MLB Notebook: Final All-Star Team

One of the big omissions in Major League Baseball’s postseason awards is a complete All-Star team. Baseball is the only sport where the teams chosen for the midseason All-Star Game have to go into the history books as the “All Stars” for that particular year. There needs to be an official postseason selection, just as there are in all other sports.

Furthermore, I would like to see the awards be for all of MLB, not just the AL or NL. I’m all for continuing to have the league distinctions—in fact, the way I picked this team, and these awards was to start with All-Division teams and divisional MVP ballots. But, like with the NFL, NBA, and NHL, there should ultimately be one player that gets recognition as the best.

For the selection of a baseball All-Star team, I follow a couple rules—in today’s game, there needs to be two setup relievers, who are distinct from the traditional closer. There should be one outfielder who is a true centerfielder. The presence of Aaron Judge playing centerfield this year made it a non-issue, but there are years where the three best might be corner outfielders. A true All-Star team, however, must have one player who can play a spot as unique as centerfield.

So, with that explanation and caveats, here are my picks for the 2024 MLB All-Star Team and MVP. Statistics are through the final Saturday of the season:  

Everyday Lineup
C: William Contreras (Milwaukee): A portrait of consistency, Contreras played 155 games and was a complete offensive player at a position where such is hard to find. His final stat line was .365 OBP/.466 slugging percentage, he hit 23 homers, drove in 92 runs, and scored 99 more.

1B: Vladdy Guerrero Jr (Toronto): The Blue Jays may have disappointed, but it was no fault of their best player. Vladdy batted .324, homered 30 times, drove in 103 runs and scored 98.

2B: Ketel Marte (Arizona): His hot streak in last year’s postseason rolled right into 2024. The stat line is .372/.555 and he’s hit 35 home runs. Marte was by far the best player at this important middle infield position.

3B: Jose Ramirez (Cleveland): While pitching was the primary reason for Cleveland’s surprise success this year, they still had to be at least respectable offensively. Ramirez, as has become expected, put this lineup on his back—39 homers, 118 RBIs and 41 stolen bases.

SS: Bobby Witt Jr (Kansas City): This was the most competitive position, with Gunnar Henderson in Baltimore and Francisco Lindor with the Mets also having MVP-caliber seasons. But Witt was a cut above—he hit .332, slugged 32 homers, stole 31 bags, drove in 109 runs, and scored 124.

OF: Aaron Judge (NY Yanks): Did Judge pull off the impossible and have a better year than his record-setting season of 2022? He’s slugging a staggering .701 going into the final day, with an off-the charts OBP of .458. He’s hit 58 homers, with 144 RBIs and 122 runs scored.

OF: Juan Soto (NY Yanks): The Yankees’ league-leading offense is the biggest reason they’ll be the 1-seed in the AL playoffs. And without a lot of depth in the lineup, Judge and Soto carried the load. The latter posted a .419/.569 stat line with 41 homers, 109 ribbies, and 128 runs scored.

OF: Jarren Durran (Boston): The third outfielder was the hardest pick. Mookie Betts just missed too much time for the Dodgers, and Mike Trout was lost for the year early on. Durran was versatile—21 homers, 34 steals, and 110 runs scored. He’s played 159 games and wins a close race in what were uncharacteristically watered-down outfield choices.

DH: Shohei Ohtani (LA Dodgers): In one of the great offensive seasons of all-time—in a park that’s built for pitchers—Ohtani had a historic 50/50 year—54 homers and 58 steals. He also batted .310, drove in 130 runs and scored 134. I think he’s recovered from that elbow surgery last year.

Starting Pitchers (in ranked order)
Tarik Skubal (Detroit): The Tigers surge into the postseason has been one of the most surprise developments of the last two months and Skubal is the biggest reason why. An 18-4 record, 2.39 ERA and 192 IP.

Zack Wheeler (Philadelphia): Now 34-years-old, Wheeler has just become a steady anchor for one of baseball’s best teams. In a hitter-friendly park, he’s posted a 2.57 ERA, won 16 games, and logged 200 innings.

Chris Sale (Atlanta): Finally able to stay healthy for an entire year, Sale has gone 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 177 innings pitched. An injury-riddled Braves team isn’t out of it yet, thanks heavily to Sale’s dominance.

FYI, while Sale will certainly win the NL Cy Young Award, I have him behind Wheeler due to a preference for innings pitched and the fact Philly’s park is a tougher pitching environment than Atlanta’s.

Seth Lugo (Kansas City): The Royals’ rotation carried a weak bullpen, and Lugo was the horse. He’s worked 206 innings, won 16 games and his ERA is an even 3.00.

Corbin Burnes (Baltimore): Baltimore’s pitching has been spotty, but thanks to Burnes, they have had an anchor they could comfortably ride into the playoffs. Burnes is 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA and 194 innings pitched.

Bullpen
Hunter Gaddis (Cleveland): The game’s best bullpen includes a great setup crew. Gaddis’ ERA is a dazzling 1.57 and he’s worked 74 innings.

Jeff Hoffman (Philadelphia): While you can make an argument for another Guardian, Cade Smith, for this spot, Hoffman has been versatile enough to also do some closing. He’s got 10 saves to go with his 2.17 ERA and 66 innings pitched.

Emmauel Clase (Cleveland): For the traditional closer, no one is better than Clase. The ERA is a surreal 0.61 and he’s saved 47 games for the American League’s second-best regular season team.

Final MVP Ballot
Here’s where combining the American and National Leagues becomes fun. No one disputes that Judge and Ohtani are going to win those awards. But if you have to pick one over the other, where you do you land?

Both players have had historic seasons. Ohtani did it in a park that’s much tougher to put up big numbers in. But Judge took the field defensively and played an important position. Both players led lineups that are heavily reliant on star power, so they had to be great. Both are on teams that will be the #1 seed in their respective playoff brackets. Are we on a collision course for a World Series showdown?

Perhaps, but we have to make the decision now. It’s close, but I’m giving Judge the nod on the grounds that he played a defensive position. In addition to the contributions made on the field, I think it’s also harder to put up good offensive numbers when you’re also playing the field. Think about a muggy night in July or August. One guy has to go on the field. The other one stays back in the air-conditioned clubhouse, watches film and takes his swings. It’s just harder when you have to be out there every day, so unless the advantage is clear, I’m picking the position player.

Thus, my final top-5 MVP ballot would be:

1)Aaron Judge
2)Shohei Ohtani
3)Bobby Witt Jr
4)Gunnar Henderson (while Gunnar’s torrid pace slowed a bit in the second half, he still hit 37 homers, stole 21 bases, drove in 92 runs, and scored 118.
5)Tarik Skubal