MLB All-Star – Major League Baseball’s All-Star selections include Bryce Harper’s “Legend Pick” slot for Philadelphia, but the overall roster has already ignited a familiar argument: fans say certain players were left out or chosen mostly for name value, while MLB points to
When Bryce Harper stepped into the moment a year ago—screaming and cursing at MLB commissioner Rob Manfred during an argument in the Phillies’ clubhouse—few imagined the league would turn that tension into a highlight. On Saturday, July 4, Manfred handed Harper the olive branch instead.
Harper was named MLB’s “Legend Pick. ” set to represent the Philadelphia Phillies at the 96th All-Star Game on July 14 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The gesture landed after Harper’s best first half since 2021: he is hitting .274 with 20 homers and 57 RBI. and he could have been one of the biggest All-Star snubs if Manfred had not stepped in.
The voting outcome still left plenty of room for disagreement. Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman won the fan balloting while Atlanta’s Matt Olson won the player balloting.
Harper is joining four Phillies teammates—DH Kyle Schwarber, outfielder Brandon Marsh, closer Jhoan Duran, and starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez. Sanchez is expected to be the National League’s starting pitcher with Shohei Ohtani scheduled to be strictly a DH and Milwaukee Brewers All-Star Jacob Misiorowski scheduled to start on the last day before the break. making Misiorowski ineligible to pitch in the All-Star Game.
The Dodgers—two-time defending World Series champions—will send five players, including four starting players for the first time since 1980. Ohtani. who won the fan balloting as the DH. will start along with Freeman. third baseman Max Muncy. and first-time All-Star center fielder Andy Pages. World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto was also selected. Muncy becomes the first Dodgers third baseman to win the fan balloting since Ron Cey in 1977.
In the American League, the Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and Tampa Bay Rays lead with four All-Star players apiece. One selection that has drawn sharper scrutiny than most is Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He won the fan balloting despite what the numbers show as a down year: batting .268 with just four homers. 35 RBI. and a career-low .699 OPS. He has the fewest homers and RBI among all qualified American League starting position players and ranks only 10th among qualified American League first baseman.
Guerrero also became the first player to announce he will not be playing. saying he needs to recuperate a lower back that has been bothered him for the last month. “It’s very difficult for me. ” Guerrero told Toronto reporters. “but I really have to take care of myself and I’ve got to put my team first for the second half.”.
For the Boston Red Sox, the roster sparked even more frustration. First baseman Willson Contreras—the best player in the first half at .283 with 18 homers and 53 RBI—did not make the All-Star team. nor did the team’s best pitcher. starter Sonny Gray. Gray finished the first half 9-1 with a 2.36 ERA and still was left off.
Contreras’ absence landed with extra weight in his brother’s reaction. “I can’t believe my brother didn’t make it,” Brewers All-Star catcher William Contreras told USA TODAY Sports. “Look at his numbers. He’s got to be there.”
The St. Louis Cardinals appear set to join the chorus. Second baseman JJ Wetherholt, closer Riley O’Brien, and starter Michael McGreevy were left off. The Cardinals would have had no players chosen if MLB had not stepped in and selected right fielder Jordan Walker.
The list of other notable snubs includes starting pitchers Zack Wheeler of the Phillies. Nick Martinez of the Rays. Kyle Harrison of the Milwaukee Brewers. Davis Martin of the Chicago White Sox. and Braxton Ashcraft of the Pirates. Position players with legitimate complaints cited in the voting debate include Brewers second baseman Brice Turang and first baseman Jake Bauers; outfielder Bryan Reynolds and second baseman Brandon Lowe of the Pirates; Rockies first baseman TJ Rumfield; Nationals first baseman Luis Garcia; White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery; and Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto.
