Starting Lineup:
Buster Posey, Catcher, San Francisco Giants: After opting out of the 2020 season due to the COVID pandemic, Posey is hitting a remarkable .328/.421/.547 as the Giants backstop, making them think long and hard about when to bring up top prospect Joey Bart from AAA. This is his seventh All-Star appearance, and is well deserved as the best offensive catcher in baseball to this point. He has registered a bWAR of 2.2, leading a surprisingly high-performing Giants pitching staff and lineup into first place in the talented NL West. Freddie Freeman, First Base, Atlanta Braves: Freeman's production has decreased since his 2020 MVP campaign, but he is still one of the best all-around first basemen in Major League Baseball. He is slashing .272/.381/.479 with 17 home runs thus far in 2021. It certainly doesn't hurt that the Braves' large fanbase came out in full force in the voting, along with un-spectacular first halves for Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, and Anthony Rizzo. Freeman is also a good defensive first baseman, and is making his fifth All-Star appearance in his twelfth big league season. Adam Frazier, Second Base, Pittsburgh Pirates: Frazier is one of two All-Star selections representing the last place Pittsburgh Pirates, but is a deserving starter in 2021 with a .324/.396/.460 slash line, 137 OPS+, 2.5 bWAR, and 105 hits through 83 games played. He does not hit the ball particularly hard or far, but gets on base a lot and has struck out just 38 times to this point in the season. This is Frazier's first All-Star nod in his sixth season with Pittsburgh, and he will be a free agent in 2023. Fernando Tatis, Jr., Shortstop, San Diego Padres: There is not a lot more that can be said about one of the most polarizing and exciting young players in the game. Tatis is just 22-years-old and has amassed a career bWAR of 11.6, including 4.6 in 2021. He is slashing .302/.385/.698, leading the National League in slugging and collecting 27 home runs to this point. Beyond that, he is also leading the NL in stolen bases with 18, and has been caught stealing just twice. There is still room for improvement in Tatis's defense, but if he keeps tearing the cover off the ball the way he's been, I think San Diego will live with a few errant throws here or there. This season marks his first All-Star selection. Nolan Arenado, Third Base, St. Louis Cardinals: Arenado is known as one of the most consistent and complete all-around players in baseball, and has had that reputation for many years. It is likely that popularity that has propelled him to an NL starting spot this year, as he is slashing .264/.321/.500, which may seem low by his high standards. Despite that, he has amassed a bWAR of 2.7, plays arguably the best defensive third base in the Majors, and has whacked 16 home runs in his first season in St. Louis. 2021 marks his sixth All-Star selection in nine seasons, and he has finished in the Top-10 in NL MVP voting five times so far in his career. Ronald Acuna, Jr., Outfield, Atlanta Braves: Acuna has cooled off (slightly) from his red-hot start to the season, but he is still one of the top National League MVP candidates into July. He has a bWAR of 3.0 for the perplexing Atlanta Braves, and has slashed .278/.386/.592 with an OPS+ of 154. He also brings speed to the table with his power, collecting 16 stolen bases with his 23 home runs. He leads the National League in runs scored, and is making his second All-Star appearance in his age 23 season, his fourth full year in the Major Leagues. Nicholas Castellanos, Outfield, Cincinnati Reds: Castellanos is leading the National League in hitting, hits, doubles, and total bases, with an OPS+ of 153 in 79 games played. The 29-year-old is in his ninth season and has posted a bWAR of 2.6 for the slugging Reds. He is making his first All-Star appearance this year, and has made a case for himself in the MVP conversation with his offensive output in the NL Central. Jesse Winker, Outfield, Cincinnati Reds: Winker will turn 228 next month, and is making his first All-Star appearance and start in 2021. He is slashing .306/.389/.559 for a 145 OPS+ and 1.9 bWAR in 77 games. He has 19 home runs and has a hard hit % of 50%. His