Which Team Will Have the Most Representatives at 2020 MLB All-Star Game?
With the delay of Opening Day announcement from MLB on Thursday, it's fair to question just how many games will be played in the 2020 season. However, if the season does start on Apr. 9, or even a few weeks later, it's still likely that there will be an MLB All-Star Game in Los Angeles.
While the uncertainty of the coronavirus has overwhelmed MLB and the country, the hope is we can all eventually return to normalcy and enjoy America's Pastime and the premiere players in the game.
With that in mind, let's take an early look at the team's who will have the most All-Stars this upcoming season.
Last year, the Houston Astros led all teams with six representatives, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees with five each.
Here, we've predicted the full 34-man rosters for the AL and NL squads.
1 Representative AL Teams
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Baltimore Orioles: RF Trey Mancini
Mancini is currently sidelined after having a malignant tumor removed from his colon and there is no clear timetable for his return. Assuming he does not miss significant time, he's clearly the best player on the Orioles roster after posting a 135 OPS+ with 38 doubles and 35 home runs last season. Here's rooting for a speedy recovery and a quick return to action.
Detroit Tigers: 2B Jonathan Schoop
Finding a representative for the Tigers is tricky, especially if you aren't confident in Matthew Boyd replicating last year's success. Schoop signed a one-year, $6.1 million deal after posting a 102 OPS+ with 23 home runs in 2019, and he could easily be the team's most productive hitter this year.
Houston Astros: SP Zack Greinke
Bold prediction: The Astros are going to have only one All-Star, and it will almost certainly be a pitcher. The sign-stealing scandal has put a dark cloud over the organization and has called into question the legitimacy of their top offensive performers. Fans aren't going to vote for them to start, and fellow coaches and players aren't going to vote for them as reserves. Greinke joined the party late last year and remains one of baseball's best pitchers.
Kansas City Royals: SS Adalberto Mondesi
Mondesi hit .288/.325/.487 with 26 extra-base hits in 247 plate appearances over the first two months last season, but his offensive production dipped from that point forward. The 24-year-old is capable of that level of production over a full season, and he already brings elite speed (43 SB) and defense (8 DRS, 11.7 UZR/150) to the table.
Seattle Mariners: SP Marco Gonzales
The Mariners gave Gonzales a four-year, $30 million extension during the offseason after he posted a 109 ERA+ over a career-high 203 innings. The 28-year-old is not flashy, but he has proved to be an effective workhorse and is now the clear ace of the Seattle staff.
Texas Rangers: RF Joey Gallo
After hitting .208/.322/.516 with a 113 OPS+ in 2017 and 2018, Gallo took a clear step forward at the plate last season with a .253/.389/.598 line in an injury-shortened season. With legitimate 50-homer power and improved on-base skills, he is one of the most exciting offensive players in baseball when healthy.
Toronto Blue Jays: 3B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
The 20-year-old Guerrero hit a respectable .272/.339/.433 with 43 extra-base hits in 514 plate appearances to finish sixth in AL Rookie of the Year voting. Still just scratching the surface of his long-term potential, he could take a huge step forward in his sophomore campaign and make the first of many All-Star Game appearances.
Boston Red Sox (3 All-Stars)
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C Christian Vazquez
After hitting only 10 home runs in 999 plate appearances over his first four MLB seasons, Vazquez hit .276/.320/.477 for a 103 OPS+ with 26 doubles and 23 home runs during a breakout 2019 campaign. The 29-year-old also threw out 38 percent of base stealers. In the prime of his career, he will be a deserving first-time All-Star.
3B Rafael Devers
A rising star at a stacked third base position, Devers hit .311/.361/.555 with 54 doubles and 32 home runs in a breakout 2019 season. The 23-year-old has the power to turn a few more of those doubles into home runs in the years to come, and with Mookie Betts gone, he could quickly emerge as the face of the Red Sox franchise.
SP Eduardo Rodriguez
After years of struggling to stay healthy while teasing his potential, Rodriguez finally put together a full season in 2019. He posted a 3.81 ERA with 213 strikeouts in 203.1 innings, good for a 6.0 WAR season to that ranked fifth among AL pitchers. He pitched around an AL-leading 75 walks, and improved command could allow him to take another step forward.
Chicago White Sox (3 All-Stars)
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C Yasmani Grandal
The White Sox gave Grandal a four-year, $73 million contract during the offseason after a terrific one-year stint with the Milwaukee Brewers. The 31-year-old set career highs in on-base percentage (.380), walks (109), home runs (28) and RBI (77) to make his second All-Star appearance.