The roster also brings in fresh faces. There are 26 first-time All-Stars. including four rookies: Kevin McGonigle of Detroit. Travis Bazzana and Parker Messick of Cleveland. and Sal Stewart of Cincinnati. McGonigle. the youngest All-Star at 21 years old. is the first Tigers rookie to make the All-Star team since Matt Nokes in 1987. He said he felt overwhelmed hearing the news because the game is being played in his hometown. “I’ve always dreamed about going to an All-Star Game in Philly. just to go and watch. ” he told reporters this week. “That’s always been a dream,” McGonigle said. “Now that I might have the opportunity to, you know, play in one?. That would be surreal.”.
The Guardians are also making a historical type of move. They are only the fifth team in MLB history to send multiple rookies to the All-Star Game. last accomplished by the 2014 Yankees with pitchers Dellin Betances and Masahiro Tanaka. There are 11 All-Star selections who are 24 or younger. including Bazzana. who’s just the fourth Australian native to be an All Star.
Injuries and streaks add more pressure to the final product. Three-time MVP Aaron Judge will be unable to play with his broken rib, but the Yankees have had at least one player voted to the game for nine consecutive seasons, the longest streak in MLB.
The Athletics. with catcher Shea Langeliers winning the fan balloting. have had All-Star starters in back-to-back years for the first time since 1992. A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson won the fan balloting a year ago. but this time Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. won the player and the fan balloting.
Fan and player balloting winners in the American League include Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement; Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero; Witt. Houston Astros DH Yordan Alvarez; and outfielders Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels. Trout earned his 12th All-Star selection despite being on the injured list with a strained hamstring; he is expected to be activated this week and play in the All-Star Game. which is 45 minutes from his hometown of Millville. N.J. It would be his first All-Star appearance since 2019.
On the National League side, only two players won both the fan and player balloting: Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams and Muncy.
While fans voted Marsh, Juan Soto, and Pages as the NL starting outfield, the players chose Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs, Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and James Wood of the Washington Nationals.
The choices for Guerrero and Paul Skenes also reflect the reality of the ballot. Guerrero was voted by fans mostly out of name recognition and past accomplishments. The same could be said for defending NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes, who went 6-8 with a 3.62 ERA. Skenes started last year’s All-Star Game but hasn’t won a game since May 12. going 0-6 with a 5.63 ERA since May 12. Yet Tarik Skubal, the Detroit Tigers’ two-time Cy Young winner, was left off after missing five weeks with elbow surgery.
MLB made six selections apiece in the NL and AL. with four picks used to represent clubs that did not have an All-Star. The six AL picks were pitchers Bryan Baker of the Tampa Bay Rays; Jacob Latz of the Texas Rangers; Ranger Suarez of the Boston Red Sox and Michael Wacha of the Kansas City Royals; along with first baseman Ben Rice of the Yankees and catcher Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles. The six NL selections were pitchers Max Meyer of the Miami Marlins; Eduardo Rodriguez of the Arizona Diamondbacks; Logan Webb of the San Francisco Giants and Yamamoto; outfielder Jordan Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals; and catcher Hunter Goodman of the Colorado Rockies.
Before the game in Philadelphia, the roster will keep shifting. Position player substitutes and pitchers who will be ineligible to pitch in the game can be expected before they arrive next weekend. Fans are likely to keep pressing for names they want to see in the spotlight. including Wheeler after his comeback from thoracic outlet decompression surgery last September. Nick Martinez. who turns 36 next month. would also fit the bill for a feel-good moment with his 7-2 record and 2.61 ERA. And with Willson Contreras missing the team. the idea of hearing his brother’s presence—center stage in the middle of all those pitchers—remains part of the All-Star chatter.
In the meantime, the fireworks are set for July 14 at Citizens Bank Park, where Harper’s “Legend Pick” nod will be on display alongside a roster already carrying its own debate into the weekend.
MLB All-Star Bryce Harper Rob Manfred Citizens Bank Park Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Kyle Schwarber Jhoan Duran Shohei Ohtani Freddie Freeman Matt Olson Sonny Gray Willson Contreras Paul Skenes Tarik Skubal Jacob Misiorowski