All-Stars and snubs: How players are chosen for MLB’s Midsummer Classic
It’s a rite of passage each season after every MLB All-Star team is selected. Baseball’s Midsummer Classic isn’t played until Tuesday, July 15, but the debate over who made it and who didn’t will run right up until the first pitch.
How are the All-Star teams selected?
Before we discuss the starters and snubs, let’s break down how the teams are selected. Fan voting is the main component in choosing the All-Star starting lineups for each league. There are two rounds of fan voting. After the first round, the top two players receiving votes in each league are announced. To no one’s surprise, Los Angeles Dodgers DH Shohei Ohtani and New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge were those two guys. Both are having monster seasons leading their clubs.
However, being an All-Star doesn’t necessarily have much to do with how a team is playing at the moment; the Yankees have won just 7 of their last 23 games. Maybe the break will be just what they need.
“It’s a long season. We’re going to go through two of these a year. Every good team does,” Judge said. “It comes down to us just playing better. We’re not playing good baseball. So, a couple things we got to clean up, and we’ll be right back where we need to go.”
In the second round of voting, the fans choose the starting lineups from the top two vote-getters at each position, including the top six outfielders. After the starters are announced, the pitchers and reserves — totaling 23 more players per league — are selected by player ballot with input from the commissioner’s office. Each league will have a roster of 32 players when all is tabulated.
Who are some notable snubs left off this year’s rosters?
It’s impossible to make everyone happy, of course. There are only 64 roster spots, and every major-league team is guaranteed at least one representative. Notable snubs this year included $765 million man Juan Soto of the New York Mets, shortstop Trea Turner of the Phillies, DH George Springer of the Blue Jays, Astros pitcher Framber Valdez and Yankees starter Carlos Rodon, just to name a few.
Some of those snubs, however, could be added to the team in the next week if players bow out due to injury or if a starting pitcher needs to rest during the week off. Soto took his snub in stride.
“Everyone wants to be an All-Star and live the experience of being there,” Soto told the New York Post. “I was glad I was able to be there four years in a row. If I didn’t make it this year, it’s no big deal. I’ll come back stronger next year.”
How about the players that did make it?
The American League starting nine is led by top vote-getter Aaron Judge. The Detroit Tigers have three starting position players, plus pitcher Tarik Skubal, on the squad. A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson and Orioles DH Ryan O’Hearn are making their first appearances. Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh also made it for the first time. He leads the majors with 35 home runs, and his first half is on par with Mariners legend Ken Griffey Jr.
“To be mentioned with that name, somebody who’s iconic, a legend, first-ballot Hall of Famer, I’m just blessed,” Raleigh said. “Just trying to do the right thing and trying to keep it rolling, and if I can be like that guy, it’s a good guy to look up to.”
Joining Shohei in the National League are his Dodger teammates Freddie Freeman and Will Smith. The Chicago Cubs have two All-Star starting position players, including first-timer Pete Crow-Armstrong, and a starting pitcher in first-timer Matthew Boyd. Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña, Jr., who missed most of last season with an ACL knee injury, was voted in for the host team, Atlanta.
Of the 64 players selected, 19 are first-timers. The All-Star on the roster with the most appearances is Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who was a special commissioner’s selection.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner on July 2 became only the fourth left-hander in history to reach 3,000 career strikeouts. He’ll make his 11th All-Star Game appearance in Atlanta next week.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