CF Luis Robert
Robert has the exciting tools to take the league by storm as a rookie. The 22-year-old hit .328/.376/.624 with 31 doubles, 11 triples, 32 home runs and 36 steals last season while reaching Triple-A, and the six-year, $50 million extension he signed in January should ensure his place on the Opening Day roster.
SP Lucas Giolito
After logging an MLB-worst 6.13 ERA in 173.1 innings during the 2018 season, Giolito enjoyed a breakout season with a 3.41 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 228 strikeouts in 176.2 innings while twirling three complete games and two shutouts. Now the clear ace of the staff, he's a rising star among AL hurlers.
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Cleveland Indians (3 All-Stars)
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SS Francisco Lindor
One of the game's true superstars, Lindor has been an All-Star in each of the past four seasons. He posted a 118 OPS+ with 40 doubles and 32 home runs last year, and he figures to spend much of the season in the spotlight amid ongoing trade rumors. Could he wind up moving during the All-Star break like Manny Machado did in 2018?
SP Shane Bieber
Bieber showed signs of a possible breakout to come in 2018 when he posted a 3.23 FIP and a 118-to-23 strikeout-to-walk ratio below the surface of a 4.55 ERA in 114.2 innings. With Corey Kluber traded to the Texas Rangers and Mike Clevinger starting the season on the injured list, Bieber is now the clear ace of the staff after posting a 3.28 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with 259 strikeouts in 214.1 innings.
RP James Karinchak
By far the boldest All-Star prediction of the three, Karinchak could be an elite late-inning weapon for the Indians as a rookie. The 24-year-old struck out an absurd 74 batters in only 30.1 innings in the minors last year, and he had eight strikeouts in 5.1 innings in his MLB debut. With an 80-grade fastball and a hammer curve, he has elite-level closer stuff.
Los Angeles Angels (3 All-Stars)
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3B Anthony Rendon
The Angels gave Rendon a massive seven-year, $245 million contract during the offseason after the best offensive season of his career. He hit .319/.412/.598 for a 153 OPS+ with 44 doubles, 34 home runs and 126 RBI to finish third in NL MVP voting. He was a first-time All-Star in 2019.
CF Mike Trout
Trout has been an All-Star in each of his eight full seasons in the majors, and unless he finds himself on the injured list, expect him to make his ninth Midsummer Classic in 2020. The game's best player hit a career-high 45 home runs last year while leading the AL in OPS+ (185) for the fifth straight season.
DH Shohei Ohtani
A career .286/.351/.532 hitter with a 135 OPS+ in 792 plate appearances, Ohtani has quickly developed into an elite offensive player. The two-way phenom is expected to return to the mound at some point during the 2020 season, but he will continue to serve as the team's primary DH in the meantime, which could be how he makes his first All-Star trip.
Tampa Bay Rays (3 All-Stars)
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LF Austin Meadows
After years as a top prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates system, Meadows finally got a chance to show what he can do at the MLB level after he was traded to the Rays. In his first full season in the majors, he led a 96-win team in OPS+ (143), home runs (33) and RBI (89) while earning a spot on the AL All-Star team. Expect plenty more appearances in the years to come.
SP Tyler Glasnow
Glasnow was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball during the first month-and-a-half of the 2019 season, posting a 1.86 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 48.1 innings over eight starts. Unfortunately, a forearm strain sidelined him for four months. He returned in September and proved healthy, and a full-season breakout could be coming in 2020.
RP Nick Anderson
Acquired from the Miami Marlins at the trade deadline, Anderson had a brilliant rookie season, racking up 110 strikeouts in 65 innings out of the bullpen. The 29-year-old looks like the front-runner to serve as the Rays' closer this year, and after posting a 41-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 21.1 innings following the trade, he's poised to be one of baseball's most dominant relievers.
MInnesota Twins (4 All-Stars)
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1B Miguel Sano
For fans of advanced metrics, Sano led the majors in hard-hit rate (57.2 percent) and finished second to Aaron Judge in average exit velocity (94.4 mph) last year, according to Baseball Savant. That bodes well for his chances of building off a season during which he slugged 34 home runs in 105 games. A move across the diamond to first base will also allow him to focus more on his offensive game.
RF Max Kepler
Sticking with advanced metrics, Kepler put together a breakout 2019 season despite finishing with the fourth-lowest BABIP (.244) among all qualified hitters. With some better batted-ball luck, he could improve on a 4.0 WAR season that included a 122 OPS+ and 36 home runs.
