Major League Baseball

First MLB All-Star Game in two years features a host of new starters

Updated Jul. 2, 2021 7:52 p.m. ET

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By Jordan Shusterman
FOX Sports MLB Writer

The starters for the 2021 MLB All-Star Game were revealed Thursday night. 

With no All-Star Game in 2020, it feels like it has been a lifetime since we’ve watched the best players in baseball take the field in the Midsummer Classic. Sure, it has been only two years, but that’s a LONG time in baseball. A lot can change. 

Here were the starters for the 2019 game:

Obviously, all of these players are still stars, but only four of them — Mike Trout, Freddie Freeman, Nolan Arenado and Ronald Acuña Jr. — were voted All-Star starters for 2021. Let’s take a look at this year’s starters and look back at where they were the last time the MLB All-Star Game was played. 

AMERICAN LEAGUE

1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays 

Yes, Vlad Jr. was one of the stars of All-Star Week in 2019, but that was for his epic Home Run Derby performance. He wasn’t actually on the team. He had a .741 OPS and just eight home runs through his first 61 games with the Blue Jays, wholly impressive for a 20-year-old but hardly the unstoppable force he is now. Now, he looks like he did in the Home Run Derby – except he’s doing it in games. 

2B: Marcus Semien, Blue Jays

It’s weird to think someone who ultimately finished third in the AL MVP voting wasn’t an All-Star in 2019, but Semien did the bulk of his damage as the Oakland A's shortstop in the second half that year (1.018 OPS after the break, compared to .797 before it). After an underwhelming 2020, Semien’s back in superstar form in 2021 and is a deserving starter in his first All-Star Game. 

3B: Rafael Devers, Red Sox

Like Semien, Devers was spectacular in 2019. However, he wasn’t named to the All-Star team, as he was stuck behind Alex Bregman and Matt Chapman among AL third basemen. Devers led all of baseball in doubles in 2019, and he’s doing it again this season, so it’s good to see him get rewarded this time around. Few hitters are more fun to watch than Raffy. 

SS: Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox 

Bogaerts was an All-Star two years ago and an All-Star starter back in 2016, so this is familiar territory for him. What a thrill for Red Sox fans to see him and Devers both get well-deserved starting nods.

C: Salvador Perez, Royals 

Salvy didn’t play at all in 2019 after having Tommy John surgery in spring training, and that led to the end of a streak of six consecutive All-Star games for the Royals lifer. Now he’s back in his rightful starting spot on the AL squad after a tremendous first half that has featured 19 dingers, the most among catchers. 

OF: Mike Trout, Angels

A deserving selection as always because he might just be the best player we’ve ever seen, but it seems unlikely that Trout will be able to suit up this year due to a strained calf that has kept him out of action since May 17. 

OF: Aaron Judge, Yankees

After bursting on the scene with his epic rookie year in 2017 and similarly splendid 2018, Judge wasn’t at the 2019 All-Star Game. But he gets the nod in 2021 as one of the few Yankee hitters who has consistently produced at the plate.

OF: Teoscar Hernández, Blue Jays

Blue Jays fans showed out in the All-Star voting and gave Hernández the boost he needed to surpass Byron Buxton on the final day of balloting. The 28-year-old broke out in earnest in 2020 but had no All-Star Game to be rewarded with, so it’s cool he’ll get the chance to join his two Blue Jays teammates in the AL starting lineup in Denver. 

DH: Shohei Ohtani, Angels 

Duh. He’s the biggest story in baseball and one of the biggest stories in sports — of course he’s starting the All-Star Game! Two years ago, Ohtani was only hitting because he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. Now he’s doing both and would be wholly deserving of this spot even if his ERA were over 10.00. Because he’s LEADING THE LEAGUE IN HOME RUNS. WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON? WHO IS THIS GUY?!?!?!

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NATIONAL LEAGUE

1B: Freddie Freeman, Braves 

One of the few returning starters from the 2019 game, the reigning NL MVP starts at first despite having a relatively underwhelming season thus far, but that’s only because of the sky-high standard he set in 2020. Frederick is as dependable as they come. 

2B: Adam Frazier, Pirates 

Frazier has always shown strong contact ability in his career, but he has leveled up significantly in 2021 and remains in firm contention for the NL batting title. There were plenty of trade rumors swirling around him two years ago, when he was merely an average hitter, so you can only imagine what kind of interest he’s garnering during this breakout campaign. Hopefully, Frazier is a Pirate long enough to represent the black and gold in Denver, but he probably won’t be in Pittsburgh for long after the All-Star break. This is his first All-Star appearance. 

3B: Nolan Arenado, Cardinals

Ho-hum, Nolan’s back. This will be Arenado’s sixth All-Star Game and fourth consecutive start at third for the NL. Surely the Rockies fans will be happy to see him back at Coors Field, though it’s safe to say they’d prefer it be for more than just one game. 

SS: Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres 

This will be Tatis Jr.’s All-Star debut, which is incredible considering it feels like he has been the center of the baseball universe for a lifetime already. His rookie year in 2019 was tremendous, albeit abbreviated due to several injuries that kept him out of contention for the All-Star Game. This could very well be the start of a decade-long streak of All-Star starts for the Padres icon. 

C: Buster Posey, Giants 

More than any of the other starters, this one is staggering when looking back to where he was in 2019. Catchers historically decline faster than other positions, so it was no surprise to see Posey’s offensive production start to plummet in his early 30s. He had a .688 OPS in 2019 and missed the All-Star Game, then opted out of the 2020 season. There was very little to suggest that Posey would return to not just All-Star form but MVP form in 2021, yet here we are. Don’t get me wrong: I LOVE to see this resurgence, but it is an especially shocking one to witness, particularly at a position at which players so rarely bounce back once things start to go south.

OF: Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves

Acuña started in center field in 2019 for the NL and will do so again in Denver. As with Tatis, this could be the early stages of an epic streak of All-Star starts. What’s gonna stop him? He’s incredible. 

OF: Nick Castellanos, Reds 

This is somehow Castellanos’ first All-Star nod, though two years ago he was very much in the news as one of the hottest trade targets heading into July, which proved to be appropriate hype, as he went on that epic run with the Cubs in the second half. Now he’ll get the start alongside his Reds teammate ...

OF: Jesse Winker, Reds

Another first-timer, Winker will be joining Castellanos in the NL outfield after a breakout first half that featured two three-homer games and a whole bunch of extra-base hits. Two years ago, Winker was a perfectly solid outfielder for a fourth-place Reds team. Now he’s got a 1.000 OPS and is starting the All-Star Game, and Reds fans suddenly have an offense to be excited about. 

Jordan Shusterman is half of @CespedesBBQ and a baseball analyst for FOX Sports. He lives in Maryland but is a huge Seattle Mariners fan and loves watching the KBO, which means he doesn't get a lot of sleep. You can follow him on Twitter @j_shusterman_.

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Major League Baseball

Toronto Blue Jays

Boston Red Sox

Rafael Devers

Xander Bogaerts

Vladimir Guerrero

Marcus Semien

Salvador Perez

Mike Trout

Aaron Judge

New York Yankees

Los Angeles Angels

Shohei Ohtani

Teoscar Hernández

Freddie Freeman

Atlanta Braves

Adam Frazier

Nolan Arenado

St. Louis Cardinals

Fernando Tatis

San Diego Padres

Buster Posey

San Francisco Giants

Ronald Acuña

Nick Castellanos

Jesse Winker

Cincinnati Reds