For the first time in several seasons, the All-Star Game wasn’t about pitting one league against another but playing for pure fun between all of baseball’s greats.
The All-Star Game is baseball’s ultimate learning lab, where opposing teammates share knowledge and secrets. Roy Halladay developed his signature cutter grip here that has carried throughout his career.
American League
MLB’s All-Star Game 2023 will showcase the greatest hitters and pitchers from the American League. Set for T-Mobile Park – home of Seattle Mariners – on July 11, this midsummer classic follows an exhilarating All-Star Home Run Derby, which saw Julio Rodriguez set an all-time home run record as well as becoming a historical first father-son winner with Shohei Ohtani following in his father’s footsteps to take home top honors. Below, you can view both teams, including starters, reserves, and pitching staffs, as well as full rosters, including starters and resources as well as pitching staffs.
The American League lineup features Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and JD Martinez as All-Star regulars; Los Angeles Angels Mike Trout and two-way superstar Ohtani will also start for them, along with Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Yandy Diaz and Atlanta Braves slugger Ronald Acuna Jr. from Atlanta Braves and Ronald Acuna Jr from Atlanta Braves respectively. In the National League lineup, they include Sean Murphy from Atlanta Braves (catcher Sean Murphy), Miami Marlins shortstop Orlando Arcia from Miami Marlins (shortstop Orlando Arcia) and Chicago Cubs third baseman Daniel Descalso from Atlanta Braves (catcher Sean Murphy), Sean Murphy from Atlanta Braves (catcher Sean Murphy), Sean Murphy from Atlanta Braves (catcher Sean Murphy), Miami Marlins shortstop Orlando Arcia (shortstop Orlando Arcia), and Chicago Cubs third baseman Daniel Descalso from Los Angeles Angels (both Mike Trout and two-way superstar Ohtani from Los Angeles Angels Angels Mike Trout and Ohtani from Los Angeles Angels Angels Mike Trout and two-way superstar Daniel Descalso). Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Yandy Diaz from Tampa Bay Rays), Orlando Arcia from Miami Marlins shortstop Orlando Arcia from Miami Marlins shortstop Orlando Arcia, and Chicago Cubs third baseman Daniel Descalso).
In addition to featuring All-Stars, this year’s All-Star Game will include 33 first-timers who have never appeared in an All-Star Game before, comprising 17 from the American League and 13 from the National League. Both rosters are fully complete barring injuries such as Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, or Yordan Alvarez, who will miss their debuts due to injuries. It will air live on Fox Sports 1.
The American League has won nine All-Star Games consecutively and could tie its record of 11. With many of the National League’s top scorers not in attendance, it appears likely that they will extend their streak. However, with such formidable pitchers as Arizona Diamondbacks’ Zac Gallen and New York Yankees’ Gerrit Cole expected on the mound for their league, hitters may face some tough opposition.
National League
This year’s National League roster will include many young players, such as Ronald Acuna Jr. of Atlanta, who was recently honored as Rookie of the Month. Atlanta will send eight All-Star selections, while Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers each will send five.
After fan voting concluded this week, the 2023 All-Star Game rosters have been revealed. The starting National League lineup features three Los Angeles Dodgers position players and four Atlanta Braves players; first baseman Freddie Freeman will start for his fourth time, leading all NL first basemen in terms of batting average, fWAR, wRC+ rating as well as RBIs and home runs.
Luis Arraez of the Miami Marlins will lead off their infield squad, starting at second base and J.D. Martinez taking third. Arraez is considered one of the premier second basemen in MLB, with an MLB-leading batting average of 409 and an OPS+ ranking and top-5 rankings among fWAR/wRC+ rankings.
