The 2020 MLB All Star Teams
If not for the coronavirus, Dodger Stadium would have hosted the 2020 All-Star Game, marking only the second time in its history to host the Midsummer Classic. The first time was in 1980, a couple months before a 19-year-old southpaw from Mexico named Fernando Valenzuela made his major league debut. Valenzuela pitched 17 2/3 scoreless innings in his rookie year, then became the biggest story in baseball during the strike-shortened 1981 season.
As we all are well aware, the coronavirus prevented many things from happening this year, including a full MLB season and an All-Star game at Dodger Stadium. Instead, we have a 60-ish game season and no All-Star game. The Dodgers will now host the 2022 All-Star Game.
Had there been an All-Star game during this shortened season, it would likely have been played this week. The game is usually played right around the 95-game mark in a 162-game season. That equates to the 35-game mark in a 60-game season, which is just about where we’re at (except not you, Cardinals).
So let’s pretend there is an All-Star game this year. Who would make the rosters? Who would be the starters? Which teams would be well-represented and which teams would get just their one, token player? Using a mix of traditional and advanced statistics, I present my choices for the 2020 All-Stars. (All stats as of before play Monday. On Monday, Robinson Cano hit another homer, proving me even more right.)
National League Starters
C—J.T. Realmuto, Phillies: This is a slam dunk. There isn’t a catcher in the National League who comes close to Realmuto this year. His nine homers and 25 RBI in 111 plate appearances translates to 44 homers and 124 RBI in 550 plate appearances. Also, his Statcast sprint speed is faster than Mookie Betts and Bryce Harper. And he’s a catcher. That’s crazy to think about. Even Phillies fans can’t find anything to boo about Realmuto and they’re world-class boo-ers.
1B—Freddie Freeman, Braves: This one’s more difficult because Freeman, Paul Goldschmidt, and Brandon Belt are all having good seasons at the plate. Freeman has 30-40 more plate appearances than the other two, and thus more runs and RBI, which many voters still value. He would likely win the fan vote, so he gets the nod from me also.
2B—Robinson Cano, Mets: It might surprise people who haven’t been paying attention, but Robinson Cano is having a terrific season at the plate. He’s only played in 23 games, but he’s hitting .369/.407/.607 (through Sunday, August 30). His 175 wRC+ is the best of his career.
SS—Fernando Tatis, Jr., Padres: Another slam dunk, Tatis is atop the leaderboard in runs, home runs, RBI, and unadulterated delight. Tatis and his fellow Padres are a joy to watch, whether they’re launching grand slams or making incredible plays in the field. This All-Star game could have been a coming out party for Tatis, especially if he broke some silly unwritten rule of baseball in front of a national television audience.
3B—Manny Machado, Padres: We’ll just take the entire left side of the Padres infield, thankyouverymuch. Machado is having his best offensive season (165 wRC+) and helping lead the Padres to the playoffs for the first time since 2006, back when Twitter was in its infancy and we all had way more time on our hands because we weren’t constantly checking the app to see what’s happening in the world.
LF—Juan Soto, Nationals: Soto has been the best hitter in baseball among those with 80 or more plate appearances. He had some COVID-91 issues that delayed the start to his season, but he’s done nothing but rake ever since. His 215 wRC+ in his first 19 games would fit in quite nicely with any Barry Bonds season from 2001 to 2004, when he was at the height of his superstar powers.
CF—Mike Yastrzemski, Giants: Yastrzemski is second among position players in FanGraphs WAR and fourth in Baseball-Reference WAR, so he gets the starting spot in center field for the National League. With the caveat that it’s only a 35-game sample, Mike’s 164 wRC+ is higher than all but the best three seasons of grandpa Carl Yastrzemski’s 23-year career. Going back to last year, Mike Yastrzemski has played in 142 major league games and hit .276/.353/.534, with 93 runs, 28 homers, and 79 RBI. His 133 wRC+ since the start of the 2019 season is higher than Bryce Harper.
RF—Mookie Betts, Dodgers: Like Bryce Harper (below), Betts has had many very good years and one great year. That great year was in 2018. Betts isn’t playing at quite that level, but he’s just a cut below it. A strong second half could earn him an MVP Award in both leagues, joining Frank Robinson as the only players to do so.
DH—Bryce Harper, Phillies: For all the hype Bryce Harper gets, he has generally been a good or very good player much more often than he’s been a great player. In 2015, he was a great player, and his 2020 season is looking more like 2015 than any season since.
SP—Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers: In this mythical world, NL All-Star game manager Dave Martinez gives the ball to Clayton Kershaw so he can make the start in front of cardboard cutouts of home fans at Dodger Stadium. There are other pitchers more deserving of the start—Trevor Bauer, Max Fried, Jake deGrom, Yu Darvish—but Kershaw’s career-long excellence earns him the ball.
American League Starters
C—Pedro Severino, Orioles: Even Yankees fans wouldn’t stuff the ballot box for Gary Sanchez this year, so the AL starter at catcher is a relative unknown. The numbers favor Austin Nola of the Seattle Mariners, but he was traded on Sunday night to the Padres. Therefore, Pedro Severino will start behind the dish. For those who favor traditional statistics, Severino leads all AL catchers with 20 RBI while hitting .303/.380/.517 in 26 games.
