The calendar has flipped to June, meaning there's only a little over a month until rosters for Major League Baseball's All-Stat Game need to be decided.
Because the owner-imposed lockout delayed the start of the regular season, we aren't quite two months into the season. But there's still enough of a body of work to begin to project who deserves to participate in this year's midsummer classic at Dodger Stadium.
Here's our first look at who deserves to be All-Star Game starters at each position for both the National League and American League:
National League First Baseman: Paul Goldschmidt
Paul Goldschmidt is an All-Star candidate.(Quinn Harris/Getty Images)While Pete Alonso and Freddie Freeman will definitely have something to say about who starts at first base, Goldschmidt is the current National League leader in hits (63), slugging percentage (.626), OPS (1.044) and OPS+ (201). Already a six-time All-Star, it may soon be time to discuss whether Goldschmidt has a legitimate case for Cooperstown.
American League First Baseman: Ty France, Seattle Mariners
Ty France is an All-Star candidate.(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been good, but not great so far in 2022 and Anthony Rizzo has tailed off dramatically after a strong April. Things may look different by mid-July, but as of now, France leads all qualified first basemen with a 2.0 fWAR. The 27-year-old is slashing .342/.414/.505 with a .919 OPS at the time of publication, so he's the early favorite to start at first base.
National League Second Baseman: Tommy Edman, St. Louis Cardinals
Tommy Edman is an All-Star candidate.(Justin Berl/Getty Images)Edman won his first Gold Glove Award in 2021, and could be headed to the All-Star Game for the first time in his career in 2022. The 27-year-old leads all second baseman with a 2.2 fWAR, and is also sporting an impressive .360 on-base percentage. With Ozzie Albies having a relative down year, second base in the National League is wide open, with Jazz Chisholm and Jeff McNeil also early candidates.
American League Second Baseman: Trevor Story, Boston Red Sox
Trevor Story is an All-Star candidate.(Winslow Townson/Getty Images)There really aren't a ton of great options here, so we're going to use Story as a placeholder. While Story is hitting just .226 in his first season with the Red Sox, he leads all junior circuit second baseman with nine home runs and 37 RBIs. The natural shortstop also has four defensive runs saved and three outs above average at second base. Owen Miller of the Cleveland Guardians and Santiago Espinal of the Toronto Blue Jays could also be candidates.
National League Shortstop: Francisco Lindor, New York Mets
Francisco Lindor is an All-Star candidate.(Greg Fiume/Getty Images)While he's not necessarily performing like a superstar, Lindor currently leads all National League shortstops in home runs (eight), RBIs (40), walks (24) and fWAR (2.0). Lindor, a four-time All-Star, will have to fend off Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson.
American League Shortstop: Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox
Xander Bogaerts is an All-Star candidate.(Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)Tim Anderson has probably had a slightly better season than Bogaerts to this point, but recently landed on the injured list with a strained right groin, which will hamper his case. That's fine, Bogaerts is more than deserving himself, as he is slashing .328/.394/.483, which may propel him to the midsummer classic for the fourth time in his career. It's unclear how the Red Sox will act at the trade deadline, but Bogaerts is setting himself up to be one of the top overall free agents next winter if he does indeed opt out of his contract.
National League Third Baseman: Manny Machado, San Diego Padres
Manny Machado is an All-Star candidate.(Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)Not only is Machado the favorite to start at third base in the All-Star Game, but he's also the very early leader in the National League MVP race. The 29-year-old currently leads the NL in batting average (.353) and on-base percentage (.432), while being tied for the highest fWAR (3.4). Machado is very much on track to play in the All-Star Game for the sixth time, with Nolan Arenado likely to join him.
American League Third Baseman: José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians
Jose Ramirez is an All-Star candidate.(Jason Miller/Getty Images)Ramírez was our preseason pick to be the American League MVP, and has responded by putting together a monster campaign for the Guardians thus far. The 29-year-old leads baseball in both triples (four) and RBIs (51), and has an OPS north of 1.000. Cleveland inked Ramírez to a five-year/$124 million extension before the season, with the three-time All-Star leaving quite a bit of money on the table to remain with the Guardians.
