2022 MLB All-Star Game Roster Picks 1 Week Before Voting Results
Phase 1 of MLB All-Star voting is over, and we are now just one week away from the full American League and National League rosters being announced for the 2022 Midsummer Classic.
That means it's time for another round of All-Star picks.
Using the 32-player roster format implemented in 2018, we assembled our AL and NL teams based solely on 2022 performance. Voting trends and popularity did not factor into these decisions, though the two players recently named to the starting lineup were penciled in as locks. From there, we simply picked the other 31 players who are most deserving while sticking to the rule of including at least one player from every team.
Each roster is made up of 20 position players and 12 pitchers.
We also highlighted three notable snubs from each league, since the players who don't get selected are often a bigger story than the ones who do.
AL Starting Lineup
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AL Starting Lineup
1. CF Mike Trout, LAA
2. 3B Jose Ramirez, CLE
3. RF Aaron Judge, NYY
4. DH Yordan Alvarez, HOU
5. SS Xander Bogaerts, BOS
6. LF Kyle Tucker, HOU
7. 1B Ty France, SEA
8. C Alejandro Kirk, TOR
9. 2B Andres Gimenez, CLE
SP Shane McClanahan, TB
Notes
-As the AL's leading vote-getter in Phase 1 of the voting process, Aaron Judge has already earned a starting spot in the All-Star Game. He would have been a no-brainer to pencil into the AL outfield anyway with a 179 OPS+ and an MLB-leading 29 home runs.
-First baseman Ty France is currently on the injured list with a sprained elbow, but he's back to hitting in the cage and optimistic he can return after the minimum 10 days retroactive to June 23. With a 152 OPS+ and 2.9 WAR, he has earned the start if healthy.
AL Reserves (Position Players)
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AL Reserves (Position Players)
C Jose Trevino, NYY
1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR
2B Jose Altuve, HOU
3B Rafael Devers, BOS
SS Jeremy Pena, HOU
IF Luis Arraez, MIN
OF Andrew Benintendi, KC
OF Byron Buxton, MIN
OF Julio Rodriguez, SEA
OF Taylor Ward, LAA
DH Shohei Ohtani, LAA
Notes
-The AL reserves list started with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Rafael Devers, Luis Arraez and Taylor Ward, who are all locks for a spot on the team in some capacity if they are not selected to start. Outfielder Andrew Benintendi is also a safe bet to be the lone representative for the Kansas City Royals.
-The backup catcher spot came down to Jose Trevino (114 OPS+, 10 XBH, 2.0 WAR, 32 CS%) or Jonah Heim (120 OPS+, 19 XBH, 1.5 WAR, 13 CS%), with the more well-rounded Trevino getting the nod.
-Can rookie Julio Rodriguez (131 OPS+, 29 XBH, 19 SB, 3.0 WAR) and Byron Buxton (148 OPS+, 20 HR, 2.6 WAR) edge out George Springer (136 OPS+, 28 XBH, 2.3 WAR) for a reserve outfield spot? There's also a real chance Austin Hays will be the pick to represent the Baltimore Orioles. Expect the AL outfield selections to stir up plenty of debate.
AL Reserves (Pitchers)
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AL Reserves (Pitchers)
SP Dylan Cease, CWS
SP Nestor Cortes, NYY
SP Logan Gilbert, SEA
SP Alek Manoah, TOR
SP Frankie Montas, OAK
SP Martin Perez, TEX
SP Justin Verlander, HOU
RP Emmanuel Clase, CLE
RP Clay Holmes, NYY
RP Jorge Lopez, BAL
RP Gregory Soto, DET
Notes
-This list includes four players who are their team's only representative in Frankie Montas (16 GS, 3.20 ERA, 99 K, 95.2 IP), Martin Perez (15 GS, 2.22 ERA, 77 K, 93.2 IP), Jorge Lopez (32 G, 13/15 SV, 0.73 ERA) and Gregory Soto (29 G, 15/17 SV, 2.57 ERA). All four are having good enough seasons to be viable candidates outside of fulfilling a requirement, but building the AL staff had to start with penciling them in.
-Dylan Cease (26 years old), Nestor Cortes (27 years old), Logan Gilbert (25 years old) and Alek Manoah (24 years old) would all be first-time selections, while Justin Verlander (39 years old) already has eight All-Star selections under his belt.