1B—Jose Abreu, White Sox: Abreu hit 33 homers in 159 games last year. He has 12 in 33 games this year (a 58-HR pace for 159 games). He’s one of many White Sox hitters who is crushing the ball in the first half of the abbreviated 2020 season and is well deserving of this spot on the AL roster.
2B—Brandon Lowe, Rays: In the real world, it might be difficult for Lowe to get the votes needed to be the starter for the AL, but we can fudge it a little. He’s definitely deserving of the spot, as he leads AL second baseman in many hitting categories. Also, six-time all-star Jose Altuve is struggling mightily and DJ LeMahieu missed some games with an injury.
SS—Tim Anderson, White Sox: Anderson led the AL in batting average last year when he hit .335. He also had a .399 BABIP. That seemed unsustainable, yet here Anderson is again, hitting .361 with a .420 BABIP. It’s not likely to continue, but we might as well enjoy it while we can.
3B—Anthony Rendon, Angels: For all the troubles the Angels are having, free agent signee Anthony Rendon has been a terrific addition. He has the highest on-base percentage and wRC+ of his career, while still picking it at third base like a magician with the glove.
LF—Kyle Lewis, Mariners: Despite being one of the best-hitting outfielders in the AL so far, Lewis might be a longshot to be voted into the All-Star game in real life, but I could see a passionate push by the Mariners marketing department to get Lewis in the game in this alternate reality. Through 34 games, he’s hitting .339/.428/.524. Of course, his .427 BABIP is a big factor, but that shouldn’t affect his spot on the All-Star team.
CF—Mike Trout, Angels: Even in a down year (for him), Mike Trout still earns a starting spot on the AL All-Star team because a down year for Mike Trout would be a career year for most any other player. Trout’s walk rate has dropped significantly from last year and he has the second-highest strikeout rate of his career. Until recently, he seemed entirely too passive at the plate, having struck out looking 18 times already. He’s been better lately, though, including a big 3-for-4 game in which he doubled, homered, scored four runs, and drove in six.
RF—Teoscar Hernandez, Blue Jays: As good as he’s been so far, I’d expectthe entire country of Canada would get out the vote for Hernández if fans could vote for the All-Stars this year. I’ve been to Mariner games when the stadium was three-quarters filled with visiting Blue Jays fans. Hernández is one of six players with 12 or more home runs through roughly 35 games.
DH—Nelson Cruz, Twins: Despite being in his age-39 season, Cruz is hitting as well as he ever has (187 wRC+). His 13 home runs are tied with 21-year-old Fernando Tatis, Jr. for the most in baseball. From 2014 to 2019, Cruz averaged 41 homers and 105 RBI per season. His early-season production is even better than that this year. He also just moved past Willie Mays for sixth place all-time for most home runs by a player from age 33 on.
SP—Shane Bieber, Cleveland: Bieber is 6-0 with a 1.35 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings. He’s struck out at least 10 batters in five of his seven starts and hasn’t allowed a run in four of those starts. There are other AL pitchers having great seasons, but no one is close to Bieber.
National League Reserves:
C—Jacob Stallings, Pirates (team’s only All-Star)
1B—Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals (team’s only All-Star)
2B—Donovan Solano, Giants
SS—Trevor Story, Rockies
SS—Trea Turner, Nationals
3B—Nolan Arenado, Rockies
OF—Jesse Winker, Reds
OF—Wil Myers, Padres
OF—Dominic Smith, NYM
OF—Ian Happ, Cubs
UT—Jake Cronenworth, SD
SP—Max Fried, Braves
SP—Yu Darvish, Cubs
SP—Sonny Gray, Reds
SP—Jacob deGrom, Mets
SP—Trevor Bauer, Reds
SP—Max Scherzer, Nationals
SP—Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks
RP—Kenley Jansen, Dodgers
RP—Josh Hader, Brewers (team’s only All-Star)
RP—Brandon Kintzler, Marlins (team’s only All-Star)
RP—Archie Bradley, Diamondbacks
American League Reserves:
C—Martin Maldonado, Astros
1B—Luke Voit, Yankees
2B—Cavan Biggio, Blue Jays
SS—Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox (team’s only All-Star)
3B—Jose Ramirez, Cleveland
3B—Matt Chapman, Athletics
OF—Luis Robert, White Sox
OF—Eloy Jimenez, White Sox
OF—Anthony Santander, Orioles
OF—Mark Canha, Athletics
UT—David Fletcher, Angels
SP—Lance Lynn, Rangers (team’s only All-Star)
SP—Zack Greinke, Astros
SP—Dylan Bundy, Angels
SP—Kenta Maeda, Twins
SP—Hyun Jin Ryu, Blue Jays
SP—Gerrit Cole, Yankees
SP—Spencer Turnbull, Tigers (team’s only All-Star)
RP—Liam Hendriks, Athletics
RP—Brad Hand, Cleveland
RP—Alex Colome, White Sox
RP—Josh Staumont, Royals (team’s only All-Star)
In this fantasy world where we have an All-Star Game in a shortened season, there’s a good chance the NL would snap the AL’s seven-game winning streak. The NL starting lineup looks formidable. The last time the NL won was back in 2012, when 11 National League pitchers combined to shut out the AL hitters and Justin Verlander was rocked for five runs in the first inning. Overall, the AL leads the series 45 to 43, with two ties.