Nolan Arenado will be featured in the National League lineup as their top vote-getter and will be joined at shortstop by teammate Orlando Arcia. In contrast, in the outfield, Cody Bellinger (center fielder of Seattle T-Mobile Park) is joined by Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani as two All-Star representatives for his league. Tuesday night will mark Seattle T-Mobile Park hosting this year’s All-Star Game; winners were traditionally awarded home-field advantage in the World Series as part of their collective bargaining agreement (CBA); instead, winners will now receive higher regular season seed in the playoffs bracket.
Managers
The All-Star Game takes place Tuesday evening at T-Mobile Park in Seattle for the third consecutive time since 1979 at Safeco Field. Teams were announced on Monday by their respective managers, Rob Thomson from the Phillies and Dusty Baker of the Astros; both invited members of their coaching staffs to be involved, such as Scott Servais from Seattle Mariners as part of Dusty Baker’s AL staff and former Los Angeles Dodger Billy North to be on Thomson’s squad as an alternate for Baker’s roster.
Rob Thomson of the Philadelphia Phillies will lead the NL squad. He invited Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton to join his coaching staff as an All-Star assistant coach. Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna earned his starting spot after leading fan voting during phase one; Colorado Rockies catcher Elias Diaz also earned one – filling in for injured Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge as an All-Star starter.
Dusty Baker of the Houston Astros will manage the AL squad at next month’s All-Star Game. Baker invited Seattle Mariners coach Scott Servais and former Los Angeles Dodger Billy North (from Seattle). Both coaches had previously appeared as managers; Baker is aware that his squad may face some resistance at home from fans, yet doesn’t expect this to change his approach: instead relying on players making intelligent, strategic decisions and having fun while hoping that some All-Stars who struggled significantly this season have better fortune next season.
Futures Game
The Futures Game is an annual exhibition held during All-Star Week that showcases MLB’s 30 clubs’ top prospects. Baseball America selects rosters for each league with input from MLB front office staff and participating organizations. Players are divided between AL and NL rosters according to affiliation, although certain international players may also be assigned to World teams. It was first played in 1999 and has been an integral part of All-Star Week since 2001.
This year’s All-Star Game will be hosted by the Seattle Mariners and held at T-Mobile Park in SoDo, an industrial district near their stadium home stadium. It marks Seattle’s third Midsummer Classic appearance following 1979 at Kingdome and 2001 at Safeco Field.
At this year’s All-Star Game, there will be several captivating players to look out for, such as Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuna Jr. The American League looks to extend its streak of wins – which currently stands at nine straight victories – by strengthening their side. However, several top players, such as Giancarlo Stanton from the Yankees outfield, will not participate due to an injured wrist. At the same time, Dodgers shortstop Dansby Swanson of Dodgers won’t play due to calf issues.
Dusty Baker will lead the National League into this year’s All-Star Game as manager for a second time, hoping to end an AL victory streak dating back to 2003. Baker will attempt to become the first All-Star Game manager ever to achieve consecutive victories despite missing Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole due to shoulder surgery; Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun also, unfortunately, will miss due to injury concerns.
MVP
The MLB All-Star Game is an unparalleled opportunity for baseball fans to catch glimpses of some of the finest players in each league and create opportunities for rising stars to showcase themselves to national audiences. However, viewership of this year’s All-Star game has declined significantly. The club should consider adding features to appeal to younger fans, such as rookie vs sophomore games featuring emerging talent from each company. Still, unlike Futures Game, players had made significant league rosters and were thus eligible to compete in skills competitions and pitching duels before appearing on the field for fans’ pleasure.
This year’s All-Star Game will take place in Seattle at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday, July 11. While stars such as Aaron Judge and Mike Trout are injured, other stars could make an impressionful statement during this year’s All-Star Game, such as two-way star Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels or Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson leading his National League squad.
The All-Star Game will also include the Home Run Derby, an exhibition of some of the league’s greatest hitters. All-Stars will be divided into two groups, with each player receiving three swings during batting practice; then, the group with the highest combined total will win. It is an ideal way to showcase young talent, likely leading them on to become All-Star Game MVP and receiving a trophy with their glass bat bearing their name as part of this feat!
