As the 2021 MLB Season approaches the All-Star break, the league closed it’s voting after it had given fans a week to vote for one of the three finalists at every position. ESPN took time out of their broadcast to let MLB reveal the 2021 All-Star Game starters. Baseball hasn’t had an All-Star game since July of 2019, so it was interesting to see how the fans voted. Toronto Blue Jays fans more than others showed their numbers, as they managed to vote in three Jays, the most of any team. Here are the 2021 MLB All-Star Game Starters.
American League Infield
The American League infield has a common theme of pairs on the two sides of the infield, also all from the American League East. On the right side of the infield, the team will start Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base, and veteran shortstop turned second baseman Marcus Semien. Guerrero Jr. was a run-away pick, receiving the most votes out of any all-star candidate. Marcus Semien on the other hand had a tougher time, battling former MVP Jose Altuve. The left side of the infield will play host to two Boston Red Sox sluggers; Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts. Rafael Devers had an easier voting process, as he beat the second-place candidate, Alex Bregman, by a whopping 39 percent. Like Semien, Bogaerts had a closer race, as he fought Toronto’s Bo Bichette and the Houston Astros‘ Carlos Correa.
American League Catcher and Outfielders
As MLB reveals its 2021 All-Star Game starters, some come as a surprise, and others seemed to be in before the voting started. Despite a slow start and missing time due to Covid-19, Teoscar Hernandez has put up some great numbers in late May and all of June. He surprised the league and will start in left-field. On the other hand, Mike Trout finished first in All-Star voting amongst AL outfielders, despite suffering an injury in May, that would sideline past the All-Star break. Cedric Mullins may replace Trout in center field. Aaron Judge has had a great bounce-back season after missing so much time in the past two seasons due to a number of injuries, and earns himself the spot in right field. Finally, the fans voted veteran Salvador Perez to start as the AL catcher, as he’s having a young Perez type of season.
National League Infielders
The National League All-Star infield has two first-time All-Stars and two multiple-time-All-Star veterans. 2020 NL MVP Freddie Freeman will start at first base for the third straight All-Star game. He has not quite had his typical season, but then fans would like to see Freeman start again. Adam Frazier has had himself quite a season this year, hitting well over .300 with an excellent on-base percentage. This is his first selection, as 2021 is his breakout season. Nolan Arenado returns to his spot at third base for the fourth straight season, as he overtakes Kris Bryant in fan voting, who was in first prior to the Finalist Phase. Finally, the ever-electric Fernando Tatis will be starting at shortstop in his first-ever All-Star appearance. Tatis Jr. has had an MVP Caliber season so far in 2021 and beat out some very talented players to earn his spot.
National League Catcher and Outfielders
The National League adds to an already offensively stacked lineup by adding four of the best sluggers in the league to these four positions. After opting out of the 2020 60-game season, Buster Posey came back stronger than he’s been in recent seasons. Hitting like he did in his rookie season, he managed to beat out future Hall of Famer Yadier Molina. Ronald Acuna Jr. is back for his second All-Star start in his young career. Like Tatis Jr. Acuna Jr. is also on pace to be a top-five MVP candidate this season. The Cincinnati Reds have two players starting in the All-Star game for the first time since 2013. Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto manned the right side of the infield that season. Jesse Winker and Nick Castellanos will be playing the corners as they are having career seasons. All of these players are top-tier 2021 All-Star Game starters.
The Designated Hitters
Since only the AL has a designated hitter, fans only got to vote for one league’s DH. The NL DH is decided by the team’s manager. Future AL MVP Candidate Shohei Ohtani was the clear vote for most fans to start in the 2021 ASG. Ohtani has had an amazing season on both sides of the ball. The question remains, will the manager also let him pitch in the contest, or will they let him just hit to avoid excessive exertion? The NL has many great candidates for the spot. The one who stands out the most is Max Muncy. The issue with having Muncy as the DH is that there aren’t any other stand-out candidates to go to first base after Freeman’s day is done. It would make more sense to have Trevor Story DH, given the game will be in Coors field. Also, the shortstop position is so stacked that it would help Story get into the game.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Marcus Semien, Jose Altuve, Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Carlos Correa, Teoscar Hernandez, Mike Trout, Cedric Mullins, Aaron Judge, Salvador Perez, Freddie Freeman, Adam Frazier, Nolan Arenado, Kris Bryant, Fernando Tatis, Buster Posey, Yadier Molina, Ronald Acuna Jr., Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto, Jesse Winker, Nick Castellanos, Shohei Ohtani, Max Muncy, Trevor Story
