2024 Joe Brackets All*Stars

I must admit, the current system of MLB All*Star voting has grown on me.  Ever since they introduced it a couple years ago (I think it was 2021 when they came back from the COVID cancellation in 2020), I've grown to like it more and more.  One of things I like the best is how, for the most part, the fans get it right now.  There are far fewer questionable starters who only got voted in because fans of their team just voted for everybody whether they deserved it or not.  Now, people actually need to pay attention, and the player who should be starting at his position usually ends up doing so.

Another thing that I like about it is how we know the starters ahead of time.  They always do that in the NHL and NBA, but MLB always made us wait until the entire team was announced, and that sometimes made it hard to pick the rest of the All*Stars because an undeserving starter might've swept in to take somebody else's spot.  That's no longer an issue.  Now, we know the starters ahead of time and have a few days to figure out the reserves based on that.

We're also getting a lot more variety in the selection of All*Star starters.  Of the 18 players chosen to start by the fans last season, only two of them won the fan vote again this year.  And Shohei Otani, of course, switched leagues, so Aaron Judge was the only player to be voted in representing the same league both years.  (Judge missed last year's All*Star Game due to injury, so Ohtani will be the only player who actually started in 2023 to start again in 2024, and both lineups will feature nine different starters than last season.)

Last year, the AL starting lineup was dominated by Texas Rangers.  They went on to win the World Series, which means they'll be represented this year by manager Bruce Bochy.  And, with this year's game in Arlington, he'll become the first manager to manage the All*Star Game in his home park since Bobby Cox in 2000.  As for the number of Rangers players who'll join him, I don't think that number will be too high.

And, I must say, the All*Star Game uniforms have got to go!  I know they won't because it was Nike's new thing that they introduced in 2021, and it's basically MLB's version of the City Connect (you know my feelings on those!), but this year's are particularly awful!  At the very least, can we go back to the old way where they wear their league uniforms for the Workout Day and Home Run Derby on Monday and their team uniforms in the All*Star Game itself?

Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest!  This year's NL uniforms are far less bad, but I feel bad for whoever makes the AL squad has to wear those monstrosities straight out of the mid-80s (kind of like the Padres' City Connects!).  And that should be a lot of Baltimore Orioles.  With good reason.  They've got Rutschman and Henderson each making the first of what should be many All*Star starts, and they'll figure to have a few teammates join them.

The AL roster, in fact, should feature several teams with multiple All*Stars.  That's more a consequence of there being several really bad AL teams than anything else.  As a result, I think there will be a higher amount of token team reps than usual.  Which is bad news for some potential All*Stars (especially pitchers) who'll end up not being selected because they had to be bumped for an Angel, White Sok or A.

In the National League, it may be a similar situation, although not as bad.  We've already got 3/4 of the Phillies infield and 2/3 of the Padres outfield, and I would imagine Jackson Merrill will make it 3-out-of-3.  Those two and the Dodgers should make up the bulk of the multi-All*Star teams.  So, with all that in mind, I present the 2024 Joe Brackets MLB All*Stars...

NATIONAL LEAGUE
C: *William Contreras (MIL), Will Smith (LAD)
1B: *Bryce Harper (PHI), Freddie Freeman (LAD)
2B: *Ketel Marte (ARZ), Luis Arraez (SD)
SS: *Trea Turner (PHI), Elly de la Cruz (CIN), Francisco Lindor (NYM)
3B: *Alec Bohm (PHI), Ryan McMahon (COL), Matt Chapman (SF)
OF: *Christian Yelich (MIL), *Jurickson Profar (SD), *Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD), Teoscar Hernandez (LAD), Bryan Reynolds (PIT), Jackson Merrill (SD)
DH: *Shohei Ohtani (LAD), Marcell Ozuna (ATL)
P: Raisel Iglesias (ATL), Chris Sale (ATL), Shota Imanaga (CHC), Tyler Glasnow (LAD), Gavin Stone (LAD), Tanner Scott (MIA), Ranger Suarez (PHI), Paul Skenes (PIT), Robert Suarez (SD), Sonny Gray (STL), Ryan Helsley (STL), Dylan Floro (WSH)

