Send Em To Seattle

This year's All*Star Game will have a very different feel.  Sure, the familiar faces (Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Nolan Arenado will be there), but so will a lot of players who aren't brand names.  And there'll be a whole lot of Texas Rangers.  Four in the AL starting lineup, which could end up becoming five if Adolis Garcia gets the nod as Judge's replacement.

Texas isn't the only unexpected team that will have a bunch of All*Stars.  So will the Diamondbacks, who've been one of the surprise teams in all of baseball this season.  And I wouldn't be surprised to see a few Orioles, as well.  Meanwhile, some of the usual suspects (Yankees, Cardinals) will be limited to just their token representative.

Then token representatives have always been a source of debate about the MLB All*Star Game.  I, personally, have no problem with them.  The All*Star Game is the one day a year fans of every team can watch and see their team represented.  And, even if they don't play, they'll still get to hear their team announced and their best player in the first half honored.

With that being said, finding token representatives did prove to be somewhat difficult for a few teams.  The single-All*Star teams in the National League actually weren't too bad.  They all had somebody worthwhile.  In the AL, however, it was a challenge.  The A's, Royals and Tigers are THAT bad!  I did manage to find someone from each of them, though.

I also like that they announced the starters ahead of time.  While it took an element of suspense out, it added a level of certainty.  And it made selecting pitchers and reserves a whole lot easier!  Although, only to a certain extent since, as I said, there are a lot of Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers starting.

It's worth mentioning, too, that the fans did an outstanding job with the starting lineups this year!  All the Rangers aside, there's really very little to complain about with the nine players chosen in each league.  I maybe would've gone with Adley Rutschman over Jonah Heim, and I'm not sure J.D. Martinez was the right choice at DH in the NL, but that's about it.

We've also got one rookie starting in each league.  Rangers third baseman and Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll.  It could've been three if Reds sensation Elly de la Cruz had been called up a little earlier.  NL Rookie of the Year will probably come down to Carroll and de la Cruz, but de la Cruz has played in just 22 games, which isn't enough of a body of work to warrant an All*Star selection.  Hopefully they find some way to have him involved in the festivities, though.

So, if de la Cruz won't be there, who will?  It's time to find out.  Here's who I've got headed to Seattle for the 2023 All*Star Game:

NATIONAL LEAGUE
C: *Sean Murphy (ATL), Will Smith (LAD)
1B: *Freddie Freeman (LAD), Christian Walker (ARZ), Matt Olson (ATL)
2B: *Luis Arraez (MIA), Ketel Marte (ARZ)
SS: *Orlando Arcia (ATL), Dansby Swanson (CHC)
3B: *Nolan Arenado (STL), Austin Riley (ATL)
OF: *Ronald Acuna Jr. (ATL), *Mookie Betts (LAD), *Corbin Carroll (ARZ), Christian Yelich (MIL), Brandon Nimmo (NYM), Nick Castellanos (PHI), Lane Thomas (WSH)
DH: *J.D. Martinez (LAD), Jorge Soler (MIA)
P: Zac Gallen (ARZ), Merrill Kelly (ARZ), Spencer Strider (ATL), Justin Steele (CHC), Alexis Diaz (CIN), Ian Gibaut (CIN), Brent Suter (COL), Clayton Kershaw (LAD), David Bednar (PIT), Mitch Keller (PIT), Josh Hader (SD), Camilo Doval (SF)

AMERICAN LEAGUE
C: *Jonah Heim (TEX), Adley Rutschman (BAL)
1B: *Yandy Diaz (TB), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR)
2B: *Marcus Semien (TEX), Brandon Drury (LAA)
SS: *Corey Seager (TEX), Bobby Witt Jr. (KC), Bo Bichette (TOR)
3B: *Josh Jung (TEX), Jose Ramirez (CLE)
OF: *Mike Trout (LAA), *Randy Arozarena (TB), x-Aaron Judge (NYY), Austin Hays (BAL), Luis Robert Jr. (CWS), Kyle Tucker (HOU), Adolis Garcia (TEX)
DH: *Shohei Ohtani (LAA), Justin Turner (BOS), Brent Rooker (OAK)
P: Felix Bautista (BAL), Yennier Cano (BAL), Emmanuel Clase (CLE), Eduardo Rodriguez (DET), Framber Valdez (HOU), Carlos Estevez (LAA), Joe Ryan (MIN), Gerrit Cole (NYY), Paul Sewald (SEA), Shane McClanahan (TB), Nathan Eovaldi (TEX), Kevin Gausman (TOR)

Please note that the AL has two additional All*Stars.  One (Austin Hays) because there's a zero percent chance Aaron Judge will actually play, the other because Shohei Ohtani will almost certainly be selected as a pitcher.  However, since he's already on the team as the starting DH, I picked another pitcher (Kevin Gausman) as his "replacement" on the AL staff so that there's a full roster of 32.  The real question is whether Ohtani will pitch like he did in 2021 or if he'll only hit like he did last year.

Two years ago, when Ohtani did double-duty in the All*Star Game, he was the American League's starting pitcher.  If he's gonna pitch this year, it would be smart to that again.  In fact, it's not really that hard an argument to say Ohtani should start on the mound simply because he's been the AL's best pitcher in the first half.  If it's not Ohtani, I'd give the nod to Tampa Bay's Shane McClanahan.

In the National League, there are several pitchers I'd consider for the start.  Clayton Kershaw finally made his first career All*Star start last season at home at Dodger Stadium.  Wouldn't it be crazy if he starts back-to-back?  I'm a little more inclined to go with the Braves' Spencer Strider or the Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen, though.  Of course, it all depends on who's available and properly rested.

There's one final order of business.  Choosing the third AL outfielder to start in Judge's place.  They usually go with the leading vote-getter on the player ballot who isn't already starting.  And I have a feeling that was Adolis Garcia.  Making it five Texas Rangers in the AL's starting lineup.  And, in case you're wondering, who's hosting the 2024 All*Star Game?  Why, that would be the Texas Rangers!