By J.Y. Mortimer
Braves send MLB-High eight players to Midsummer Classic; Rangers have AL-best six; five Dodgers named All-Stars; Blue Jays and Orioles sending four each to Seattle; Ohtani continues to make history with third straight two-way selection; 22-year-old rookie and Seattle native Carroll youngest All-Star, among 26 first-timers; rosters feature 19 players age 26-or-younger
Pitchers and reserves have been named to the American League and National League All-Star Teams, as announced today by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association. The 2023 AL and NL All-Star rosters were unveiled earlier this evening during the “2023 Scotts MLB All-Star Selection Show” on ESPN.
In addition to the starters who were elected by the fans, pitchers and reserve players were named to the All-Star Game roster by the Player Ballot – a vote of the players, managers and coaches – and by Major League Baseball. In making the selections, MLB has ensured that each of the 30 Major League Clubs will be represented at the All-Star Game.
American League position players who are invited to the 2023 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard as a result of Player Balloting are catcher Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles; first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., second baseman Whit Merrifield and shortstop Bo Bichette of the Toronto Blue Jays; third baseman José Ramírez of the Cleveland Guardians; outfielders Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros, Adolis García of the Texas Rangers and Austin Hays of the Orioles; and designated hitter Brent Rooker of the Athletics.
AL pitchers who have made the Midsummer Classic as a result of the Player Ballot include starters Nathan Eovaldi of the Rangers; Shane McClanahan of the Tampa Bay Rays; Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees; and Sonny Gray of the Minnesota Twins; and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels, who was also elected the AL’s starting designated hitter via fan vote and continues to make history as the only two-way All-Star in Major League history. The relievers who are All-Stars via the Player Ballot are Félix Bautista and Yennier Cano of the Orioles; and Emmanuel Clase of the Guardians.
Since Ohtani was already on the AL roster after winning the fan election at designated hitter, MLB had an additional seven selections to fill out the remainder of the AL roster, with five of the seven picks being used to represent the Clubs that did not have an All-Star after the fan and player balloting processes. The five pitchers chosen include Luis Castillo of the Seattle Mariners; Kevin Gausman of the Blue Jays; Kenley Jansen of the Boston Red Sox; Michael Lorenzen of the Detroit Tigers; and Framber Valdez of the Houston Astros. The two position players among MLB selections are Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals and Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox.
National League position players who are invited to the 93rd Midsummer Classic as a result of Player Balloting are catcher Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers; first baseman Matt Olson, second baseman Ozzie Albies and third baseman Austin Riley of the Atlanta Braves; shortstop Dansby Swanson of the Chicago Cubs; outfielders Lourdes Gurriel Jr. of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Nick Castellanos of the Philadelphia Phillies and Juan Soto of the San Diego Padres; and designated hitter Jorge Soler of the Miami Marlins.
NL pitchers who have made the 2023 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard as a result of the Player Ballot include starters Zac Gallen of the D-backs; Marcus Stroman of the Cubs; Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers; and Spencer Strider and Bryce Elder of the Braves. The relievers who are All-Stars via the Player Ballot are Alexis Díaz of the Cincinnati Reds; Josh Hader of the Padres; and Camilo Doval of the San Francisco Giants.
MLB had six selections to fill out the remainder of the NL roster, including for five teams yet to have an All-Star elected by the fans or players. The four pitchers selected include Josiah Gray of the Washington Nationals; Mitch Keller of the Pittsburgh Pirates; Justin Steele of the Cubs; and Devin Williams of the Milwaukee Brewers. The two position players selected are Pete Alonso of the New York Mets and Elias Díaz of the Colorado Rockies.
The Braves, who entered play today with a NL-best record of 55-27, will send a Major League-high eight players to Seattle, while the Texas Rangers will send an AL-high six players. The Dodgers will have five representatives at the Midsummer Classic, followed by Baltimore (4), Toronto (4), Arizona (3), the Chicago Cubs (3) and Tampa Bay (3). The eight players from Atlanta mark the most for a single team since the Rangers sent eight players to the 2012 All-Star Game in Kansas City, and it is the most for an NL squad since the Cubs had eight All-Stars at the 2008 Midsummer Classic in New York. In addition, the six Rangers headed to Seattle are the most for Texas since the aforementioned 2012 All-Star Game.
Additionally, the Dodgers have at least five All-Stars for the fourth consecutive time; the Orioles have multiple All-Stars for the first time since sending five players to the 2016 Midsummer Classic; the Blue Jays have at least four All-Stars for a third straight time; and the D-backs have a trio of All-Stars for the first time since 2018.
COURTESY MLB MEDIA RELATIONS & MLBpressbox.com
