Predicting the Complete American League All Star Game Roster

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Last night, ESPN revealed the full starting lineups for each league. Continuing with my predictions, these are the rest of my American League All-Stars.

These are the players I predicted to start in the American League:

C – Cal Raleigh (SEA)

1B – Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR)

2B – Gleyber Torres (DET)

3B – Jose Ramirez (CLE)

SS – Jacob Wilson (ATH)

OF – Riley Greene (DET)

OF – Mike Trout (LAA)

OF – Aaron Judge (NYY)

DH – Ryan O’Hearn (BAL)

SP – Tarik Skubal (DET) a

These are the actual starters who were announced last night on ESPN:

C – Cal Raleigh (SEA)

1B – Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR)

2B – Gleyber Torres (DET)

3B – Jose Ramirez (CLE)

SS – Jacob Wilson (ATH)

OF – Riley Greene (DET)

OF – Javier Baez (DET)

OF – Aaron Judge (NYY)

DH – Ryan O’Hearn (BAL)

The starting pitcher will be announced after the full rosters are revealed, chosen by manager Aaron Boone.

Reserves:

C – Alejandro Kirk (TOR)

INF – Jonathan Aranda (TBR)

INF – Brandon Lowe (TBR)

INF – Jeremy Pena (HOU)

INF – Bobby Witt Jr. (KCR)

INF – Maikel Garcia (KCR)

OF – Steven Kwan (CLE)

OF – Jo Adell (LAA)

OF – Byron Buxton (MIN)

OF – George Springer (TOR)

DH – Brent Rooker (ATH)

This list could change dramatically, with many players being snubbed on here. The biggest one is Tampa Bay Rays 3B Junior Caminero, who will likely replace Jeremy Pena after Pena recently suffered a rib injury.

Leaving off Houston’s Isaac Paredes for Maikel Garcia is a hot take, but Paredes struggled out of the gate, leaving me to go with Garcia. Although this is a coin flip considering Houston is much better than the lowly Royals, who, with Garcia on this roster, see four All-Stars, despite being under .500.

I believed that Mike Trout would get voted in as a starter; his spot for the Angels will be replaced by OF Jo Adell, who is having a breakout season, slashing .243/.318/.498 with an OPS+ of 125. Every team has a representative, and without the fan votes, I think Trout misses out.

Pitchers:

SP – Max Fried (NYY)

SP – Carlos Rodon (NYY)

SP – Shane Smith (CWS)

SP – Garrett Crochet (BOS)

SP – Jacob deGrom (TEX)

SP – Framber Valdez (HOU)

SP – Hunter Brown (HOU)

SP – Kris Bubic (KCR)

RP – Andres Munoz (SEA)

RP – Josh Hader (HOU)

RP – Carlos Estevez (KCR)

Traditionally, around four or five relievers are chosen, and if the committee chooses to do so, RHP Jhoan Duran of the Minnesota Twins will get the nod over either Rodon or Valdez. Which one gets the boot is surely a toss-up, as they both have pitched very well this season:

Valdez – 9-4 (W/L), 2.72 ERA, 109 IP, 17 GS, 108 SO, 1.128 WHIP

Rodon – 9-5 (W/L), 2.95 ERA, 106.2 IP, 18 GS, 123 SO, 1.003 WHIP

Duran has been very reliable out of the Twins’ pen, posting a 1.69 ERA over 37.1 IP with 12 saves.

With this year’s reliever volatility, I think the light should be shined upon the deserving starters. I mean, each pitcher only throws one inning in the game, so the most deserving pitchers should be represented.

Shane Smith, a former Rule 5 pick by the White Sox, is most definitely not one of the premier pitchers in the American League, but is having a solid year for the Sox, and will be their team’s representative.

The biggest starting pitcher snub is the Minnesota Twins’ RHP Joe Ryan. Although Ryan may get into the game after pitchers are unavailable to throw due to pitching the weekend before the game, Ryan was a tough choice to leave off this roster.

With a WHIP under one at .875 and an ERA at 2.75 in 98.1 IP, he is most certainly deserving, but I chose the other guys, such as Valdez and Rodon, due to their teams being better overall.

Brown, Bubic, and Crochet all have arguments to start this game over Tarik Skubal, but I think overall, last season’s Cy-Young winner will be given the nod.

About Post Author

Michael Bodzenta

Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, I fell in love with sports from a young age. Whether I was playing them throughout high school or in the yard with my friends, I knew I had found something I loved. Watching them was also a main part of my childhood, as I could name almost every player on all three Cleveland sports teams. Talking about sports is something I can do for hours, so as I got older, I quickly realized that I knew what I wanted to do. I started writing about sports and talking about sports in high school. It was fun and easy for me. My dream goal would be to become baseball analyst, covering breaking news and other stories in the sport. I've written numerous articles about sports including the Browns and the Guardians. I currently write for Kent Wired, where I expanded my knowledge to cover Health and Fitness. I have experience with Adobe Photoshop, Premier, and Audition. I work as the social media manager/representative for the Kent State Club Baseball team creating graphics mostly on Instagram and some on Twitter (X) . The goal of this is to get more engagement for the team, create awareness, and raise money. I also currently coach for a 17u travel baseball organization (Midwest Stars) out of Hudson, Ohio. Through this I have been able to continue my love for the game, give back to the community, and strengthen my leadership qualities. My passion for sports especially baseball remains unquestioned and I strive to continue to report on something I love.

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https://ngscsports.com/

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Michael Bodzenta: Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, I fell in love with sports from a young age. Whether I was playing them throughout high school or in the yard with my friends, I knew I had found something I loved. Watching them was also a main part of my childhood, as I could name almost every player on all three Cleveland sports teams. Talking about sports is something I can do for hours, so as I got older, I quickly realized that I knew what I wanted to do. I started writing about sports and talking about sports in high school. It was fun and easy for me. My dream goal would be to become baseball analyst, covering breaking news and other stories in the sport. I've written numerous articles about sports including the Browns and the Guardians. I currently write for Kent Wired, where I expanded my knowledge to cover Health and Fitness. I have experience with Adobe Photoshop, Premier, and Audition. I work as the social media manager/representative for the Kent State Club Baseball team creating graphics mostly on Instagram and some on Twitter (X) . The goal of this is to get more engagement for the team, create awareness, and raise money. I also currently coach for a 17u travel baseball organization (Midwest Stars) out of Hudson, Ohio. Through this I have been able to continue my love for the game, give back to the community, and strengthen my leadership qualities. My passion for sports especially baseball remains unquestioned and I strive to continue to report on something I love.