Who made July’s All-Star team?

The Major League Baseball season is six months long, which allows us to break the season into six convenient chunks. Each of these chunks are equal, even if it doesn’t seem that way at the time. It always feels, in the moment, that the first and last months count more. But as with last year, we will be putting together an All-Star team for each month of the season. Can you believe we only have two months left? Here’s an All-Star pick from each league, at each position, for July.

Catcher
NL: Willson Contreras, Cardinals (1.282 OPS)
AL: Adley Rutschman, Orioles (.819 OPS)

Amidst everything else going on with the Cardinals, and all the drama surrounding Contreras since he signed with the team, the three-time All-Star just put up the best offensive month of his entire career. No clear-cut choice in the AL, so we’ll go with the guy who had a good month and stole the show by switch-hitting in the Home Run Derby.

First base
NL: Freddie Freeman, Dodgers (7 HR, .984 OPS)
AL: Triston Casas, Red Sox (7 HR, 1.224 OPS)

The Red Sox have made a major push since the All-Star break, and Casas -- the guy they’ve been insisting is their first baseman of the future for a while now -- has been on an absolute tear. Freeman, meanwhile, continues to be an offensive metronome.

Second base
NL: Nolan Gorman, Cardinals (7 HR, .944 OPS)
AL: Edouard Julien, Twins (6 HR, 1.184 OPS)

Julien is a 24-year-old rookie who has spent half of this season in Triple-A, but he has been on such a tear this month that the Twins may be moving Jorge Polanco to third base when he returns from his hamstring injury. By the end of the year, we’ll all be able to spell his first name. Gorman seems to have recaptured the form from his early-season surge.

Shortstop
NL: C.J. Abrams, Nationals (.892 OPS, 15 SB)
AL: Corey Seager, Rangers (1.128 OPS in 14 games)

The recent loss of Seager to the injured list with a sprained right thumb was obviously tough for the Rangers, particularly because he was hot at the time he went down. Also: The Nationals aren’t going anywhere just yet, but you still want to check out what Abrams is doing. They guy is starting to emerge as one of the more exciting shortstops in the National League.

Third base
NL: Manny Machado, Padres (11 HR, 29 RBIs, 1.094 OPS)
AL: Rafael Devers, Red Sox (6 HR, 15 RBIs, 1.036 OPS)

Before the season, Machado was considered a top-shelf NL MVP candidate, but a slow start ended that talk quickly. In July, he looked like the Machado we’ve been watching for nearly a decade now. Devers has joined Casas (see above) in helping Boston’s surge.

Outfield
NL: Cody Bellinger, Cubs (8 HR, 1.137 OPS); Christian Yelich, Brewers (6 HR, .996 OPS); Mookie Betts, Dodgers (5 HR, 1.011 OPS)
AL: Kyle Tucker, Astros (7 HR, 1.130 OPS); Chas McCormick, Astros (6 HR, 1.128 OPS); Jarren Duran, Red Sox (2 HR, 1.113 OPS)

While most of baseball was debating whether the Cubs should trade Bellinger, he went out and had a month as great as any during his MVP season. (Kind of great to see MVP buddies Bellinger and Yelich right together here, too, isn’t it?) Also, you probably will not be surprised by how many Astros and Red Sox are on this list.

Designated hitter
NL: Wilmer Flores, Giants (5 HR, 1.124 OPS)
AL: Shohei Ohtani, Angels (9 HR, 1.136 OPS)

Coming off what might have been the greatest month in baseball history, Ohtani merely had a 1.136 OPS in July. (He had a 4.97 ERA in July as well, but ended the month with his first shutout in MLB.)

Starting pitchers
NL: Corbin Burnes, Brewers (4-1, 1.64 ERA, 42 K, 33 IP, 11 H)
AL: Aaron Civale, Guardians (3-0, 1.45 ERA, 25 K, 37 1/3 IP, 23 H)

After a somewhat slow start (and a drama-filled offseason), Burnes has regained his Cy Young form just in time for the Brewers to make their big NL Central push. Justin Verlander and Blake Snell (two potential Trade Deadline targets) were right there alongside him, by the way. Cleveland agreed to trade Civale to the Rays on Monday.

Relief pitchers
NL: Joel Payamps, Brewers (12 IP, 16 K, 4 H, 0 BB)
AL: Félix Bautista, Orioles (12 1/3 IP, 22 K, 3 H, 2 BB)

It is difficult to have a more dominant month than Bautista just had. Though Payamps sure came awfully close.