Posted by J.Y. Mortimer
Trout Earns 11th Career All-Star Selection, 10th Start; Rangers Have AL-Best Four Starters, Including Three Infielders; Braves, Dodgers Send Three Players to NL Starting Lineup; Rookies Carroll, Jung Among Nine First-Time Starters; Díaz, Heim, Seager Earn Starts Over Phase 1 Leaders; Remainder of Rosters to be Announced Sunday on ESPN at 5:30 p.m. (ET)
American League leading vote-getter Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels will be joined in the AL All-Star starting lineup by a pair of fellow AL Most Valuable Player Award winners in teammate Mike Trout and reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, while the Major League leading vote-getter Ronald Acuña Jr. will be joined in the National League outfield by Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers as well as rookie and Seattle native Corbin Carroll of the NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks. The AL and NL starters for the 2023 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard on Tuesday, July 11th at T-Mobile Park in Seattle were unveiled earlier this evening on ESPN during the “2023 Scotts MLB All-Star Starters Reveal” following the conclusion of Phase 2 voting this afternoon.
The second phase of voting featured the top two vote-getters at each position (and the top six outfielders in the AL; next four outfielders in the NL after Acuña Jr.) in each League based on vote totals from Phase 1, which ran from May 31st-June 22nd. During Phase 2, which began on Monday afternoon at 12:00 p.m. (ET), fans had a four-day window to submit their votes for the starting position players at the 2023 Midsummer Classic.
Ohtani claimed his third consecutive fan-elected start at designated hitter, joining Hall of Famer David Ortiz (2011-13) as the only players to do so. The two-way star, who was also the starting pitcher for the AL at the 2021 Midsummer Classic in Colorado, leads the Majors with 28 home runs on the season. Ohtani is joined in the starting lineup by his teammate Trout, who earned his 11th career Midsummer Classic selection and 10th fan-elected start. The three-time AL MVP, who is the 14th player in Major League history to receive at least 10 fan elections, becomes just the fourth player in AL history to earn 10 fan elections with one Club, joining Hall of Famers Cal Ripken Jr. (BAL, 17), George Brett (KC, 11) and Ken Griffey Jr. (SEA, 10).
Trout will patrol the AL outfield along with Judge, who picked up his fifth career All-Star selection, including his fifth starting assignment in the last six All-Star Games. The California native is now just the fourth player in Yankees history with at least five fan elections, joining Hall of Famers Derek Jeter (9) and Dave Winfield (7), as well as Alex Rodriguez (8). Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena rounds out the starting AL outfield after collecting his first career All-Star selection and becoming just the second Rays outfielder ever to receive a fan-elected start, joining Carl Crawford (2010).
Arozarena is joined in the AL lineup by teammate and fellow first-time All-Star and Yandy Díaz, who claimed the starting first base assignment to become the first Rays first baseman ever to win a fan election and just the second infielder in franchise history to do so, joining third baseman Evan Longoria (2009-10).
A quartet of Texas Rangers will be penciled into Dusty Baker’s starting lineup as second baseman Marcus Semien, rookie third baseman Josh Jung, shortstop Corey Seager and catcher Jonah Heim all received fan elections. Semien, who received his second fan-elected starting assignment in three seasons after making his first All-Star roster in 2021 with Toronto, becomes the third Rangers second baseman to claim the starting job from the fans, joining Julio Franco (1989) and Alfonso Soriano (2004). Jung joins Adrián Beltré as the only Rangers third basemen in team history to garner a fan election. In addition, the 25-year-old becomes the first Rangers rookie in history to earn a starting assignment and just the second Rangers position player ever to make an All-Star squad as a rookie, joining his teammate Adolis García (2021). Seager will make his fourth trip to the Midsummer Classic and is the first Rangers shortstop to win a fan election since Alex Rodriguez claimed three straight (2001-03). Heim, who draws the start behind the plate for his first All-Star selection, topped Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman in the closest Phase 2 race in the AL after the Orioles backstop led AL catchers in voting during Phase 1. Heim also becomes the third Rangers catcher to win a fan election, joining Hall of Famer Iván Rodríguez (1993-2001) and Mike Napoli (2012). With the four fan elections, the Rangers set a new franchise-high for a single season, eclipsing their three fan-elected starting assignments in 2012 (Beltré, Josh Hamilton, Napoli). Additionally, the Rangers became the third AL team to have three infielders named to the starting lineup since balloting was returned to the fans in 1970, joining the 2004 Yankees (Jeter, Jason Giambi, Rodriguez) and the 2011 Yankees (Robinson Canó, Jeter, Rodriguez).
In the NL, Acuña Jr. earned his fourth career All-Star selection and fourth consecutive fan-elected starting assignment, becoming the first NL outfielder to win four straight fan elections since Bryce Harper (2015-18). In addition, the 25-year-old is the fourth player in Braves history to earn four fan elections, joining Hall of Famer Hank Aaron (5), Dale Murphy (5) and Hall of Famer Chipper Jones (4). The Venezuela native, who has 19 home runs and 36 stolen bases on the season, is on pace to become the first player in Major League history with at least 30 homers and 60 stolen bases in a single season.