-There are a ton of deserving bullpen candidates, but it's hard to argue with anyone being more deserving than Clay Holmes (35 G, 14/15 SV, 0.49 ERA, 0.74 WHIP) and Emmanuel Clase (35 G, 18/20 SV, 1.35 ERA, 0.78 WHIP) to round out the AL staff.
3 Notable AL Snubs
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SS Tim Anderson, Chicago White Sox
The toughest decision on the AL bench aside from which outfielders made the cut was the backup shortstop pick between AL Rookie of the Year front-runner Jeremy Pena and Anderson who is hitting .340/.377/.460, but has played in just 48 games. Don't be surprised if both find their way onto the roster.
OF Austin Hays, Baltimore Orioles
With a .279/.336/.475 line that includes 19 doubles, 11 home runs and 45 RBI, Hays is the best player on the Orioles roster right now. It was a cleaner roster fit to have closer Jorge Lopez be the pick for the O's, but Hays would be a worthy selection as well even in a crowded AL outfield.
RP Ryne Stanek, Houston Astros
If Gregory Soto didn't need a spot on the AL roster as the Detroit Tigers' lone representative, Stanek would be the pick. The 30-year-old has a 0.69 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 10.0 K/9 with eight holds in 29 appearances, and he has limited opposing hitters to a .157 batting average.
AL Team-by-Team Breakdown
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BAL (1): RP Jorge Lopez
BOS (2): 3B Rafael Devers, SS Xander Bogaerts
CWS (1): SP Dylan Cease
CLE (3): 2B Andres Gimenez, 3B Jose Ramirez, RP Emmanuel Clase
DET (1): RP Gregory Soto
HOU (5): 2B Jose Altuve, SS Jeremy Pena, OF Kyle Tucker, DH Yordan Alvarez, SP Justin Verlander
KC (1): OF Andrew Benintendi
LAA (3): OF Mike Trout, OF Taylor Ward, DH/SP Shohei Ohtani
MIN (2): IF Luis Arraez, OF Byron Buxton
NYY (4): C Jose Trevino, OF Aaron Judge, SP Nestor Cortes, RP Clay Holmes
OAK (1): SP Frankie Montas
SEA (3): 1B Ty France, OF Julio Rodriguez, SP Logan Gilbert
TB (1): SP Shane McClanahan
TEX (1): SP Martin Perez
TOR (3): C Alejandro Kirk, 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., SP Alek Manoah
NL Starting Lineup
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NL Starting Lineup
1. RF Ronald Acuna Jr., ATL
2. 3B Manny Machado, SD
3. 1B Paul Goldschmidt, STL
4. DH Pete Alonso, NYM
5. LF Kyle Schwarber, PHI
6. SS Dansby Swanson, ATL
7. C Willson Contreras, CHC
8. 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr., MIA
9. 2. CF Brandon Nimmo, NYM
SP Sandy Alcantara, MIA
Notes
-Despite playing in only 43 games after missing the start of the season recovering from last year's torn ACL, Ronald Acuna Jr. was the leading vote-getter for the National League after Phase 1 of voting, so he has secured a place in the starting lineup.
-Bryce Harper will likely be voted in as the starting designated hitter, and deservedly so as he was hitting .318/.385/.599 for a 174 OPS+ with 21 doubles and 15 home runs before he suffered a broken left thumb. Whoever is not voted to start at first base between Paul Goldschmidt and Pete Alonso is the logical pick to replace him as the starting DH.
-Another injury void will need to be filled if Mookie Betts is voted to a starting spot in the NL outfield as he works his way back from a fractured rib. Slugger Kyle Schwarber (137 OPS+, 23 HR) and on-base machine Brandon Nimmo (127 OPS+, .364 on-base percentage) are both worthy of starting consideration.
NL Reserves (Position Players)
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NL Reserves (Position Players)
C Will Smith, LAD
1B Josh Bell, WAS
1B Freddie Freeman, LAD
2B Jeff McNeil, NYM
3B Nolan Arenado, STL
SS Tommy Edman, STL
y-SS Trea Turner, LAD
IF Brandon Drury, CIN
x-OF Mookie Betts, LAD
OF Joc Pederson, SF
OF Bryan Reynolds, PIT
y-OF Juan Soto, WAS
x-DH Bryce Harper, PHI
Notes
-Replacing Mookie Betts on the roster with his teammate Trea Turner (130 OPS+, 31 XBH, 15 SB) adds another deserving player to the NL bench and another representative for the host Los Angeles Dodgers.
