10 Players Most Likely to Be First-Time MLB All-Stars in 2024
Are MLB All-Star appearances the best way to evaluate a player's legacy after their career is over? Given that fan voting on position players often becomes a popularity contest and that a selection isn't indicative of a full season's worth of results, no.
But for better or worse, All-Star appearances are one of the easiest things for voters to look at when evaluating Hall of Fame worthiness of a player, and before you can make a Cooperstown-clinching amount of Midsummer Classics, you have to play in your first one.
With that in mind, here are 10 players who are on track to be selected to the All-Star Game for the first time in 2024.
Ranger Suárez, LHP, Philadelphia Phillies
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Ranger Suárez has been a Swiss Army knife for the Philadelphia Phillies in two consecutive deep postseason runs, displaying an ability to be a strong No. 3 in the starting rotation while also taking down some high-leverage innings out of the bullpen when needed.
But in 2024, he's stepped out of the shadows of Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, pitching about as well as anyone in the sport. Suárez has an aesthetically pleasing 8-0 record and is in the top 10 among all starters in terms of innings pitched (59), ERA (1.37) and WAR (1.8).
The Phillies are loaded with players who have already made multiple All-Star appearances, including Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber. But even on a team that figures to have multiple All-Stars, Suárez feels close to certain to be selected.
Elly De La Cruz, SS, Cincinnati Reds
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Elly De La Cruz has already made 10 errors at shortstop this season, so he's still a work in progress defensively. Despite that, the electricity that he's brought offensively should be enough to carry him to an All-Star berth.
The 22-year-old has already stolen 30 bases this season, while no other player in the sport has even reached 20. Additionally, he's homered nine times and has a .352 on-base percentage.
Coming into the season, there were legitimate questions about whether De La Cruz was a great athlete who played baseball or a baseball player who happens to be a tremendous athlete. Those have been answered in favor of the latter. He probably hasn't even scratched the surface of his potential, and it's already clear that De La Cruz is going to have an excellent MLB career.
Tanner Houck, RHP, Boston Red Sox
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Perhaps the most shocking name on this list, Tanner Houck has been one of the best starters in baseball in 2024, a year after he finished with a 5.01 ERA across 106 innings for the Boston Red Sox.
Among qualified starters, the 27-year-old is in the top 10 in terms of innings pitched (58), ERA (2.17), FIP (2.24) and WAR (1.9). He's also one of just five starters this season who has thrown a complete-game shutout.
His strong start has been a major reason the Red Sox have been one of the better starting rotations in baseball, despite Alex Cora's staff looking like a weakness entering the season. Houck deserves to be in Arlington in mid-July, where he'll perhaps be the first player to ever don No. 89 in the Midsummer Classic.
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Gunnar Henderson, SS, Baltimore Orioles
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Gunnar Henderson wasn't an All-Star a year ago, but the Baltimore Orioles phenom won the AL Rookie of the Year Award and a Silver Slugger, so it appeared to be more a matter of when than if he would play in the Midsummer Classic for the first time.
Turns out "when" may be in 2024, as Henderson is tied for the league lead with 15 home runs. Among shortstops, the 22-year-old is the leader in home runs, slugging percentage (.598) and RBI (29), while being second to current NL MVP front-runner in wRC+ (165) and WAR (2.8).
Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. made a staggering 19 All-Star Game appearances with the Orioles, a majority of which came at shortstop. Henderson isn't going to challenge that, but expect 2024 to be the first of many appearances in the exhibition for him.
Shota Imanaga, LHP, Chicago Cubs
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Could Shota Imanaga win both the NL Rookie of the Year and NL Cy Young Award in his first season after coming to MLB from Japan? The 30-year-old has gotten off to such an incredible start for the Chicago Cubs that it feels like a real possibility.
Imanaga is 5-0 with a league-best 0.84 ERA. He's second among all starting pitchers with a minuscule 2.22 FIP and is tied for second among all pitchers with 1.9 WAR.
The Cubs lured Imanaga to Chicago with a complicated four-year, $53 million deal that currently looks like perhaps the most team-friendly pact in baseball. So far, he's looked the part of someone who should have gotten much more fanfare and well over $100 million when he was posted.
Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Kansas City Royals
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Despite finishing seventh in AL MVP voting last year, Bobby Witt Jr. wasn't an All-Star. That perhaps highlights the flaw in deciding All-Stars a little more than halfway through the season rather than after the campaign has concluded.
In any event, the Kansas City Royals star is leaving no doubt about whether he should be an All-Star in 2024. According to FanGraphs, Witt is tied for fourth among all position players with 2.8 WAR. His 42 runs scored are the most in baseball, while he leads all shortstops in defensive runs saved (seven) and outs above average (nine).
Right now, it just appears to be a matter of whether the 23-year-old can earn the start at shortstop for the AL over Henderson.
Tarik Skubal, LHP, Detroit Tigers
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Tarik Skubal was arguably the best pitcher in baseball after July 4 last season, and he's picked up right where he left off in 2024, which should earn him his first trip to the All-Star Game.
The 27-year-old lefty is 6-0 with MLB-best marks in terms of FIP (1.95) and WAR (2.0), according to FanGraphs. For good measure, the Detroit Tigers ace is the American League leader with a 0.78 WHIP.
Not only is Skubal going to pitch in his first All-Star Game this season, but he also deserves to be the starting pitcher for the Junior Circuit.
Alec Bohm, 3B, Philadelphia Phillies
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Alec Bohm had some productive stretches for the Philadelphia Phillies over his first four seasons, including driving in 97 runs a year ago. But the former No. 3 overall pick has been the best hitter on the Phillies this season, which is noteworthy considering they have the top record in the sport.
After slashing .274/.327/.437 with a .765 OPS a year ago, Bohm is hitting .330/.389/.528 with a .917 OPS in 2024. He's leads the league with 18 doubles and 42 RBI.
Considering he only has five home runs, Bohm will have to keep hitting at a ridiculous clip to be an All-Star, especially considering how many other candidates are on his own team. But right now, the 27-year-old has the inside track to be the starting third baseman for the NL in the All-Star Game.
Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers
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Tyler Glasnow's biggest problem during parts of six seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays was his lack of availability, as he never pitched more than 120 innings in a year. So far with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Glasnow appears to have combined the dominance he showed with the Rays with a newfound durability.
Not only does Glasnow lead baseball with 81 strikeouts, but the 62 innings he's logged are the third-most of any pitcher in baseball. Is it sustainable? Time will tell, but Glasnow becoming a workhorse early in his first season with the Dodgers has helped a team that has been without Clayton Kershaw, Bobby Miller and Walker Buehler for part or all of the season avoid an early hole.
The Dodgers were wise to sign Glasnow to a four-year, $111.5 million extension on his way in the door this past offseason, because how he's pitched so far this season would have only increased his price next winter.
Kutter Crawford, RHP, Boston Red Sox
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Kutter Crawford wouldn't have been as shocking of an All-Star before the year as Houck, but he's another member of the Boston Red Sox no one would have foreseen pitching at an ace-level entering the 2024 season.
And yet, that's exactly what the 28-year-old has done.
A year ago, Crawford posted a 4.04 ERA, 3.83 FIP and 114 ERA+ over 129.1 innings. It was solid but certainly not spectacular production. In 2024, he's been outstanding, with a 2.17 ERA, 2.24 FIP and 191 ERA+ over 58 innings.
Crawford and Houck would be among the most unexpected starting-pitching duos to ever represent the same team at the All-Star Game.
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