Major League Baseball

2024 MLB All-Star picks: The 64 players who should be selected

Updated Jul. 3, 2024 3:51 p.m. ET

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Rowan Kavner

MLB Writer

As of Tuesday, Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge were the only players with guaranteed starting spots in the All-Star Game as the top overall vote-getters in each league after the first phase of balloting. 

Unfortunately, Harper is currently out with a hamstring strain. Fortunately, the Phillies slugger could be back in time for the game. Unfortunately (again), that might not be the case for some of the National League's other top talents. 

Mookie Betts (fractured hand) and Fernando Tatís Jr. (stress reaction in leg) are both deserving of spots on the team, but neither is likely to be available for the game as they work their way back from their respective injuries. That saps some of the star power on the NL side, which is already missing some of the biggest names in the sport (Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider, Clayton Kershaw, etc.) due to injuries. 

Still, there will inevitably be more deserving All-Star players than spots available on both teams. 

With Phase 2 of balloting ending and starters being revealed Wednesday, this feels like a good time to make our own choices for every roster spot in the 2024 All-Star Game, which will take place July 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington (8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). 

Over the past couple of weeks, we identified the closest position battles and early picks for which players deserve to win out in the NL and AL. Now, though, we have more information at hand, and some of those selections have changed. 

My final All-Star picks below are irrespective of the results of the fan vote and work within the framework of the rules: 20 position players and 12 pitchers (including at least three relievers) on each team, with every major-league club represented (which created a challenge). Starters are in bold. 

Note: I've only included players who are likely to be healthy for the game, so Betts and Tatis — though they would have made my roster had they been expected to play — are not included. 

AMERICAN LEAGUE 

Catchers 

Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles 
Salvador Pérez, Kansas City Royals 
Logan O'Hoppe, Los Angeles Angels 

Infielders

1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays 
1B Josh Naylor, Cleveland Guardians
2B José Altuve, Houston Astros
SS Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles
SS Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals
SS Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins 
3B José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians  
3B Jordan Westburg, Baltimore Orioles
3B Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox 
3B Isaac Paredes, Tampa Bay Rays 

Outfielders

Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Juan Soto, New York Yankees
Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians 
*Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros
Jarren Duran, Boston Red Sox
Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers 

DH

Yordan Álvarez, Houston Astros 

*Injury replacement if Tucker injured

SS Corey Seager, Texas Rangers
(If Seager is injured: UTIL Josh Smith, Texas Rangers)

Also Strongly Considered

UTIL Willi Castro, Minnesota Twins 
UTIL Luis Rengifo, Los Angeles Angels 
1B Ryan Mountcastle, Baltimore Orioles 
C Connor Wong, Boston Red Sox 
DH David Fry, Cleveland Guardians
DH Brent Rooker, Oakland Athletics 
OF Anthony Santander, Baltimore Orioles
OF JJ Bleday, Oakland Athletics 
2B Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Toronto Blue Jays 
2B Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers 
SS Anthony Volpe, New York Yankees 

Analysis: Is it gaming the system to only include one second baseman and have four third basemen? So be it. Altuve is doing his thing, but behind him is a hodgepodge of light hitters at the position, and I couldn't justify taking one of them when others can just fill in at the spot. Considering Henderson and Witt are both so deserving of a starting spot, maybe you could move Witt over to second and get them both on the field for a few innings? I don't think anyone would have a problem with that. 

Westburg is also more than capable of handling the role. I'm all about giving the hometown crowd something to cheer for, but I couldn't find a way to get Seager or Smith on there, so they would be my first calls for injury replacements (even if it's for an outfielder, as referenced above). I wanted to find a way to get Castro on there, but Paredes needed to make the team as the lone Rays representative. 

Pitchers 

SP Seth Lugo, Kansas City Royals
SP Corbin Burnes, Baltimore Orioles
SP Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers
SP Logan Gilbert, Seattle Mariners 
SP Garrett Crochet, Chicago White Sox
SP Tanner Houck, Boston Red Sox
SP Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals
SP Luis Gil, New York Yankees
SP Ronel Blanco, Houston Astros

RP Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland Guardians 
RP Mason Miller, Oakland Athletics 
RP Kirby Yates, Texas Rangers 

Also Strongly Considered

SP Jack Flaherty, Detroit Tigers
SP Reese Olson, Detroit Tigers
SP Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins 
SP Tyler Anderson, Los Angeles Angels 
SP Brady Singer, Kansas City Royals 
RP Kenley Jansen, Boston Red Sox 
RP Craig Kimbrel, Baltimore Orioles
RP Clay Holmes, New York Yankees 
RP Andres Muñoz, Seattle Mariners 
RP Hunter Gaddis, Cleveland Guardians 
RP Cade Smith, Cleveland Guardians 

Analysis: Burnes and Skubal would also be perfectly acceptable answers to start the game, but I went with the starter who leads the AL in ERA, bWAR and wins (although, admittedly, I don't really care about that last stat). The Tigers had a plethora of All-Star hopefuls, and leaving off Flaherty and Olson was especially difficult. There were too many spectacular starting pitchers to get more than three relievers on there. Miller and Clase were locks, and Yates gets the final spot as a vital piece for the hometown club. Jansen, Kimbrel or Muñoz would also be perfectly acceptable All-Star choices, and the Guardians' plethora of high-leverage options beyond Clase at least deserve some recognition here. 