DH Nelson Cruz
With an MLB-leading 244 home runs over the past six seasons, including a 41-homer, 108-RBI campaign last year in his first season with the Twins, Cruz is one of baseball's elite sluggers. The six-time All-Star is entering his age-39 season, but he has shown no signs of slowing down.
SP Jose Berrios
An All-Star in each of the past two seasons, Berrios is the unquestioned ace of the Minnesota staff and one of the most exciting young pitchers in baseball. The 25-year-old has the stuff to improve on last year's 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings, and an uptick in his strikeout rate could vault him into the top tier of MLB starters.
New York Yankees (4 All-Stars)
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2B DJ LeMahieu
LeMahieu took his offensive game to another level in his Yankees debut, hitting .327/.375/.518 with 33 doubles, 26 home runs and 102 RBI while posting a career-high 6.0 WAR. The departure of Didi Gregorius means he will move back to his natural position of second base after bouncing around the infield last year.
SS Gleyber Torres
What will Torres do for an encore after launching 38 home runs in his age-22 season? Already an All-Star in each of his first two MLB seasons, he figures to be a regular in the Midsummer Classic for the foreseeable future. Improving on a modest 7.9 percent walk rate seems like the next step in his offensive development.
SP Gerrit Cole
After leading the AL in ERA (2.50) and strikeouts (326) en route to a runner-up finish in AL Cy Young voting, Cole inked a record-breaking nine-year, $324 million contract with the Yankees. With Luis Severino lost for the season and James Paxton expected to miss several months, his presence atop the rotation has become exponentially more important.
RP Aroldis Chapman
Already a six-time All-Star, Chapman was his usual dominant self in 2019, converting 37 of 42 save chances with a 2.21 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 13.4 K/9. He also trimmed his walk rate from 5.3 to 3.9 BB/9 after a rocky 2018 season. As long as his left arm keeps delivering high-octane stuff, he'll be a staple in the AL bullpen.
Oakland Athletics (4 All-Stars)
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1B Matt Olson
Olson tied for the team lead with 36 home runs last season despite playing in only 127 games after suffering a broken hamate bone that cost him more than a month. He also raised his OPS more than 100 points (.788 to .896) while playing Gold Glove defense at first base en route to 5.1 WAR. It's only a matter of time before he makes his All-Star debut.
3B Matt Chapman
Already viewed as arguably the best defensive player in baseball, Chapman took his offensive game to new heights last season with career highs in home runs (36) and RBI (91). Worth a staggering 18.5 WAR over two-and-a-half MLB seasons, he remains one of the most underappreciated players in baseball.
RF Mark Canha
A former Rule 5 selection, the late-blooming Canha had a breakout season at the age of 30, hitting .273/.396/.517 with 26 home runs in 497 plate appearances en route to 4.5 WAR. After moving around the outfield last year and helping fill in when center fielder Ramon Laureano went down with an injury, he should have a corner spot to call his own this year.
RP Liam Hendriks
Hendriks racked up an absurd 124 strikeouts out of the Oakland bullpen last year, posting a 1.80 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with a career-high 13.1 K/9. He converted 25 of 31 save chances after moving into the closer's role in mid-June, and his first full season pitching in the ninth inning could net him his second straight All-Star appearance.
Full AL Roster Predictions
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Starters
1. 2B DJ LeMahieu (NYY)
2. SS Gleyber Torres (NYY)
3. CF Mike Trout (LAA)
4. DH Shohei Ohtani (LAA)
5. 3B Rafael Devers (BOS)
6. 1B Matt Olson (OAK)
7. LF Austin Meadows (TB)
8. RF Max Kepler (MIN)
9. C Christian Vazquez (BOS)
SP Shane Bieber (CLE)
Reserves
C: Yasmani Grandal (CWS)
1B: Miguel Sano (MIN)
2B: Jonathan Schoop (DET)
3B: Matt Chapman (OAK), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR), Anthony Rendon (LAA)
SS: Francisco Lindor (CLE), Adalberto Mondesi (KC)
OF: Mark Canha (OAK), Joey Gallo (TEX), Trey Mancini (BAL), Luis Robert (CWS)
DH: Nelson Cruz (MIN)
SP: Jose Berrios (MIN), Gerrit Cole (NYY), Lucas Giolito (CWS), Tyler Glasnow (TB), Marco Gonzales (SEA), Zack Greinke (HOU), Eduardo Rodriguez (BOS)
RP: Nick Anderson (TB), Aroldis Chapman (NYY), Liam Hendriks (OAK), James Karinchak (CLE)
1 Representative NL Teams
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Colorado Rockies: 3B Nolan Arenado
An All-Star in each of the past five seasons, Arenado has averaged 38 doubles, 40 home runs and 124 RBI during that span. He posted an .866 OPS with 20 home runs away from Coors Field last season, so he's far more than just a product of his environment. He's one of the game's elite third basemen.
