The 2021 All-Star Game
The MLB announced its starting lineups for the All-Star positional players on Thursday, July 1, and included some of the most recognizable stars in the game.
Among the household names were Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Mike Trout, and Shohei Ohtani, all being picked from an elite crop of talent in the American League; yet despite their notoriety within the sport, the National League’s team is even better.
The All-Star Rosters
National League
C: Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
1B: Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves
2B: Adam Frazier, Pittsburgh Pirates
3B: Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals
SS: Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres
OF: Nick Castellanos, Cincinnati Reds
OF: Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves
OF: Jesse Winker, Cincinnati Reds
American League
C: Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
2B: Marcus Semien, Toronto Blue Jays
3B: Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox
SS: Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox
OF: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
OF: Mike Trout, Angels (injured)
OF: Teoscar Hernandez, Toronto Blue Jays
DH: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
The MLB announced its starting lineups for the All-Star positional players on Thursday, July 1, and included some of the most recognizable stars in the game.
National League All-Stars
The AL might have the “sexier” names on paper, but the NL’s elite has been performing much better this season.
First, the elephant in the room: although pitchers will not be announced for another two days, Jacob deGrom, the best pitcher in baseball and perhaps the best ever, will take the mound with an absurd 7-2 record and 0.95 ERA. deGrom is also second in baseball with 136 strikeouts, a one-off of Trevor Bauer’s total— however, the New York Mets’ ace has reached his incredible total in 22.2 fewer innings. Regardless, Bauer is a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and will be teammates with deGrom in the Midsummer Classic rather than opponents.
As far as the known, Fernando Tatis Jr. will lead his squad in his first All-Star appearance with an NL-best 26 home runs and a better home run per game rate than the league’s leader, Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels. Say what you want about his suboptimal defensive ability, but the Padres’ shortstop leads the league in slugging percentage at .697 and is still getting better as a player with only three years of experience in the MLB. Tatis Jr. is also tied for second place in the wins above replacement category and has the highest total of any All-Star game starter.
The NL also claims the league’s most consistent batter this season, Nick Castellanos— the Reds’ right fielder is hitting .346 with 16 homers and 53 RBIs for a team that is sitting right on .500, finding a majority of their success from his renewed productivity at the plate. He is also solid fielding the ball and has only committed two errors thus far.
Another high-profile and youthful player for the National League All-Stars is Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., a third-year player with an exceptional blend of speed and power. Acuna Jr. has hit .283 for the fifth-best home run total (22) and has stolen 16 bases, only trailing Whit Merrifield, Trea Turner, and Tatis Jr. Acuna is regarded as one of the future faces of Major League Baseball and, like his San Diego Padres’ compadre, is getting better with time.
What Happened to the American League?
Although the Angels strangely got better without Mike Trout, the All-Star team did not; they have exceptional talent with Ohtani and Guerrero Jr., but top to bottom, the NL’s team is simply better. They are more consistent batters, have a combination of youthful energy and experienced veterans, and are more well-rounded.
The American League will be a boom-or-bust team when they take the field, and with deGrom likely to take the mound, they are set up for failure.
It may not be trendy to say, but the National League is going to win the All-Star Game.
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Grant Mitchell is a sportswriter and multimedia contributor for the Sports 2.0 Network dealing with basketball, football, soccer, and other major sports: you can connect with him on Twitter @milemitchell to stay up to date with the latest sports news and to engage personally with him.