-Versatile infielder Brandon Drury (127 OPS+, 31 XBH, 40 RBI) and outfielder Bryan Reynolds (125 OPS+, 15 HR, 31 RBI) are the lone representatives for a pair of NL Central non-contenders, while Juan Soto (135 OPS+, .375 OBP, 14 HR) gets the nod as the injury replacement for Bryce Harper to give the Washington Nationals a second All-Star.
-Another approach to building the NL bench would be to give catcher Tyler Stephenson of the Cincinnati Reds a spot over Drury. That would in turn open up a reserve infield spot for someone like Austin Riley, Ke'Bryan Hayes or Luis Guillorme.
NL Reserves (Pitchers)
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NL Reserves (Pitchers)
SP Corbin Burnes, MIL
SP Max Fried, ATL
SP Zac Gallen, ARI
SP Tony Gonsolin, LAD
SP Miles Mikolas, STL
SP Joe Musgrove, SD
SP Carlos Rodon, SF
RP Daniel Bard, COL
RP Edwin Diaz, NYM
RP Josh Hader, MIL
RP Ryan Helsley, STL
Notes
-Starter Zac Gallen (14 GS, 3.32 ERA, 73 K) is the only representative for the Arizona Diamondbacks, while closer Daniel Bard (28 G, 15/17 SV, 2.12 ERA, 10.9 K/9) would be a great story as a first-time All-Star in his age-37 season as the lone pick for the Colorado Rockies.
-There are currently nine different qualified starting pitchers with a sub-3.00 ERA, along with Tony Gonsolin (14 GS, 9-0, 1.58 ERA, 74.0 IP) who falls just short of the required innings to qualify for the leaderboard, so narrowing that list inevitably resulted in some deserving snubs. Julio Urias (15 GS, 2.64 ERA), Zack Wheeler (14 GS, 2.89 ERA) and Pablo Lopez (15 GS, 2.98 ERA) wound up on the outside looking in.
-Sandy Alcantara (16 GS, 8-3, 1.95 ERA, 97 K, 115.1 IP) is currently our pick to get the starting nod for the National League on the mound, but Joe Musgrove (14 GS, 8-2, 2.25 ERA, 92 K, 92.0 IP) is also a strong candidate after recording his NL-best 13th quality start on Thursday night.
3 Notable NL Snubs
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1B C.J. Cron, Colorado Rockies
First base is loaded in the National League with Paul Goldschmidt, Pete Alonso, Freddie Freeman and Josh Bell all projected for a spot on the roster. That leaves Cron on the outside looking in, despite a 133 OPS+ with 16 doubles, 17 home runs and 56 RBI.
3B Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves
It feels wrong to snub Riley again after he wasn't an All-Star last season when he finished seventh in NL MVP voting and won a Silver Slugger. The 25-year-old has a 124 OPS+ with 18 home runs and 43 RBI so he's more than deserving, but he also finds himself behind Manny Machado and Nolan Arenado in the pecking order among NL third basemen.
SP Pablo Lopez, Miami Marlins
Lopez was our pick to start for the National League last time we made our All-Star picks at the beginning of June, but he struggled to a 5.34 ERA in 28.2 innings over five starts last month and now finds himself on the snub list.
NL Team-by-Team Breakdown
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ARI (1): SP Zach Gallen
ATL (3): SS Dansby Swanson, SP Max Fried, OF Ronald Acuna Jr.
CHC (1): C Willson Contreras
CIN (1): IF Brandon Drury
COL (1): RP Daniel Bard
LAD (5): C Will Smith, 1B Freddie Freeman, SP Tony Gonsolin, y-SS Trea Turner, x-OF Mookie Betts
MIA (2): 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr., SP Sandy Alcantara
MIL (2): SP Corbin Burnes, RP Josh Hader
NYM (4): 1B Pete Alonso, 2B Jeff McNeil, OF Brandon Nimmo, RP Edwin Diaz
PHI (2): OF Kyle Schwarber, x-DH Bryce Harper
PIT (1): OF Bryan Reynolds
SD (2): 3B Manny Machado, SP Joe Musgrove
SF (2): OF Joc Pederson, SP Carlos Rodon
STL (5): 1B Paul Goldschmidt, 3B Nolan Arenado, SS Tommy Edman, SP Miles Mikolas, RP Ryan Helsley
WAS (2): 1B Josh Bell, y-OF Juan Soto
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and accurate through Tuesday's games.