production has increased in each season for Cincinnati, and he is under club control until 2024. Reserve Position Players: JT Realmuto, Catcher, Philadelphia Phillies: In his third season in Philadelphia, Realmuto's offensive numbers are down slightly from his earlier performances and overall career numbers, slashing .263/.359/.446 for a 123 OPS+ and 1.7 bWAR. He is, however, a very consistent presence, with 21 extra base hits out of his 56 hits, and is very effective behind the plate defensively, framing pitches, and handling the pitching staff. He is one of two representatives for the Phillies and is making his third National League All-Star roster. Max Muncy, First Base, Los Angeles Dodgers: Muncy has had a terrific first half of 2021, registering a bWAR of 4.0 and making a starting ASG case for himself at either first base or second base. He leads the National League in OBP, part of a .263/.416/.556 line and 171 OPS+. He as walked as many times as he's struck out (56) and has 18 home runs for the surging Dodgers. He is in just his sixth big league season at age 30 and is making his second All-Star appearance in 2021. Jake Cronenworth, Second Base, San Diego Padres: Cronenworth finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in a tie with Philly third baseman Alec Bohm and behind Milwaukee reliever Devin Williams. This year, he is slashing .280/.354/.464 with 131 OPS+ and has proven to be a key to San Diego's success. His bWAR is 3.5 and he leads the Majors in games played with 86. He's made only six errors in the infield this season, and has improved his overall game, earning the nod as an NL All-Star reserve as a 27-year-old MLB sophomore. Ozzie Albies, Second Base, Atlanta Braves: Albies is making his second All-Star appearance in his fifth season as a 24-year-old, holding down second base for the Atlanta Braves. He has slashed .263/.328/.509 and added 15 home runs and 13 stolen bases for Atlanta. He plays strong defense and is an all-around playmaker for his team, and has posted a 2.2 bWAR in 82 games in 2021. Brandon Crawford, Shortstop, San Francisco Giants: Known as one of the best defensive shortstops in the game, Crawford has also excelled at the plate this season, with 18 home runs, 131 total bases, and an OPS+ of 141. He is making his third ASG appearance as a 34-year-old in his eleventh season, all by the Bay with the Giants. He has contributed 3.4 bWAR to the eye-opening Giants this year, and is poised to put together a well above-average shortstop season if he can remain consistent. In another year, without Fernando Tatis, Jr. and Trea Turner in front of him, Crawford could very well have been the NL starter on this roster. Trea Turner, Shortstop, Washington Nationals: Turner is somewhat surprisingly making his first ever All-Star appearance this season as a 28-year-old in his seventh campaign. He is slashing .321/.370/.522 for a 151 OPS+ and has posted a 3.1 bWAR in the Nation's capital. He is also leading the NL in stolen bases with 18 and has hit 15 home runs to round out a valuable offensive output. He has led the Nationals from his shortstop position this year, has reliably appeared in 79 games, and has hit for the cycle in 2021. Eduardo Escobar, Third Base, Arizona Diamondbacks: Escobar's selection may be largely due to the fact that he is the only representative of the last place Diamondbacks, in a format where each team must have at least one representative. His OBP is below .300, but he has hit 18 home runs in this, his eleventh MLB season. He is listed as a third baseman here but has also played second base and shortstop in 2021, and has played every single position on the field, including pitcher and catcher, at some point in his Major League career. He is tied for second on the Diamondbacks with a 1.4 bWAR in 2021, as part of a 10.7 career bWAR. Kris Bryant, Third Base, Chicago Cubs: Bryant has played all over for the Cubs in 2021, including third, first, and each outfield position. He is slashing .271/.353/.507 and has improved his approach over his career, cutting down on his previously league leading strikeout numbers. He has hit 16 home runs and posted an OPS+ of 137 with 142 total bases. Bryant finished third in the fan voting for NL Third