MLB's All-Star Team for 2nd Half of 2022 Season
The Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks have been playing for a whole lot of nothing over the second half of the 2022 MLB season, but try telling that to Nathaniel Lowe, Joey Meneses and Zac Gallen, who have been producing at an All-Star level for the past two months.
It's a shame that we spend so much time arguing over who deserves to go to the All-Star Game every year, only to then do basically nothing to recognize exceptional play over the latter half of the season.
We're going to try to right that wrong with this roster of second-half all-stars.
Everything accomplished prior to July 21 is irrelevant here.
For each of the nine non-pitching positions (including DH), we've named a starter and a reserve for this all-star team while also noting a handful of players at each position who almost made the cut. And then for pitchers, it's the five best starters and the five best relievers since the Midsummer Classic (with a few honorable mentions for each).
Statistics current through the start of play on Wednesday, Sept. 21.
Catchers
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Starter: J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia Phillies
2nd-Half Stats: .321/.392/.631, 12 HR, 28 R, 42 RBI, 5 SB
During Philadelphia's "bad enough to get Joe Girardi fired" start to the season, Realmuto was not faring well. In those 51 games, he batted .247 with three home runs and four stolen bases.
But he turned a corner in early July and has been thriving ever since with a 1.034 OPS over his last 57 games played.
After going 5-for-5 with a home run in Tuesday night's 18-11 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, Realmuto now trails only Aaron Judge in both slugging percentage and FanGraphs WAR (among qualified hitters) for the second half of the season. And if he steals three more bases down the stretch, he'll join Ivan Rodriguez (35 HR, 25 SB in 1999) as the only 20/20 catchers in MLB history.
Reserve: Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles
2nd-Half Stats: .284/.414/.470, 6 HR, 36 R, 20 RBI, 2 SB
If Realmuto ever gives an inch, Rutschman is right there behind his fellow backstop in that "most valuable player not named Judge" conversation. Rutschman isn't quite Juan Soto when it comes to drawing walks, but that .414 OBP since the All-Star break is indicative of his patient approach at the plate. He's also a surprisingly good baserunner for a catcher, even though he doesn't swipe nearly as many bags as Realmuto.
Also Considered: Travis d'Arnaud, Sean Murphy, Salvador Perez
First Base
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Starter: Nathaniel Lowe, Texas Rangers
2nd-Half Stats: .358/.413/.602, 13 HR, 26 R, 33 RBI
Choosing a first baseman for this exercise was the toughest decision, by far, and certainly not due to a lack of quality candidates.
But while the Texas Rangers have collapsed to the tune of a 22-35 record since the All-Star break, Lowe takes the cake with an astounding .358 batting average over his last 57 games. He was actually sitting at .371 prior to back-to-back hitless performances over the past few days. However, even after those two duds, he still has four more hits since the break (79) than the next player on that list (Freddie Freeman, 75).
Lowe was particularly hot in the 21-game stretch from August 20 through the first half of a September 12 doubleheader, batting .417 with 14 multi-hit performances and seven home runs.
Not too shabby for a guy who was batting .238 with one home run through his first 131 plate appearances of the season.
Reserve: Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals
2nd-Half Stats: .307/.402/.613, 15 HR, 39 R, 42 RBI
The once realistic dream of the NL's first triple crown since Joe Medwick in 1937 is no more, as Goldschmidt has batted .228 with just two home runs and seven runs driven in dating back to August 26. For those first five weeks after the All-Star break, though, Goldy was playing out of his mind, batting .365 while homering at a 162-game pace of 75. During that time, he pretty much carried the Cardinals to a 21-7 record and a nearly insurmountable lead in the NL Central.
Also Considered: Freddie Freeman, Seth Brown, Christian Walker, Rowdy Tellez, Pete Alonso
Second Base
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Starter: Jeff McNeil, New York Mets
2nd-Half Stats: .340/.391/.471, 3 HR, 26 R, 23 RBI, 2 SB
McNeil bounced all over the place for the Mets in the first half of the season. He primarily went back and forth between second base and left field, but he occasionally played right or served as the DH. And within New York's first 20 games, he batted leadoff, third, fifth, seventh and eighth in the order.
Regardless of where they put him, though, he produced, taking a .300 batting average into the All-Star break and earning a roster spot for the Midsummer Classic.
And he has gotten even better in the second half of the season.
From August 10 through September 12, he started 31 consecutive games at second base and batted .366.
