Most deserving MLB All-Star starters become clear with full season's worth of stats

As the calendar counts down to the 2024 All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas, the age-old debate continues over which players should be there.

The biggest question is whether a player’s reputation or a half-season’s worth of stats is a more appropriate measuring stick. But as we’ve said for many years now, there’s a much better way to determine the most deserving All-Stars.

All it takes is expanding our frame of reference.

That’s why it’s become an annual tradition for us to highlight the best players at each position over the past full year – combining stats from the second half of last season with the first half of this one. Some of the results are predictable, but occasionally we uncover a few hidden gems.

So with some major assistance from BaseballHQ.com, here are the statistical leaders from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024. (Minimum 20 games at a position in either 2022 or 2023 to qualify. Our selections for AL and NL starters are in bold.)

CATCHER

If it wasn’t already obvious by now, Milwaukee’s William Contreras has become a full-fledged star. He’s the only catcher in the majors with more than 100 runs scored and 100 RBI over the past calendar year. He also leads the position with a .306 batting average and 10 stolen bases.

Like Contreras, Adley Rutschman’s bat is so important to his team, the Orioles will often have him serve as their designated hitter on days when he’s not behind the plate. Rutschman’s .290 batting average outpaces all AL catchers, as do his 91 runs and 100 RBI.

No other catchers come close to their durability and production.

FIRST BASE

Perhaps the most lopsided position in baseball right now is at first base, where the superstar talent almost exclusively resides in the NL. That makes picking a single starter extremely difficult. Should Freddie Freeman’s position-leading .319 average and 118 runs push him to the front? Pete Alonso’s 39 homers? Matt Olson’s 113 RBI?

Then again, there’s another first baseman who ranks right up there in all those categories. It’s why Bryce Harper, in his first season as a full-time first baseman, gets the nod. Harper ranks second to Freeman with a .302 average and 108 runs. He’s one behind Alonso in homers, second to Olson with 110 RBI and among the position’s top five with 10 stolen bases.

In the AL, it’s a two-horse race with Vladimir Guerrero just barely edging out Josh Naylor. The two are dead even atop the league’s home run board with 27 apiece and virtually the same in batting average (.275 for Guerrero, .274 for Naylor). The difference is that Vladdy’s 14-run advantage outweighs the slight edge Naylor has in RBI and steals. AL batting leader Yandy Diaz (.302) is a distant third.

SECOND BASE

Where to place Mookie Betts? The reason Betts is a former MVP (and a three-time runner-up) is because he does so many things well – including play multiple positions. Let’s put him as the NL starter at second, where he leads the majors in batting average (.325), runs (112) and RBI (92), to go along with 27 homers and 16 steals. Ketel Marte and Ozzie Albies are in a dead heat for second place.

The AL spot seems like it’s always a battle between the same pair of veterans. Marcus Semien leads all second basemen with 29 home runs, while pacing the AL in runs (107) and RBI (89). However, the sizable advantage Jose Altuve has in batting average (.314 to .252) and steals (22 to 10), along with a respectable 25 homers, pushes the Astros sparkplug slightly ahead. Of note: The best batting average in the entire AL belongs to Angels utilityman Luis Rengifo at .321.

SHORTSTOP

Speed is a major factor when determining our starters at shortstop. And there are stolen bases in abundance among the top candidates. The Reds’ Elly De La Cruz leads all major leaguers with 66 over the past full season’s worth of games. But the Nats’ CJ Abrams isn’t too far behind with 52. And both of them hit 24 homers with over 100 runs scored.

Maybe next year, guys. Those impressive numbers are just not enough to topple Francisco Lindor from his reign atop the NL. The Mets stalwart leads the league in home runs (28) and runs (113), while chipping in 37 steals and 84 RBI.