basemen this year, and is making his fourth ASG appearance. Kyle Schwarber, Outfield, Washington Nationals: Schwarber had been on fire of late in his first season in Washington, until he was injured and placed on the injured list in late June. He has hit 25 home runs, most of which came in June, and has an OPS of .910 and OPS+ of 153 across 151 total bases. He will likely never be an average defensive outfielder, but has been serviceable in the DH-free National League. It is unlikely that Schwarber will appear in the Mid-Summer Classic due to his injury, but this is his first All-Star honor in his seven year career. Juan Soto, Outfield, Washington Nationals: Considered by many to be one of the most feared hitters in the game, Soto led the league in hitting, OBP, SLG, and OPS+ in the shortened 2020 campaign. This year, he has an OPS+ of 134 and a bWAR of 1.9. His power numbers have been down so far this season, but he has also walked more than he's struck out, and has improved lately, as he hopes to ride that momentum into a potentially exciting second half in the NL East. Mookie Betts, Outfield, Los Angeles Dodgers: Betts is in his eighth season at age 28, and has previously finished in the Top-8 in MVP voting five times. By his standards, he has had a down year this year, slashing .24/.360/.452 with an OPS+ of 127, but as always, he plays a terrific defensive outfield, and is one of the top five tool players in the game year in and year out. He has 34 extra base hits in 2021 and a bWAR if 2.6, finding himself on his fifth All-Star roster. Chris Taylor, Outfield, Los Angeles Dodgers: Taylor has been named to his first ever All-Star team at age 30, and has an identical 2.6 bWAR to his outfield mate Betts. He has posted an OPS of .836 and OPS+ of 134, and collected 36 extra base hits. He has played six positions for Los Angeles so far in 2021, including each outfield spot and each of third base, shortstop, and second base. He predominantly splits his time between centerfield and second base. Bryan Reynolds, Outfield, Pittsburgh Pirates: Reynolds has bounced back strong from an underwhelming sophomore slump in 2020, currently owning a .307/.392/.530 slash and 153 OPS+. He has 15 home runs and 91 hits in 81 games for Pittsburgh. He is making his first All-Star appearance in his third full season as a 26-year-old, and has contributed a 3.6 bWAR for the Pirates. He is under club control of the Pirates until 2026. Pitchers: Corbin Burnes, Milwaukee Brewers: Burnes got out to a great start to the season, including a stretch where he struck out 58 batters before walking a man to begin the campaign. To this point, he has stuck out 120 and walked just 15, and has posted an ERA of 2.41, ERA+ of 170, WHIP of 0.902, and bWAR of 2.6. Burnes is poised to be a Top-5 finisher in Cy Young voting if he maintains this pace. His Brewers are pulling away in the NL Central, and his talents will be needed as they try to get over the hump in the post-season if they can hold on. Brandon Woodruff, Milwaukee Brewers: Woodruff has now surpassed his All-Star rotation mate, Burnes, in productivity to this point in 2021. He has an ERA of 2.10, ERA+ of 196, WHIP of 0.783, and 125 strikeouts, five for every walk he has allowed. His 4.1 bWAR leads his team, and he too will find himself in the Top-5 in NL Cy Young voting if he is able to remain healthy and consistent. Jacob deGrom, New York Mets: deGrom is putting together a potentially historic season in 2021 at age 33. He currently leads the Majors in each of the following categories: ERA (0.95), ERA+ (402), FIP (0.99), WHIP (0.541), K/9 (14.4), and Hits/9 (3.7). To this point in the season, the question hasn't really been whether or not deGrom will win his third Cy Young Award. The question has become: Can he maintain this pace and performance level for the entire season? And further, can he surpass Bob Gibson's modern record of a 1.12 full season ERA? deGrom's starts are appointment television, and fans will want to watch closely as those questions are answered in the second half. Yu Darvish, San Diego Padres: Darvish currently holds the all-time career record of K/9 with 11.1. In 2021, his first season in San Diego, he has amassed 123 strikeouts in 102 