For a second consecutive season, Acuña Jr. is joined in the starting outfield by Betts, who picks up his seventh All-Star selection and fourth starting assignment, including his second straight with Los Angeles (also 2016 and 2018 in the AL with Boston). Betts becomes the first Dodgers outfielder to garner a fan-elected start in consecutive seasons since Matt Kemp in 2011-12. Rounding out the NL outfield is Arizona’s Carroll, who becomes the first D-backs rookie in history to earn a fan-elected start and just the second D-backs rookie ever, and first position player, to appear in the Midsummer Classic, joining pitcher Wade Miley (2012). In his homecoming, Carroll becomes just the sixth D-backs player ever, and second outfielder, to win a fan election, joining first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (2014-15), second baseman Jay Bell (1999), outfielder Luis Gonzalez (2001), second baseman Ketel Marte (2019) and third baseman Matt Williams (1999). With the elections of Carroll and the AL’s Jung, this marks just the second time ever that two rookies have been named starters in the same year, joining 2008, when Chicago Cubs teammates Kosuke Fukudome and Geovany Soto earned fan elections (first time ever that both the AL and NL will feature a rookie in the starting lineup in the same season.)
Acuña will also be joined in the NL lineup by a pair of Braves teammates in catcher Sean Murphy and shortstop Orlando Arcia. Murphy, in his first season with Atlanta, will make his first trip to the Midsummer Classic and he becomes just the third Braves backstop to win a fan election, joining Javy Lopez (2003) and Brian McCann (2011). Arcia also received his first All-Star nod and becomes just the second Atlanta shortstop to draw a fan-elected start, joining Walt Weiss (1998). With three players elected to the starting lineup, this marks the second time since 1970 that the Braves have three fan-elected starters, joining 2003 (Marcus Giles, Lopez, Gary Sheffield).
On the left side of the infield, Arcia is paired with St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, who is an All-Star for the eighth time in his career and a fan-elected starter for a fifth time. Arenado, who earned the start in four straight All-Star Games from 2017-21, matches David Wright for the second-most fan elections by an NL third baseman behind only Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt (9). Rounding out the NL infield on the right side is first baseman Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers and second baseman Luis Arraez of the Miami Marlins. Freeman, who picks up his seventh All-Star selection and fourth career starting nod after winning three straight fan elections from 2018-21, becomes the first Dodgers first baseman to earn the starting assignment from the fans since Steve Garvey won seven straight (1974-80). Arraez, who is making a bid at history with his Major League-leading .396 batting average, received his first starting nod and second All-Star selection overall following his All-Star campaign with the Minnesota Twins last season. The 2022 AL Batting Champion is the second consecutive Marlins player to win a fan election at second base, following Jazz Chisholm Jr. last year. Since 1970, it marks just the second time that any NL infield position was won in consecutive years by different players from the same organization, joining the 2004-05 Cardinals (Edgar Renteria in 2004; David Eckstein in 2005).
Rounding out the NL starting lineup is designated hitter J.D. Martinez of the Dodgers, who is now an All-Star for the sixth time in his career, including his first on an NL All-Star roster. The 13-year veteran, who becomes just the second NL fan-elected designated hitter in history after DH voting was introduced in the NL last year, drew the start at DH in the AL in 2018 with Boston.
Overall, nine Major League Clubs are represented among the 18 fan-elected starters, including five in the NL and four in the AL. The AL and NL starters combine for six internationally-born players (33.3%), spanning four countries and territories outside the 50 United States, while 11 of the 18 come from diverse backgrounds (61.1%).
The pitchers and reserves for both squads – totaling 23 for each side – will be determined through a combination of “Player Ballot” choices and selections made by the Commissioner’s Office. The balance of the All-Star rosters will be announced on Sunday, July 2nd at 5:30 p.m. (ET) on ESPN during the 2023 Scotts MLB All-Star Selection Show.
Fans will once again have the opportunity to participate in the official voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans can vote exclusively at MLB.com and the 30 Club sites – online or via their mobile devices – with the 2023 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote, and their collective voice will represent 20 percent of the official vote determining this year’s recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.
MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard (July 11th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 10th), All-Star Saturday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game presented by Corona (July 8th), the MLB Draft (July 9th-11th), the HBCU Swingman Classic presented by T-Mobile (July 7th), and Capital One All-Star Village, which includes Capital One PLAY BALL PARK (July 8th-11th). The 93rd Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and TVA Sports; and worldwide by partners in 209 countries. FOX Deportes will provide Spanish language coverage in the United States. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game, while Univision will provide Spanish language coverage on radio. MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week, please visit All-StarGame.com and follow @MLB on social media.
*Designated hitter Shohei Ohtani earned a starting assignment and bypassed Phase 2 as the AL’s leading vote-getter during Phase 1