National League Catcher: Daulton Varsho, Arizona Diamondbacks
Daulton Varsho is an All-Star candidate.(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)Both Will Smith and J.T. Realmuto have had relatively disappointing seasons, which has opened the door up for Varsho to potentially make his first All-Star team. The 25-year-old also plays in the outfield, so we'll see if he ultimately appears on the ballot as a catcher or outfielder. But as of now, Varsho and Willson Contreras appear to be the top two candidates to start at catcher.
American League Catcher: Jonah Heim, Texas Rangers
Jonah Heim is an All-Star candidate.(Tom Pennington/Getty Images)With Salvador Perez and Yasmani Grandal both hitting under .200, Heim has emerged as a potential All-Star. While Marcus Semien has been a massive disappointment to this point, Heim has been a welcome surprise for the Rangers, as he's homered six times and posted a 1.3 fWAR, the top mark among all American League catchers.
National League Starting Outfielders
Mookie Betts is an All-Star candidate.(Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)1. Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers: In case you forgot, Betts reminded you that he's one of the best players on the planet during an unconscious month of May. 2022 would be the sixth All-Star Game appearance for the future Hall of Famer.
2. Brandon Nimmo, New York Mets: Set to become a free agent after the 2022 season, Nimmo is having the best season of his career. The Mets' center fielder is an on-base machine -- he has a .386 OBP at the time of publication -- and has two outs above average in center field.
3. Juan Soto, Washington Nationals: Even though it doesn't feel like Soto is locked in, he still leads baseball with 41 walks and has an .831 OPS. It feels strange to say, but this would only be Soto's second All-Star Game appearance.
In the mix: Mike Yastrzemski, San Francisco Giants
American League Starting Outfielders
Aaron Judge is an All-Star candidate.(Sarah Stier/Getty Images)1. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees: Judge is setting himself up for a massive payday this offseason, whether it's from the Yankees or someone else. Judge easily leads baseball with 18 home runs, as he continues to perform like a Hall of Fame-caliber player when healthy.
2. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels: If you remove the pandemic-shortened 2020 season where there wasn't an All-Star Game, 2022 would mark the 10th consecutive season that Trout played in the midsummer classic. We're witnessing one of the greatest players that the sport has ever seen.
3. Andrew Benintendi, Kansas City Royals: Though he may be hurt by the fact that he only has two home runs, Benintendi is slashing .329/.398/.428, so he's unquestionably been one of the best hitters in the sport. Set to become a free agent after the 2022 season, Benintendi could be traded by the Royals not long after the All-Star Game.
In the mix: Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros; Austin Hays, Baltimore Orioles; George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays
National League DH: Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
Bryce Harper is an All-Star candidate.(Harry How/Getty Images)A small tear in his right UCL has kept Harper from playing in right field for much of the season, but the reigning National League MVP has continued to be a force at the plate. Harper is a six-time All-Star already, but all of those appearances came as a member of the Washington Nationals. It's unclear if Harper would opt out of actually playing in the game due to his injury.
American League DH: J.D. Martinez, Boston Red Sox
J.D. Martinez is an All-Star candidate.(Elsa/Getty Images)Martinez is in the final year of a five-year pact with the Red Sox, and is setting himself up for another major payday this winter. The four-time All-Star is hitting a staggering .369, which leads the league. Yordan Alvarez also deserves to make the American League team in some form.
National League Starting Pitcher: Joe Musgrove, San Diego Padres
Joe Musgrove is an All-Star candidate.(Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)Set to become a free agent after the 2022 season, Musgrove is currently 5-0 with a 1.86 ERA, 2.71 FIP and 1.7 fWAR across 58 innings for the Padres. Sandy Alcantara, Corbin Burnes, Zack Wheeler, Pablo Lopez and Max Fried could all end up as the most deserving option to start the midsummer classic for the National League if they put together strong months of June.
American League Starting Pitcher: Kevin Gausman, Toronto Blue Jays
Kevin Gausman is an All-Star candidate.(Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)We took some slack before the year for picking Gausman to win the American League Cy Young Award, so it gives us great pleasure to report that he's the overwhelming favorite to be the All-Star Game starter for the American League. In his first season with the Blue Jays, Gausman is 4-3 with a 2.25 ERA, 1.31 FIP and a 2.7 fWAR across 56 innings. If Gausman slips up, Martin Perez, Tarik Skubal, Nestor Cortes and Gerrit Cole are all having strong 2022 campaigns.
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