Because he doesn't hit many homers or steal many bags, McNeil's name is never the first that springs to mind when you think of New York's most valuable players. However, he has been one of the most reliable hitters in baseball over the past half-decade.
Reserve: Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
2nd-Half Stats: .319/.398/.507, 8 HR, 43 R, 20 RBI, 10 SB
For a while there, it looked like Altuve's base-stealing days were behind him. He swiped just 13 bags in 318 games played from 2019 to 2021. But he has reharnessed some of his early-career speed with six stolen bases in September alone. He also has 23 multi-hit games in the second half of this season, playing a huge role in Houston's surge to the AL's projected No. 1 seed.
Also Considered: Andrés Giménez, Rodolfo Castro, Marcus Semien, Luis Rengifo
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Third Base
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Starter: Alex Bregman, Houston Astros
2nd-Half Stats: .313/.403/.559, 10 HR, 42 R, 42 RBI
Bregman has historically done most of his damage in August, batting right around .260 for his career in April, May, June and July before catching fire for the doldrums of the summer.
To that end, it was pretty much business as usual this year. He was hitting just .238 at the All-Star Break, on pace to finish the year with 20 home runs. But he batted .362 with a 1.133 OPS in August and now at least has respectable year-to-date numbers.
He's not headed for a top-five finish in the AL MVP vote like he had in 2018 and 2019, but he's now right back up there with Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker on the list of players Houston will be expecting to come through in the clutch this postseason.
Reserve: Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals
2nd-Half Stats: .301/.359/.570, 11 HR, 29 R, 39 RBI, 4 SB
Admittedly, the choices for this exercise were based predominantly on production at the plate, and Arenado would probably slide ahead of Bregman if we adequately accounted for their respective impacts on defense. But his second half of the season has been every bit as good as his first, and he is still in great shape to finish as runner-up to teammate Paul Goldschmidt for NL MVP.
Also Considered: Manny Machado, Justin Turner, Eugenio Suárez, Matt Chapman
Shortstop
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Starter: Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays
2nd-Half Stats: .327/.372/.575, 10 HR, 37 R, 39 RBI, 4 SB
Bichette hasn't been so much of a "Second-Half All-Star" as he has been a "September God." He was hitting just .269 from July 22 through the end of August, but he has been out of this world in the current month.
He actually didn't contribute much of anything (1-for-5, no RBI) in Tuesday's 18-11 victory over Philadelphia, but even after that one, he's batting 34-for-80 (.425) with an OPS of 1.296 in September. Take Aaron Judge out of the equation and Bichette has been baseball's best hitter over the past three weeks.
In the Sept. 5 doubleheader in Baltimore, he went 6-for-10 with three home runs and seven RBI. Then, he went out and collected four more hits the next day. And he'd still be hitting .369 in September even if we ignored that liquid-hot-magma stretch of 36 hours.
Reserve: Francisco Lindor, New York Mets
2nd-Half Stats: .308/.379/.489, 9 HR, 38 R, 33 RBI, 6 SB
Lindor had already been penciled into this spot before Tuesday night, but that game-changing grand slam against the Milwaukee Brewers was a mighty-nice touch. Sort of the opposite of Bichette, Lindor was especially hot in the first month after the All-Star break, batting .353 with a .959 OPS in his first 30 games of the second half. And after cooling off for two weeks, he has been on fire again with six multi-hit performances in his last 13 games.
Also Considered: Xander Bogaerts, Oneil Cruz, Carlos Correa, Elvis Andrus
Left Field
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Starter: Eloy Jiménez, Chicago White Sox
2nd-Half Stats: .351/.421/.590, 12 HR, 31 R, 37 RBI
In case you're wondering, yes, Jiménez was the player who sparked the idea to write this article.
At the All-Star break, he was batting .197 and had played in just 19 games because of injury. He wasn't the main reason or even one of the top five reasons the White Sox were so woefully underachieving, but he was nowhere close to meeting expectations, either.
But then the left fielder (who has almost exclusively been the DH over the past month, but just go with it) caught fire. Only Aaron Judge and Nathaniel Lowe have had a better batting average in the second half, and only a handful of players have hit more home runs. If Chicago ultimately sneaks into the playoffs, take it to the bank that he'll be a big reason for that finishing flourish.
Reserve: Jake McCarthy, Arizona Diamondbacks
2nd-Half Stats: .314/.374/.461, 5 HR, 29 R, 32 RBI, 16 SB
Like Jiménez, McCarthy was practically a non-factor in the first half of the season. He played in 35 games, batting .242 with two stolen bases. But then he channeled his inner Ichiro Suzuki and turned into one of the best singles-hitting, base-stealing combos in the majors. No one has more stolen bases since the Midsummer Classic.
