From 1st-timers to 10th-timers, All-Star Game's starting field set

The starters are locked in for the 2023 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, set for July 11 in Seattle.

The Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. and the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani previously secured automatic starting bids by virtue of leading the NL and AL, respectively, in votes during Phase 1 of the Ballot, and the rest of the elected starters for the 93rd Midsummer Classic at T-Mobile Park were announced Thursday night on ESPN.

Nine different clubs are represented among this year’s elected starters, led by the Rangers with four. The Braves and Dodgers are tied for the NL lead with three starters apiece, and the Rays and Angels also have multiple starters. Eight players won the fan vote for the first time in their careers, including a pair of rookies.

The complete All-Star rosters, including pitchers and reserve position players for both teams, will be announced at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN on Sunday, July 2. Pitchers and reserves -- totaling 23 players for each side -- will be determined via “Player Ballot” choices and selections made by the Commissioner’s Office.

Here are the All-Star starters (all stats entering Thursday’s games):

CATCHER

NL: Sean Murphy, ATL (1st election)
One of three Atlanta players to earn a place in the NL’s starting lineup, Murphy defeated the Dodgers’ Will Smith and will become the fifth Braves catcher to start an All-Star Game, joining Del Crandall, Joe Torre, Javy Lopez and Brian McCann. In his first season after being traded from the A’s to the Braves, Murphy has hit .289 with 13 homers, 44 RBIs and a .926 OPS over 60 games.
Runner-up: Will Smith, LAD

AL: Jonah Heim, TEX (1st selection)
After going nine consecutive All-Star Games without a starter -- Hunter Pence was voted in at DH in 2019 but sat out due to injury -- the Rangers have an MLB-leading four this year. Heim won a close battle with the Orioles’ Adley Rutschman to secure the starting spot behind the plate for the AL. The 28-year-old is one of baseball’s best pitch-framers, and he’s stepped up his game on offense this year, hitting .279 with 11 homers and an .800 OPS over 284 plate appearances for the Majors’ highest-scoring team.
Runner-up: Adley Rutschman, BAL

FIRST BASE

NL: Freddie Freeman, LAD (4th election)
Freeman topped Matt Olson in a matchup between the former and current starting first baseman of the Braves, earning his first All-Star starting nod since he signed with the Dodgers and the fourth of his career. The 33-year-old, who is hitting .317 with 14 homers, an MLB-high 27 doubles and a .938 OPS this season while appearing in every game, will become the first Dodgers first baseman to start an All-Star Game since Steve Garvey in 1980.
Runner-up: Matt Olson, ATL

AL: Yandy Díaz TB (1st election)
Prior to 2023, Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford and Corey Dickerson were the only Rays position players to start an All-Star Game, but the club will add two more to the list after Díaz and Randy Arozarena both won the fan vote. Díaz has helped the Rays post MLB’s best record this season, hitting .322 with an AL-leading .407 on-base percentage and 12 home runs in 68 games.
Runner-up: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR

SECOND BASE

NL: Luis Arraez, MIA (1st election)
As Arraez continues to flirt with a .400 batting average, he’ll become the first Marlins second baseman to start an All-Star Game. Jazz Chisholm Jr. won the fan vote at second base a year ago, also against the Braves’ Ozzie Albies, but an injury prevented him from participating in the game. The 26-year-old Arraez is currently batting .396 with an MLB-leading .447 OBP.
Runner-up: Ozzie Albies, ATL

AL: Marcus Semien, TEX (2nd election)
After starting at second base for the AL All-Star team as a member of the Blue Jays in 2021, Semien will do the same this year while representing the Rangers, having defeated current Toronto second baseman Whit Merrifield in the fan vote. In his second season with Texas, Semien has hit .282 with 11 homers, 55 RBIs and an AL-leading 65 runs scored, helping the Rangers take control of first place in the AL West. Only two other Rangers have started an All-Star Game at second base: Julio Franco in 1989 and Alfonso Soriano in 2004.
Runner-up: Whit Merrifield, TOR

THIRD BASE

NL: Nolan Arenado, STL (5th election)
After losing the fan vote to San Diego’s Manny Machado a year ago, Arenado will return to his familiar role as the NL’s starting third baseman. This will be the fifth time he’s occupied that spot in the past six All-Star Games. Now an eight-time All-Star, Arenado has rebounded from a slow start to hit .311 with 13 homers, 35 RBIs and a .985 OPS over his past 40 games.
Runner-up: Austin Riley, ATL