AMERICAN LEAGUE
C: *Adley Rutschman (BAL), Salvador Perez (KC)
1B: *Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR), Josh Naylor (CLE), Yandy Diaz (TB)
2B: *Jose Altuve (HOU), Marcus Semien (TEX)
SS: *Gunnar Henderson (BAL), Bobby Witt Jr. (KC)
3B: *Jose Ramirez (CLE), Jordan Westburg (BAL), Rafael Devers (BOS)
OF: *Aaron Judge (NYY), *Juan Soto (NYY), *Steven Kwan (CLE), Jarren Duran (BOS), Riley Greene (DET), Willi Castro (MIN)
DH: *Yordan Alvarez (HOU), Ryan O'Hearn (BAL)
P: Corbin Burnes (BAL), Craig Kimbrel (BAL), Garrett Crochet (CWS), Tanner Bibee (CLE), Emmanuel Clase (CLE), Tarik Skubal (DET), Ronel Blanco (HOU), Seth Lugo (KC), Carlos Estevez (LAA), Clay Holmes (NYY), Mason Miller (OAK), Andres Munoz (SEA)

During the starters announcement on ESPN, they had a rather lively debate about how the lineups should be constructed.  It really is hard to go wrong in the All*Star Game, but it is valid.  Does the NL have Ohtani lead off?  Talk about a way to start the All*Star Game!  (In 1981, Pete Rose insisted on leading off for the National League so that he'd be the first batter after the strike.)  And does the AL go with their old standby Jose Altuve or reward Gunnar Henderson for the first half he's put together?

Here's how I think Torey Lovullo and Bruce Bochy should make out their lineup cards...
NL: Marte-2B, Ohtani-DH, Harper-1B, Bohm-3B, Tatis-RF, Yelich-CF, Contreras-C, Profar-LF, Turner-SS
AL: Altuve-2B, Soto-RF, Judge-CF, Guerrero-1B, Ramirez-3B, Rutschman-C, Alvarez-DH, Henderson-SS, Kwan-LF

As for the starting pitchers, so much more always goes into that discussion.  It's not just performance taken into account, but when they last pitched, their turn in the rotation, whether their team wants them to throw, etc.  Last year, we ended up with two good choices in Gerrit Cole and Zac Gallen.  I don't think there's an obvious starter on either side, but both managers have a pair of good options to choose between.

In the NL, I've got it down to Chris Sale and Paul Skenes.  It turns out Sale just needed to get out of Boston!  His career has been revived in Atlanta, and he's probably the leading candidate for NL Comeback Player of the Year.  But Skenes has been nothing short of electrifying since his call-up in May.  The No. 1 overall pick last year is much more than Livvie Dunne's boyfriend.  His All*Star selection will be well-deserved and, should he start, it would be warranted.

If you'd asked me in May who the AL's starting pitcher would be, I would've said another rookie--the Yankees' Luis Gil.  Gil has fallen back to Earth big time, though, and, as you could see, I don't even have him making the team.  Instead, I think the start should come down to Corbin Burnes and Seth Lugo.  Although, a strong case could also be made for Garrett Crochet, who was the White Sox' Opening Day starter despite having never started a game in his Major League career prior to this season.

Sale is lined up to pitch Monday, which means he'll probably also go on Saturday.  Skenes pitched on Friday, so he'll make a midweek start for his final start before the All*Star break.  And that's why I'm going with Paul Skenes as my National League starting pitcher.  Likewise, Lugo should be lined up after a Saturday start to only go once during the week next week.  Kansas City deserves to have a starter after the first half they've had, too, so Seth Lugo is my choice to start the All*Star Game for the American League.