innings, posted an ERA of 2.65 and ERA+ of 138, and has a sub-one WHIP (0.951). He finished second in the Cy Young Award voting in 2020 with the Chicago Cubs, and has been the anchor for a promising Padres pitching staff poised for a 2021 post-season run. This is his fifth career All-Star selection. Kevin Gausman, San Francisco Giants: Gausman is putting together by far the best season of his career as a 30-year-old, earning his first All-Star nod in 2021. He has contributed a bWAR of 4.6, an elite ERA of 1.74 and ERA+ of 227, and struck out 124 opposing batters. The Giants have benefited mightily from Gausman's performances, as he is 8-3 on the season and his team is in first place in the National League West. During his career, he has never posted a full season ERA below 3.57 up until this point. He will be a key for San Francisco as they hope to ward off the charging Dodgers and Padres in the second half. German Marquez, Colorado Rockies: Marquez is the lone representative of the host Colorado Rockies in the 2021 ASG, but he has been trending up of late, including a 92-pitch complete game shut out one hitter in his home Coors Field last week. He has struggled with control at times this season, but has a 127 ERA+, 3.41 FIP, and 2.4 bWAR. At age 26, this is his first All-Star nod in his sixth season, but he has improved each year and is hoping to become a mainstay at the annual event. Trevor Rogers, Miami Marlins: Rogers is likely one of the leading candidates for NL Rookie of the Year honors, as the 23-year-old has been very impressive in 2021. He has an ERA of 2.22, ERA+ of 181, WHIP of 1.048, FIP of 2.48, and bWAR of 3.0. In 17 starts and 97.1 innings, he has struck out 118 hitters. Opponents are slashing just .202/.274/.300 against him, and he is a former first round selection of the Marlins in 2017 out of high school in New Mexico. Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies: Wheeler has the highest bWAR of any pitcher on the National League roster at 5.5. Some of his key stats are as follows: 2.05 ERA, 192 ERA+, 0.939 WHIP, 2.28 FIP, and 139 strikeouts - the Major League lead. The 31-year-old is making his first All-Star game appearance and is a feel-good story after several injuries and struggles during his career, and has been the leader of a Phillies pitching staff that has struggled with consistency in 2021. He will be a key piece for Philadelphia if they hope to get out of the wild NL East race on top. Josh Hader, Milwaukee Brewers: Hader has likely regained his crown as best reliever in the Major Leagues in 2021. He has posted an ERA of 0.55, ERA+ of 751 (somewhat misleading for a reliever), FIP of 0.89, and has struck out 55 of the 121 batters he has faced. He has a bWAR of 2.6 in just 32.2 innings pitched, and has notched 20 saves for the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers. Craig Kimbrel, Chicago Cubs: Kimbrel is making his eighth All-Star appearance in his twelve-year career, and has returned to elite form after two disappointing years in Wrigleyville. He hasa a 0.59 ERA, 665 ERA+ (again, reliever*), 0.652 WHIP, and has matched Hader's 20 saves in the NL Central. Kimbrel has struck out 53 out of 113 batters faced, and has walked just 10. Additionally, he has only given up one home run and 10 hits in 30.2 innings. If things continue to go south for the Cubs, he may become an incredibly intriguing trade piece in a few weeks. Mark Melancon, San Diego Padres: Melancon is leading the Majors in saves with 25, and has a 2.27 ERA with a 163 ERA+. He is not the strikeout machine that many other top end relievers are, and his 4.20 FIP indicates some luck involved in his success, but he has been consistently above average for many years in the National League, and is making his fourth All-Star appearance at age 36. Alex Reyes, St. Louis Cardinals: Reyes is making his first All-Star appearance in his fifth season in St. Louis at age 26. He has 54 strikeouts in 41.1 innings pitched, and has a 1.52 ERA and 247 ERA+. His WHIP of 1.306 is on the higher end for top relievers, due in large part to his 32 walks allowed, but he has allowed just two home runs and has notched 20 saves for the Cardinals.
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