In the AL, it’s almost impossible to choose between two of the best all-around players in the game. In the end, Bobby Witt Jr. just edges out Gunnar Henderson in a battle that could last another decade. Henderson dominates the position in both homers (43) and runs (a major league-leading 135). But Witt has 48 steals and his .311 batting average is 34 points higher than Henderson’s. The difference just may come down to Witt’s 111-110 edge in RBI.

THIRD BASE

Jose Ramirez remains the class of the AL as the only third baseman in the majors with at least 100 runs scored and 100 RBI over the past calendar year. (Henderson also qualifies at third under our criteria, but hasn’t played an inning there this season.) He also leads the position with 34 stolen bases and is in the top five with a .274 average. Rafael Devers is a distant runner-up.

There’s no such clear choice in the NL, where Manny Machado and Austin Riley are tied atop the league with 31 home runs and almost mirror images of each other in runs and RBI. However, the surprising leader in RBI among all third basemen is the Phillies’ Alec Bohm with 117. He also sports the NL’s highest batting average (.289). Even if he has just 23 homers, Bohm has as many steals as Machado and Riley combined (OK, 6). Every little bit helps – and that’s why Bohm gets the nod.

OUTFIELD

A pair of New York Yankees headline the AL outfielders, with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto reigning supreme. Judge’s 49 home runs since last July are more than anyone in the majors, while his 117 RBI are second only to Soto’s 128 among all outfielders. Soto also has a league-leading 121 runs scored. The Astros’ Kyle Tucker snags the final starting spot, thanks to his .277 average, 37 homers, 103 RBI, 99 runs and 26 steals.

The National League outfield is, frankly, a mess right now.

He has no speed, but Kyle Schwarber is the league’s top run producer over the past full season. The Phillies slugger has more homers (43), RBI (110) and runs scored (121) than any other qualified outfielder. (Of course, he’s currently on the injured list as a result of playing the field for just the third time this season.) Marcell Ozuna is also an outfielder in name only, having made a total of two appearances over the past two seasons. But he also deserves a starting spot with an NL-best 45 home runs, a major league-leading 130 RBI and a .296 average. And despite a season-ending knee injury that limited him to just 49 games in 2024, Ronald Acuña Jr.’s numbers (.306, 25 HR, 113 runs, 52 steals) still compare favorably to anyone else’s. If we’re looking for an alternate, Cody Bellinger (.300, 28 HR, 94 runs, 109 RBI) is the only NL outfielder ranked in the top 15 in four of the five main offensive categories.

PITCHER

From a pure skills standpoint, a pair of offseason league switchers are likely to be the starting pitchers in this year’s All-Star Game. When combining his numbers with last year’s second half in Tampa Bay, the Dodgers’ Tyler Glasnow leads the majors in strikeouts (253) and is tied for the lead in wins (16) over the past full season. Glasnow’s 3.22 ERA just misses the top 25 overall, but his 0.97 WHIP ranks fifth. Zack Wheeler of the Phillies is tied with Glasnow in wins and is a close runner-up with his 3.04 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 218 strikeouts. Also of note: the Braves' Reynaldo Lopez has the majors' lowest ERA by far, at 1.54 over 111 ⅓ innings.

Meanwhile, the Orioles’ Corbin Burnes has dominated after arriving in a trade from Milwaukee. He has a stellar 2.49 ERA and 0.99 WHIP to go along with 14 wins and 210 K’s. However, don’t overlook Detroit’s Tarik Skubal. Though his 2.54 ERA is slightly higher than Burnes', the Tigers lefty has more wins (16), strikeouts (214) and a lower WHIP (0.92).

Among closers, Emmanuel Clase leads the majors with 45 saves over the past full season. Despite a sometimes-shaky 2023, he’s still maintained a 2.21 ERA over that span. Raisel Iglesias leads all NL relievers in saves with 40, to go along with a stellar 1.98 ERA.

Note: Minimum 300 AB to qualify for BA; Minimum 100 IP to qualify for ERA and WHIP.

Contributing: Matt Cederholm, BaseballHQ.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2024 MLB All-Star Game starters: Who should be named at each position