Active players with the most All-Star selections

The great Hank Aaron was selected as an All-Star in a record 21 of his 23 MLB seasons. Willie Mays and Stan Musial were right behind him, with All-Star appearances in 20 seasons apiece. Miguel Cabrera topped this list in 2023 with 12 All-Star selections. But with Cabrera now retired, who are the active leaders in All-Star appearances? Which current players have been to the Midsummer Classic the most?

With the 2024 All-Star ballot now open, here’s a look at every active player with seven or more All-Star appearances. There are others who may join this list soon -- Gerrit Cole, Manny Machado and J.D. Martinez, for example, currently have six All-Star selections each.

1. Mike Trout, 11
Trout, one of the game's greatest players over the past decade-plus, was an All-Star in 11 of his first 13 Major League seasons. The only years he wasn’t on the roster were 2011 -- when he made his big league debut three days before the All-Star Game -- and 2020, when there wasn’t an All-Star Game due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now in his age-32 season, Trout is a three-time MVP who has hit more than 350 home runs, stolen more than 200 bases and already cracked the top 50 in all-time bWAR.

2. Clayton Kershaw, 10
Although not quite as dominant now in his mid-30s as he was at his peak, Kershaw continues to be a stellar starter whenever he takes the mound. He made seven straight All-Star teams from 2011-17, during which time he won three Cy Young Awards and the 2014 National League MVP Award. Injuries hampered him soon after that amazing stretch, but the future Hall of Famer bounced back to become an All-Star in 2019, '22 and '23.

T-3. Jose Altuve, 9
Altuve established himself as one of baseball’s elite hitters with three batting titles, an MVP Award and six All-Star appearances in his first eight seasons. He had a pair of subpar seasons, by his standards, in 2019 and ’20, hitting .276/.334/.493. But he rebounded with a strong ’21 campaign, launching a career-high 31 homers to go along with an .839 OPS and another All-Star selection. And in ’22, he was even better, posting a .921 OPS with 28 homers and 18 steals during his eighth All-Star season. He is the Astros' franchise leader in All-Star selections.

T-3. Justin Verlander, 9
Verlander continues to defy time. He earned his ninth All-Star selection at age 39 in 2022, a season in which he was named the NL Cy Young Award winner after posting a Major League-best 1.75 ERA over 28 starts for the Astros. The 2011 American League MVP and a three-time AL Cy Young Award winner overall, Verlander won his first two Cy Young honors eight years apart (2011 and ’19), showing the durability and dominance of his long career. After appearing in the World Series with the Tigers in 2012, Verlander finally won a World Series ring with the Astros in ’17, taking home AL Championship Series MVP honors. He helped the Astros win another World Series title in '22.

T-3. Craig Kimbrel, 9
Kimbrel recorded 332 saves from 2011-18, when he was one of the most dominant closers in baseball. Seven of his nine All-Star selections came in that span -- four with the Braves and three with the Red Sox, with whom he won a World Series in 2018. Injuries plagued him from 2019-20, but he bounced back in ’21, posting a 2.26 ERA for the Cubs and White Sox. He is one of eight pitchers with at least 400 saves.

T-6. Max Scherzer, 8
Scherzer was a late bloomer, but when he bloomed, he became one of the most overpowering starting pitchers in the game, winning an AL Cy Young Award with the Tigers in 2013, and two more with the Nationals in 2016 and ’17. He was named an All-Star every year from 2013-19, and again in ’21 after there was no Midsummer Classic in the pandemic-shortened ’20 campaign. He led the Majors with 852 strikeouts from 2016-18, and reached the 3,000-K milestone in ’21.

T-6. Nolan Arenado, 8
You can often pencil Arenado in for 30-40 home runs and 100-plus RBIs per year to go along with tremendous defense at the hot corner and, yes, an All-Star selection. The 10-time Gold Glove Award winner was named an All-Star in eight of nine seasons from 2015-23, and the only year in that span he wasn’t at the Midsummer Classic was when there was no All-Star Game in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

T-6. Salvador Perez, 8
Though he’s only truly tapped into his enormous power recently -- he tied a franchise record by smashing 48 homers in 2021 -- Perez earned the first of seven All-Star nods back in 2013, when he was just 23 years old. The next year, he helped lead the Royals to their first World Series in nearly 30 years, and in ’15, he was the MVP of the Fall Classic as Kansas City won it all for the first time since 1985. Only franchise legend George Brett (13) has more All-Star selections as a Royal than the club's longtime backstop.

T-9. Aroldis Chapman, 7
Chapman’s blazing fastball and wicked slider led to four consecutive All-Star selections from 2012-15 with the Reds. After a trade to the Yankees, followed by a trade to the Cubs, whom he helped win the franchise’s first World Series title in 108 years, Chapman returned to the Yankees and was named an All-Star three more times, in 2018, ’19 and ’21.

T-9. Chris Sale, 7
Before injuries began to take their toll, Sale was an All-Star in every season from 2012-18 -- he was named to the Midsummer Classic five times with the White Sox and twice with the Red Sox, whom he helped win the World Series in five games over the Dodgers in ’18. Though he was a Cy Young Award candidate every season over that seven-year span, he hasn’t won one yet, finishing runner-up in ’17, when he led the Majors in strikeouts (308) and innings pitched (214 1/3).

T-9. Paul Goldschmidt, 7
Goldschmidt was an All-Star in six consecutive seasons with the D-backs from 2013-18, when he established himself as one of the elite first basemen in baseball. Over that period, he posted a 150 OPS+ with 181 home runs and won three of his four career Gold Glove Awards. He followed that with a couple of down years by his standards at the plate, but was rejuvenated in ’21, when he smashed 31 homers with an .879 OPS for the Cardinals. He was then named a starter at first base for the ’22 All-Star Game during a season that culminated in an MVP Award.

T-9. Bryce Harper, 7
Harper was so hyped out of high school, and lived up to that hype to such a degree, that he actually became somewhat underrated despite two NL MVP Awards and seven All-Star selections (2012-13, ’15-18, and ’22). But he continues to travel a Hall of Fame trajectory, one that will probably include many more All-Star appearances on his resume before it’s all said and done. He added an NL Championship Series MVP Award to his trophy shelf after his postseason heroics helped the Phillies reach the 2022 World Series.

T-9. Mookie Betts, 7
One of the most impactful leadoff hitters in MLB history, Betts has been selected to each All-Star Game since 2016. He's been elected as a starter five times, including in his banner 2018 campaign, which ended with Betts winning AL MVP honors. His résumé includes two World Series championships, six Silver Sluggers and six Gold Gloves.

T-9. Freddie Freeman, 7
Since the beginning of 2016, no player has more hits in the Majors than Freeman. He's made five All-Star teams during that span, with the first two selections coming in 2013 and 2014 with the Braves. The 2020 NL MVP, Freeman won a World Series with Atlanta in 2021 before joining the Dodgers prior to the next season. He collected his 2,000th career hit in 2023, his age-33 campaign. If he continues at his recent pace, you can schedule the celebration of Freeman's 3,000 hit for some point in 2028.