Miami Marlins: CF Jonathan Villar
Villar showed previously unseen power with 33 doubles and 24 home runs while hitting .274/.339/.453 and swiping 40 bases last season. Despite a 4.0 WAR performance, he was placed on waivers by the Orioles, and the Marlins acquired him via trade. A middle infielder by trade, he will be used as a center fielder in Miami.
Philadelphia Phillies: C J.T. Realmuto
The best all-around catcher in baseball, Realmuto hit .275/.328/.493 with 36 doubles and 25 home runs while winning his first career Gold Glove by throwing out 47 percent of base-stealers. The 28-year-old will be a free agent for the first time next offseason, and he will be playing for what could be a record contract for catchers.
Pittsburgh Pirates: SP Joe Musgrove
Musgrove took his game to another level over his final seven starts of the 2019 season, posting a 3.57 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 42 strikeouts in 40.1 innings. With a durable 6'5", 235-pound frame and a deceptive five-pitch arsenal, the 27-year-old could vault into the role of staff ace for a rebuilding Pirates team during the upcoming season.
San Francisco Giants: RP Jarlin Garcia
A surprise DFA by the Marlins in February, Garcia posted a 3.02 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 53 appearances last season. He has the stuff to improve on a 6.9 K/9 strikeout rate, and a change of scenery could be just what he needs. He's having an excellent spring, with six strikeouts in 4.1 scoreless innings. The best reliever on the Giants roster may be their lone All-Star representative, and Garcia has the potential to be that guy.
Arizona Diamondbacks (2 All-Stars)
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C Carson Kelly
Acquired last offseason in the Paul Goldschmidt blockbuster, Kelly hit .245/.348/.478 with 19 doubles and 18 home runs in 365 plate appearances while splitting catching duties with Alex Avila. The 25-year-old could take on a bigger role in 2020 with 35-year-old Stephen Vogt now backing him up, and his numbers could tick up as a result.
2B Ketel Marte
The addition of Startling Marte means that Ketel Marte will serve as the D-backs' everyday second baseman in 2020 after bouncing between the infield and outfield last year. Even if he fails to duplicate the 149 OPS+ and 77 extra-base hits he posted last season, he can still be one of the most productive second basemen in the league.
Chicago Cubs (2 All-Stars)
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SS Javier Baez
One of the most exciting players in all of baseball, Baez contributes with the bat, with the glove and on the bases in a way that few other players in today's game can. He posted a 113 OPS+ with 38 doubles and 29 home runs last season while also grading out as one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball (26 DRS, 9.5 UZR/150). He has started the All-Star Game in back-to-back seasons.
3B Kris Bryant
Even in a down season by his early-career standards, Bryant still hit .282/.382/.521 with 35 doubles and 31 home runs to earn his third All-Star nod. He has something to prove after an offseason of swirling trade rumors, and his mix of power and on-base ability makes him one of baseball's best offensive players when he's healthy.
Cincinnati Reds (2 All-Stars)
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RF Nick Castellanos
Castellanos caught fire after he was traded to the Cubs last summer, hitting .321/.356/.646 with 21 doubles and 16 home runs in 51 games. Now he moves to one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in baseball after signing a four-year, $64 million deal with the Reds. He's in a great position to make his All-Star Game debut in his age-28 season.
SP Trevor Bauer
Playing for his next contract, Bauer should be supremely motivated in 2020. The 29-year-old will be pitching alongside Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray in a starting rotation that has a chance to be one of the best in baseball, and that should also help drive his performance. His 6.39 ERA in 10 starts after he was traded to the Reds last season is not indicative of what kind of pitcher he is at this point in his career.
St. Louis Cardinals (2 All-Stars)
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1B Paul Goldschmidt
After a slow start to his first season with the Cardinals, Goldschmidt exploded for a 1.085 OPS and 11 home runs in July. He finished with a career-low 113 OPS+ and 2.8 WAR, but he looked a lot more like the superstar player he was in Arizona after the All-Star break. Expect a big second season in St. Louis from the six-time All-Star.
