The starters for the 2021 MLB All-Star Game have been announced, and some selections were more surprising than others.
The number of selections for the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who had five finalists? Zero. The number of selections for the 29-50 Pittsburgh Pirates? More than zero. The team with the most selections? The Toronto Blue Jays.
Veterans like Mike Trout, Buster Posey and Freddie Freeman took their places, while young upstarts like Shohei Ohtani, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. all received their first career selections. Tatis will be the first Padres All-Star starter since Tony Gwynn in 1998, per MLB.com.
Here’s how the teams shaped up.
American League All-Star starters
C – Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
1B – Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
2B – Marcus Semien, Toronto Blue Jays
SS – Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox
3B – Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox
OF – Teoscar Hernandez, Toronto Blue Jays
OF – Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
OF – Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
DH – Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
National League All-Star starters
C – Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
1B – Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves
2B – Adam Frazier, Pittsburgh Pirates
SS – Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres
3B – Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals
OF – Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves
OF – Jesse Winker, Cincinnati Reds
OF – Nick Castellanos, Cincinnati Reds
The final voting numbers can be seen here. Starters were chosen via a new process in 2021, with fans voting in two phases, one to determine three finalists at each position (nine in the outfield) and another to select between those finalists.
Those lineups will already need some adjustment due to Trout, who has been out since May with a calf injury. Baltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullens, who is hitting .322/.391/.550 this season, seems like a natural choice, though Michael Brantley of the Houston Astros finished slightly ahead of him in voting.
There are obviously several more roster spots to decide, and those decisions will go to the players and managers Kevin Cash and Dave Roberts.
The 2021 All-Star Game remains scheduled for July 13 at Coors Field in Colorado.
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