Henry Roldán
Voting closes at the end of this week for the 2022 Major League Baseball All-Star Game to be held on July 19 at Dodger Stadium.
While several positions remain very close, here at JefeBet we take the opportunity to show you the team we have chosen to represent the American League in the mid-season event, taking into account the finalists previously announced by MLB.
American League Starters for 2022 All-Star Game
Starting Pitcher: Shane McClanahan
While pitchers are not chosen by fan vote, the battle to be the All-Star Game starter in the American League should be extremely close between Shane McClanahan and Justin Verlander.
McClanahan, the Rays’ right-hander, leads all Major Leagues in ERA (1.74) and WHIP (0.814), and is number one in the young circuit in strikeouts (133). The Astros’ Verlander has also had a tremendous season and is second in ERA (2.00) and MLB’s all-time leader in games won with 11.
Receiver: Alejandro Kirk
Alejandro Kirk is by far the best catcher of the season in the American League, and his nomination as one of the finalists to be the starter in the All-Star Game is more than deserved.
His contender, José Trevino of the Yankees, has been a revelation with his new team, but he is far from the Azulejos’ faceguard, who is not only fourth in batting average in the circuit with .317, but also has 10 home runs and 40 towing runs.
First Base: Ty France
Since we have to leave out names that were not among the two finalists, the choice between Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Ty France is theoretically a little easier after the latter has been on the injured list for a couple of weeks.
Guerrero Jr. of the Blue Jays beats France in two very important categories for voters, such as home runs and runs batted in. However, the Mariners’ starter has a much better batting average, better OBP, better OPS and is one of the Major League leaders in average with men in scoring position.
Second Base: José Altuve
The second base starting job has a surprise finalist in the presence of Santiago Espinal, the Azulejos’ Dominican who has won the affection of the fans and is fighting neck and neck with José Altuve.
While the numbers for both are similar, up to this point Altuve seems to have been a bit more important to the Astros than Espinal has been to Toronto. Altuve has 16 home runs to Espinal’s six, his .278 average is slightly higher than his contender’s .269, and although Santiago outpaces him in tow-ins (37 to 29), the Venezuelan’s OBP is much better at .364 over .322.
Third Base: Rafael Devers
To me, this is the most hotly contested position of all, with two of the best third basemen in the Major Leagues having a great season and fighting neck and neck for the starting job in the 2022 All-Star Game. At the time of the last cut-off, Ramírez was ahead of Devers by only 100,000 votes, so it will surely be a photo finish.
For the purposes of our article, we selected Devers, who until yesterday was the all-time major league leader in hits with 104. In addition, he was co-leader in American doubles and with Ramírez with 27. While Cleveland’s Devers beats him in RBIs 63-47, Devers beats him in home runs 17-16 and his batting average is vastly superior at .327 to .285.
Shortstop: Bo Bichette
In this final, we have two of the most talented shortstops in the Major Leagues facing each other, with Bo Bichette favored by the large number of games played over Anderson.
The Blue Jays player is the MLB leader in games played (82), plate appearances (368), and times at bat (346), something that speaks of the consistency of his performance, which also accumulates 20 doubles, 13 home runs and 44 towers. For his part, injuries have played a dirty trick on Anderson, who has only seen action in 52 games and although his .314 average and .352 OBP are stellar, he has just five home runs and 20 runs batted in.
Outfielders: Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, and Giancarlo Stanton
In the outfield, the situation is a little simpler, knowing that Aaron Judge has his place assured as the most voted player in the American League and in all the Major Leagues.
The Yankees player is followed by Mike Trout, one of today’s best players, whose participation in the All-Star Game is undisputed, as he is among the leaders in several offensive categories.
While the last spot is a fight between Giancarlo Stanton and George Springer, with the Yankees outfielder having a slight advantage thanks to his power. Although the batting average of both is poor, Stanton has 21 home runs and 54 runs batted in, while the Blue Jays’ Stanton has 15 home runs and 38 runs batted in.
Designated Hitter: Yordan Álvarez
While it’s strange to think that Shohei Ohtani won’t be starting for the Americans in the All-Star Game, it would also be very odd not to see Cuban Yordan Álvarez as the young circuit’s designated hitter.
The Astros’ infielder is the offensive heart and soul of the team, and his offensive display this season has been impressive, as he is the leader in SLG (.660) and OPS (1.071) in the majors. In addition, he has 25 home runs, 58 tows and a .313 average. Ohtani’s offensive numbers are not only bad, with 18 home runs and 53 hits, but his spectacular numbers lie in his duality in both hitting and pitching.
