is the Marlins’ lone representative, but he’d be an All-Star even without the mandate that every team be represented.
Just missed: Phillies RHP Zack Wheeler, Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland, Cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright, Brewers RHP Brandon Woodruff, Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw, D-backs RHP Merrill Kelly*.
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