Also Considered: See Right Field
Center Field
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Starter: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
2nd-Half Stats: .372/.506/.853, 27 HR, 49 R, 58 RBI, 8 SB
With Harrison Bader finally activated from the IL, Judge will presumably take up permanent residence in right field the rest of the way. But, by a slim margin, he has made more appearances in center (28 games) than in right (26 games) since the All-Star break, so we'll slot him here.
Regardless of where you put him, he's the no-brainer starter.
Judge's counting stats since the All-Star break are pretty much on par with what Pittsburgh's Bryan Reynolds has accomplished in 132 games this entire season (24 HR, 65 R, 56 RBI, 6 SB). And Reynolds is having a good year; he would have been one of the biggest names traded if the Pirates had been willing to part with him. It's just a testament to how unbelievable Judge has been.
Reserve: Michael Harris II, Atlanta Braves
2nd-Half Stats: .326/.370/.574, 10 HR, 40 R, 33 RBI, 8 SB
It's a little bit preposterous that Spencer Strider has a 2.20 ERA and 13.8 K/9 since the All-Star break, yet this teammate of his has kept pace with him and perhaps even bypassed him in the race for NL ROY. Harris has been incredible—both at the dish and in the field—and has shown no signs of slowing down.
Also Considered: See Right Field
Right Field
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Starter: Joey Meneses, Washington Nationals
2nd-Half Stats: .324/.357/.547, 9 HR, 26 R, 23 RBI
When Meneses (called up on August 2 to help replace Juan Soto in right field and Josh Bell at first base) homered in the first game of his career as a 30-year-old rookie, it felt like an awesome moment for a guy who was probably never going to play in the majors again after this season.
But then he socked a few more homers during an 11-game hitting streak. He had three doubles in a game in late August. He opened September with a four-hit performance and had another one Monday.
Out of nowhere, he has become Washington's MVP and might actually be a key factor in this team's rebuild over the next few years.
Reserve: Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
2nd-Half Stats: .278/.344/.568, 14 HR, 48 R, 31 RBI, 6 SB
We easily could have gone with Betts as the starter in right field, as he is second in the NL—but still trailing Aaron Judge by a 13—in home runs since the All-Star break. The Dodgers leadoff hitter also has 18 doubles and three triples, giving Trea Turner and Freddie Freeman plenty of RBI opportunities despite his propensity to just knock himself in with a four-bagger.
Also Considered (For Any Outfield Spot): Mike Trout, Steven Kwan, Trayce Thompson, Julio Rodríguez, Daulton Varsho, Seth Brown
Designated Hitter
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Starter: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
2nd-Half Stats: .315/.382/.677, 13 HR, 15 R, 33 RBI
When MLB opted to add a legacy roster spot to the All-Star Game to get Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera there, it was a cool gesture for all-time greats who had been a shell of their former selves over the past half-decade.
But while some players worry that doing the Home Run Derby could mess up their swing for the second half of the season, it woke up a dormant volcano in Pujols.
In mid-August, he hit seven home runs in a span of 29 trips to the plate, including two multi-HR games and one instance when his solo shot was the only run scored in a 1-0 victory.
At the start of play Wednesday, Aaron Judge was the only player in the majors with a higher slugging percentage than Pujols has had in the second half (min. 50 plate appearances).
Reserve: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
2nd-Half Stats: .284/.372/.614, 15 HR, 33 R, 33 RBI
As captivating as Pujols' 700-HR chase has been, Ohtani has been every bit as good with 31 extra-base hits in the past two months. He's also pitching incredibly well, but it didn't feel right to factor that into whether he's more deserving of the DH spot than Pujols.
Also Considered: Yordan Alvarez, William Contreras, Luke Voit
Starting Pitcher
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Starter No. 1: Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks
2nd-Half Stats: 8-1, 70.1 IP, 1.15 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, 10.0 K/9
Gallen made one heck of a run at Orel Hershiser's MLB record of 59 consecutive scoreless innings, getting to 44.1 straight without a blemish from August 8 through September 11. During that time, he allowed just 24 baserunners (erasing six of them on GIDPs) and racked up 52 strikeouts. Gallen also opened the second half of the season with a start of seven scoreless innings, making a total of seven starts in the past two months in which he logged at least six innings without allowing a run.