SP Jack Flaherty
Flaherty was the best pitcher in baseball during the second half of the 2019 season. The 24-year-old allowed only 50 hits and 11 earned runs (0.93 ERA) in 106.1 innings over his final 16 starts while posting a 130-to-24 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He clearly turned a corner and is now the unquestioned ace of the Cardinals staff and one of the best young pitchers in the game.
Atlanta Braves (3 All-Stars)
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1B Freddie Freeman
A bit overshadowed amid the hype surrounding Ronald Acuna's run at a 40-40 season, Freeman posted a 136 OPS+ and hit a career-high 38 home runs to finish eighth in NL MVP voting and win his first career Silver Slugger Award. The 30-year-old is as steady as they come and is a valuable veteran presence on a talented young roster.
2B Ozzie Albies
Albies led the NL in hits (189) while batting .295/.352/.500 with 43 doubles and 24 home runs in a 4.8 WAR season. He quietly raised his walk rate (from 5.3 percent to 7.7 percent) and hard-hit rate (from 34.3 percent to 42.3 percent), becoming a more complete hitter in his third MLB season. Still only 23 years old, he is already one of the league's most productive second basemen.
CF Ronald Acuna Jr.
After winning NL Rookie of the Year in 2018, Acuna posted a 122 OPS+ while slugging 41 home runs and leading the NL in runs scored (127) and steals (37) in his second season. The 22-year-old has a chance to be a generational talent, and he still has plenty of room for improvement in the years to come. Expect him to be a staple at the All-Star Game for the next decade.
Milwaukee Brewers (3 All-Stars)
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2B Keston Hiura
Hiura hit .303/.368/.570 with 23 doubles and 19 home runs in 348 plate appearances last season, and by the end of the year, he was hitting cleanup for a contending Brewers team. The 23-year-old has always had an elite hit tool since his time at UC Irvine, and after hitting 38 homers between the minors and majors last year, he has clearly grown into his power.
RF Christian Yelich
If not for a fractured kneecap that prematurely ended his season on Sept. 10, Yelich might have won the NL MVP for the second year in a row. He still managed to win his second straight batting title (.329) while hitting a career-high 44 home runs en route to a second-place finish in voting. As long as he's healthy, he'll be an All-Star once again.
RP Josh Hader
Arguably the most dominant reliever in baseball, Hader converted 37 of 44 save chances with a 2.62 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and a ridiculous 16.4 K/9 in 61 appearances. He has racked up 349 strikeouts in 204.2 career innings in the majors, and there's no reason to think he'll be anything but dominant once again in 2020.
New York Mets (3 All-Stars)
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1B Pete Alonso
Even if he regresses from his record-setting rookie performance, Alonso can still be one of the most productive power hitters in baseball. He posted a 148 OPS+ with an MLB-leading 53 home runs in a 5.0 WAR season last year. There's room for improvement in his 26.4 percent strikeout rate, but he has strong enough on-base skills to offset that level of swing and miss.
SP Jacob deGrom
The best pitcher in baseball right now, deGrom has a 2.05 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 421 innings the past two seasons while winning back-to-back NL Cy Young Awards. He has less mileage on his arm than most pitchers entering their age-32 season and should continue to pitch at an elite level for the foreseeable future.
RP Seth Lugo
The Mets bullpen was a mess last season, with a 4.99 ERA that ranked 26th in the majors. Lugo was not the problem, though. He had a 2.70 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and a stellar 104-to-16 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 80 innings of work out of the bullpen, tallying six saves and 21 holds along the way.
Washington Nationals (3 All-Stars)
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SS Trea Turner
Turner hit .304/.360/.502 with 21 doubles, 12 home runs and 18 steals during the second half of last season. A spike in his hard-hit rate (from 31.5 percent to 37.6 percent) helped him tie his career high with 19 home runs despite playing in only 122 games. A 20-homer, 50-steal season and a batting average north of .300 is not out of the question.
LF Juan Soto
After a stellar debut season, Soto hit .282/.401/.548 with 32 doubles, 34 home runs and 110 RBI in his age-20 season. He also had a .927 OPS with five home runs and 14 RBI in 17 games during the postseason, and his mix of elite on-base skills and home run power already makes him one of baseball's most dynamic middle-of-the-order threats.