NATIONAL LEAGUE 

Catchers 

William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers 
Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers
Patrick Bailey, San Francisco Giants

Infielders

*1B Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
1B Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers 
2B Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
2B Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers 
SS Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds (SS) 
SS CJ Abrams, Washington Nationals 
SS Francisco Lindor, New York Mets 
3B Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies
3B Ryan McMahon, Colorado Rockies 

Outfielders

Jurickson Profar, San Diego Padres 
Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers
Teoscar Hernández, Los Angeles Dodgers
Brandon Nimmo, New York Mets 
Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates
Jackson Merrill, San Diego Padres

DH

Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
Marcell Ozuna, Atlanta Braves 

*Injury Replacement if Harper injured

1B Christian Walker, Arizona Diamondbacks 

Also Strongly Considered

3B Joey Ortiz, Milwaukee Brewers
3B Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants
1B Michael Busch, Chicago Cubs 
1B Pete Alonso, New York Mets 
SS Willy Adames, Milwaukee Brewers
SS Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals
SS Ezequiel Tovar, Colorado Rockies
OF Heliot Ramos, San Francisco Giants
OF Jesse Winker, Washington Nationals 
DH Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies 
UTIL Jake Cronenworth, San Diego Padres

Analysis: The last few spots of the NL position players were the most excruciating to whittle down of any on this list. I desperately wanted to find a way to get Ortiz on here, but he has cooled considerably in June (likely due to the neck issue that has caused him to miss time), and despite the value he offers, he doesn't have the counting stats of others on this list. McMahon or Tovar had to make it as a Rockies representative, and I took the third baseman considering the plethora of NL shortstop options. Adames and Wynn also have strong cases at short, though they haven't produced offensively to the level of others here. 

Profar is an incredible story this year, but the NL outfield collectively pales in comparison to its AL counterparts. With that, it makes the decisions even tougher. Behind Profar, there's a smorgasbord of options offering about the same value. Ramos certainly has an argument, but he gets dinged since he lags so far behind the others in playing time. Merrill has come on strong enough that he probably deserves a spot on the roster, which is extraordinary for the 21-year-old former shortstop who's manning center for the first time. 

Pitchers 

SP Reynaldo López, Atlanta Braves
SP Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves
SP Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles Dodgers
SP Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates
SP Ranger Suárez, Philadelphia Phillies
SP Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies
SP Cristopher Sánchez, Philadelphia Phillies 
SP Sonny Gray, St. Louis Cardinals
SP Shōta Imanaga, Chicago Cubs 

RP Robert Suárez, San Diego Padres 
RP Ryan Helsley, St. Louis Cardinals
RP Tanner Scott, Miami Marlins 

Also Strongly Considered 

SP Max Fried, Atlanta Braves
SP Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants 
SP Gavin Stone, Los Angeles Dodgers 
SP Mackenzie Gore, Washington Nationals 
SP Jake Irvin, Washington Nationals 
SP Dylan Cease, San Diego Padres 
SP Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh Pirates 
RP Bryan Hudson, Milwaukee Brewers 
RP Matt Strahm, Philadelphia Phillies 
RP Jeff Hoffman, Philadelphia Phillies
RP Kyle Finnegan, Washington Nationals 
RP Evan Phillips, Los Angeles Dodgers 
RP Trevor Megill, Milwaukee Brewers 

Analysis: There were, unsurprisingly, far more omissions than I felt comfortable with here, which is to be expected. There are always more All-Star-worthy pitchers than spots available. Since Imanaga and Scott had to make it as their team's lone reps, my last spot was between Sánchez and Hudson. As good as the latter has been in the Milwaukee bullpen — he came out of nowhere to lead all NL relievers with a 0.82 ERA — it's almost impossible to make the cut as a non-closer. Philadelphia gets three starting pitchers in, and Strahm and Hoffman also had a case in the non-closer reliever realm. 

On the starter side, Cease is fourth in the majors in strikeouts, Webb leads the majors in innings, and Fried and Stone both have arguments, but they all fell just short. Skenes has done enough to warrant a spot, even in a short time. Get that arm to Arlington. Suárez, Sale, Glasnow or Wheeler would all be fine options to start, but López is the only qualified pitcher in the majors with an ERA under 2.00. 

Lugo and López certainly don't have the name recognition of other options on the rosters, but how cool would it be to have two guys who were recently full-time relievers earn the nod? They've proven worthy. On the bullpen side, Helsley vs. Finnegan could have gone either way, but 30 saves before the All-Star break is absurd.

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

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Rowan Kavner