Starter No. 2: Jacob deGrom, New York Mets
2nd-Half Stats: 5-2, 54.1 IP, 2.32 ERA, 0.61 WHIP, 14.2 K/9
As has often been the case when looking at deGrom's stats over the past few years, it's hard to decide which data point is most ridiculous here. He has 86 strikeouts against just four walks and has struck out 44.1 percent of the batters he has faced, but that 0.61 WHIP is absurd. DeGrom has gone at least five innings in each of his nine starts and has yet to allow more than five baserunners in a game.
Starter No. 3: Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves
2nd-Half Stats: 7-2, 57.1 IP, 2.20 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 13.8 K/9
The 16-K game against Colorado earlier this month was the mustachioed marvel's magnum opus, but he has been lights-out pretty much all season. Here's hoping the oblique soreness after his most recent start against the Phillies (6.0 IP, 1 H, 10 K) isn't anything serious, because this rookie who wasn't even part of the starting rotation until the end of May has become an indispensable strikeout machine.
Starter No. 4: Justin Verlander, Houston Astros
2nd-Half Stats: 5-0, 47.2 IP, 1.51 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 10.4 K/9
Verlander missed a few weeks with a calf injury, but then threw five hitless innings with nine strikeouts against the Oakland A's in his first game back this past Friday, lowering his year-to-date ERA to an MLB-best 1.78. Barring some colossal implosion in these final two weeks, he's going to win his third Cy Young.
Starter No. 5: Max Scherzer, New York Mets
2nd-Half Stats: 4-3, 64.2 IP, 2.09 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 10.0 K/9
Just like Verlander, Scherzer missed a couple of weeks with an injury and came back better than ever. In Mad Max's case, it was six perfect innings with nine strikeouts Monday night in Milwaukee. Scherzer also went seven scoreless against both Atlanta and the other New York squad shortly after the All-Star break, making a spirited push for NL Cy Young despite missing more than six weeks of action earlier this season with an oblique strain.
Also Considered: Shane Bieber, George Kirby, Lance Lynn, Shohei Ohtani, Brady Singer, Dylan Cease, Sandy Alcantara
Relief Pitcher
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Reliever No. 1: Pete Fairbanks, Tampa Bay Rays
2nd-Half Stats: 0.90 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, 13.5 K/9, 8 Saves
Fairbanks didn't even make his 2022 debut until the day before the All-Star break because of a lat injury suffered in spring training, and he allowed three earned runs across his first two appearances of the season. Since then, though? 19.0 IP, 8 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 30 K and a strong grip on the Rays' closer gig. It's one thing to have a 0.00 ERA as a reliever, but Fairbanks also has an absurd 0.27 FIP during this scoreless streak.
Reliever No. 2: Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland Guardians
2nd-Half Stats: 1.37 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, 17 Saves
Clase does have two blown saves this month, but hey, no one's perfect. He has been close to perfection since the beginning of last season, though, with 60 saves and a 1.34 ERA. And his ninth-inning dominance is one of the biggest reasons Cleveland is closing in on winning the AL Central.
Reliever No. 3: Edwin Díaz, New York Mets
2nd-Half Stats: 0.87 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, 15.2 K/9, 11 Saves
Push the data set back another month to June 22 instead of July 22, and Diaz easily jumps to No. 1, as he has allowed just two earned runs while saving 17 games over the past three months. Since the All-Star break, the Mets have asked Diaz to pitch multiple innings on four occasions. In those games, he went a combined total of 6.1 innings, allowing two hits and no runs with one walk and 12 strikeouts.
Reliever No. 4: Raisel Iglesias, Atlanta Braves
2nd-Half Stats: 0.39 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 10.0 K/9
Trading for Raisel Iglesias—who is in the first season of a four-year, $58 million contract and had a 4.04 ERA with six losses as the Angels closer this season—sure felt like a risky move by Atlanta. But it has paid off splendidly, as Iglesias has allowed just one run in the past six weeks while becoming Atlanta's primary right-handed middle reliever.
Reliever No. 5: Félix Bautista, Baltimore Orioles
2nd-Half Stats: 1.71 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, 13.3 K/9, 12 Saves
Bautista had saved just three games this season prior to the trade deadline, but he has done an incredible job as Baltimore's closer since the O's dealt Jorge López to the Minnesota Twins. Dating back to August 5, Bautista has made 15 appearances with a 1.47 ERA and an 11-for-11 mark in save chances (while López has imploded with a 5.60 ERA in Minnesota, by the way).
Also Considered: Sam Hentges, Jordan Romano, Ryan Helsley, Daniel Bard, Ryan Pressly
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