SP Stephen Strasburg
Strasburg had a 1.76 ERA and 0.86 WHIP with 66 strikeouts in 51 innings over his final eight starts of the 2019 regular season. He followed that up by going 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 36.1 innings in the postseason, capping things off with World Series MVP honors. With Max Scherzer battling an oblique injury this spring, Strasburg could be counted on to lead the staff.
San Diego Padres (4 All-Stars)
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SS Fernando Tatis Jr.
In only 84 games last season, Tatis tallied 13 doubles, six triples, 22 home runs and 16 steals while hitting .317/.379/.590 for a 152 OPS+ and 4.2 WAR. The 21-year-old has legitimate 30-30 potential and the defensive tools to be a perennial Gold Glove winner.
LF Tommy Pham
Over the past three seasons, Pham has hit .284/.381/.475 for a 129 OPS+ and 13.2 WAR while averaging 24 doubles, 22 home runs and 22 steals. The 32-year-old was traded from the Rays to the Padres during the offseason, and his reliance on speed and on-base ability should make for a smooth transition to spacious Petco Park.
SP Dinelson Lamet
Lamet returned from Tommy John surgery on July 4 and went on to post a 4.07 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with an excellent 105 strikeouts in 73 innings. The 27-year-old has shown elite swing-and-miss stuff during his brief time in the majors with 244 punchouts in 187.1 innings, and if he can make 30 starts, he will be one of the breakout players of 2020.
RP Kirby Yates
The most dominant reliever in baseball last season, Yates nailed down 41 of 44 save chances with a 1.19 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 15.0 K/9 in his first full season as the Padres closer. Entering a contract year, he is pitching for a significant payday.
Los Angeles Dodgers (5 All-Stars)
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1B Max Muncy
Muncy backed up his out-of-nowhere 2018 season with a 133 OPS+ and 35 home runs in 2019, and he continued to show elite on-base ability with a 15.3 percent walk rate and a .374 on-base percentage. The Dodgers are hosting the 2020 All-Star Game, so expect them to be well-represented.
3B Justin Turner
A .302/.381/.506 hitter in six seasons with the Dodgers, Turner has been an All-Star only once in his career. That's in part because the third base position is absolutely stacked, and that remains the case. However, after he posted a .971 OPS with 17 home runs after the All-Star break last year, a big year could be forthcoming.
CF Cody Bellinger
Bellinger regressed considerably after an otherworldly first half last season. With that said, he still posted a .917 OPS with 17 home runs and 44 RBI in 68 games after the All-Star break. The reigning NL MVP is one of baseball's brightest young stars, and he is already a two-time All-Star.
SP Walker Buehler
In a career-high 182.1 innings last season, Buehler posted a 3.26 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 215 strikeouts while lowering his walk rate to an elite 1.8 BB/9. The 25-year-old checks all the boxes of a future staff ace and perennial Cy Young contender. The best is yet to come.
SP Clayton Kershaw
While he has failed to reach the 180-inning mark in each of the past four seasons, Kershaw continues to pitch at an ace-caliber level. He had a 3.03 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 189 strikeouts in 178.1 innings last year to finish eighth in NL Cy Young voting. It's hard to envision an All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium that doesn't include Kershaw.
Full NL Roster Predictions
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Predicted Starters
1. CF Ronald Acuna Jr. (ATL)
2. SS Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD)
3. LF Christian Yelich (MIL)
4. RF Cody Bellinger (LAD)
5. 3B Nolan Arenado (COL)
6. DH Juan Soto (WAS)
7. 1B Pete Alonso (NYM)
8. C J.T. Realmuto (PHI)
9. 2B Ketel Marte (ARI)
SP Walker Buehler (LAD)
Predicted Reserves
C: Carson Kelly (ARI)
1B: Freddie Freeman (ATL), Paul Goldschmidt (STL), Max Muncy (LAD)
2B: Ozzie Albies (ATL), Keston Hiura (MIL)
3B: Kris Bryant (CHC), Justin Turner (LAD)
SS: Javier Baez (CHC), Trea Turner (WAS)
OF: Nick Castellanos (CIN), Tommy Pham (SD), Jonathan Villar (MIA)
SP: Trevor Bauer (CIN), Jacob deGrom (NYM), Jack Flaherty (STL), Clayton Kershaw (LAD), Dinelson Lamet (SD), Joe Musgrove (PIT), Stephen Strasburg (WAS)
RP: Jarlin Garcia (SF), Josh Hader (MIL), Seth Lugo (NYM), Kirby Yates (SD)
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs, unless otherwise noted.
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