AL: Josh Jung, TEX (1st election)
With his win over the Blue Jays' Matt Chapman, Jung is set to become the first Rangers rookie to start an All-Star Game since the franchise moved to Texas in 1972. The young slugger leads all AL rookies in homers (16), RBIs (47) and runs scored (55) this season.
Runner-up: Matt Chapman, TOR

SHORTSTOP

NL: Orlando Arcia, ATL (1st election)
In a league with established shortstops such as Francisco Lindor, Xander Bogaerts, Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson, it will be Arcia who gets the starting nod for the NL All-Star team. The veteran earned the spot by posting a .303/.358/.436 slash with six homers and 26 RBIs over 59 games for the Braves.
Runner-up: Francisco Lindor

AL: Corey Seager, TEX (1st election)
Less than two years after splurging in free agency and signing Semien and Seager to contracts totaling $500 million in guaranteed money, the Rangers will see the duo form the AL’s starting middle infield at this year’s All-Star Game. Seager has made up for lost time after missing 31 games with a hamstring injury earlier this season, slashing .342/.394/.627 with nine homers, 18 doubles and 44 RBIs over 38 games since returning from the IL in May. He’ll join Toby Harrah (1976) and Alex Rodriguez (2002, 2003) as the only Rangers shortstops to start an All-Star Game.
Runner-up: Bo Bichette, TOR

DESIGNATED HITTER

NL: J.D. Martinez, LAD (2nd election)
Martinez has enjoyed a resurgent season in Los Angeles, hitting 18 homers -- two more than he had all of last year -- with 51 RBIs and a .571 slugging percentage over 63 games. Although this is the second time Martinez has won a fan vote, it will be his third All-Star start, as he drew the starting nod at DH for the AL as a replacement for Hunter Pence in 2019.
Runner-up: Bryce Harper, PHI

AL: Shohei Ohtani, LAA (3rd election)
Ohtani cruised to an automatic starting berth by leading the AL in votes during Phase 1 of All-Star balloting, earning his third straight start at DH for the AL squad. The two-way megastar looks better than ever at the plate in 2023, leading the Majors in homers (28), slugging percentage (.659) and OPS (1.048) over 80 games.
Runner-up: Brandon Belt, TOR

NL OUTFIELD

Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL (3rd election)
It’s easy to understand why Acuña led all players in votes during Phase 1, thus securing an automatic spot in the NL’s starting lineup. The superstar outfielder owns a .331 average with an NL-leading .993 OPS and is on pace for 38 homers and 72 stolen bases this season.

Mookie Betts, LAD (4th election)
One of the most decorated players of his generation, Betts (20 HR, .869 OPS) continues to rack up the accolades, earning his seventh consecutive All-Star selection dating back to 2016 (there was no All-Star Game in 2020). This will be Betts’ fifth career All-Star start and fourth as a fan-elected pick.

Corbin Carroll, AZ (1st election)
Carroll has captivated the baseball world with his dynamic skill all season, playing a pivotal role in Arizona’s surprising success by hitting .292 with 17 homers, 24 steals and 60 runs scored in 78 games. Now, he’s set to become the first D-backs rookie to start an All-Star Game, and in his native Seattle to boot.

Runners-up: Michael Harris II, ATL; Lourdes Gurriel Jr., AZ

AL OUTFIELD

Mike Trout, LAA (10th election)
After making his first All-Star team as a reserve in 2012, Trout has won the fan vote every year since, though he hasn’t actually appeared in the Midsummer Classic since 2019 due to injuries. The three-time AL MVP is hitting .254 with 17 homers and an .849 OPS in 76 games this season. Trout is one of nine players all-time to be voted as a starter to 10 consecutive All-Star Games.

Randy Arozarena, TB (1st election)
Arozarena now has an All-Star selection on his resume to go with his 2021 AL Rookie of the Year Award and his postseason records for hits and homers, both of which he set in 2020. The 28-year-old has put up a career-best .401 OBP with 14 homers and 54 RBIs over 79 games in 2023.

Aaron Judge, NYY (5th election)
Judge hasn’t played since he injured his toe while running into a fence to make a spectacular catch at Dodger Stadium on June 3, so he figures to require a replacement on the roster. Still, the extended absence didn’t prevent Judge from winning the fan vote for a fifth time. The reigning AL MVP recorded 19 homers, 40 RBIs and a 1.078 OPS in 49 games before going on the IL.

Runners-up: Yordan Alvarez, HOU; Adolis García, TEX; Kevin Kiermaier, TOR