1 guy on each team worth an All-Star vote

The All-Star Ballot is out. When I was a kid, the first thing I did when I got my All-Star Ballot, the old punch ballots you poked out with your pencil, was vote for all the guys on my favorite team. The All-Star Game is wonderful. But we always want to see our own guys.

Every team will end up with an All-Star, no matter what. But when you’re filling out your ballot, you want your team’s most deserving guy to make it. Every team is represented at every position, but every team has a most deserving player on the ballot. There are no pitchers on the ballot, so you can’t vote for them. But if you absolutely must vote for at least one guy on each team, here is the guy you should vote for. They’re all deserving. But here’s the most deserving from each team so far.

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AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays: George Springer, OF
Key Stat: 11 HR, 30 RBI, 144 OPS+

It’s strange not having Vladimir Guerrero Jr. be the pick here, but he’s having a somewhat down year, by his standards. Not so Springer -- this is actually the second-highest OPS+ of his career.

Orioles: Trey Mancini, DH
Key Stat: .303/.374/.448 slash line

Mancini has never made an All-Star Game, but now’s as a good a time as any to vote for him … especially considering he might not be wearing that Orioles jersey for much longer.

Rays: Yandy Díaz, 3B
Key Stat: .424 OBP, AL-leading 35 BB

Wander Franco is an easy pick based on star power, but he’s on the injured list and his performance has been uneven this year. And he’ll have plenty of opportunities. How about Díaz, who has quietly been the OBP machine this offense has been looking for?

Red Sox: Rafael Devers, 3B
Key Stat: 12 HR, 31 RBI, MLB-best 80 hits, 23 2B

Devers is still only 25 years old. How is that even possible?

Yankees: Aaron Judge, OF
Key Stat: 22 HR, 45 RBI, .675 slugging

Judge will be as much of an attraction at this game as any player on the field, and not just because he’ll be showing off his stuff for a wide variety of free-agent suitors.

AL CENTRAL

Guardians: José Ramírez, 3B
Key Stat: 14 HR, 54 RBI

Ramírez may be the best player in the AL who hasn’t won the MVP Award yet, and considering the fact that he plays in Cleveland, this could be the best showcase he has all year.

Royals: Andrew Benintendi, OF
Key Stat: .315/.382/.405

Benintendi didn’t become the superstar we thought he’d be when he finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year vote in 2017 with Boston, but he’s having the best year of his career, by a rather wide margin.

Tigers: Miguel Cabrera, DH
Key Stat: .297/.339/.384

Cabrera, at the age of 39, might be the best hitter on the Tigers right now? That’s not great for Detroit, but wouldn’t it be wonderful to see him in Tinseltown?

Twins: Luis Arraez, 1B
Key Stat: MLB-high .361 BA, .448 OBP

All right, so fine, he only has one homer. He’s leading the Majors in batting average, and he's as good a sign of any to why this team is leading its division.

White Sox: Tim Anderson, SS
Key Stat: .356/.393/.503

Sure, he’s currently injured. But he should be back by the All-Star Game, and how joyous would it be to see him on baseball’s grandest stage?

AL WEST

Angels: Mike Trout, OF
Key Stat: 14 HR, 30 RBI, .989 OPS

Taylor Ward might have slightly bigger numbers now that Trout’s in a slump, but c’mon, the answer is obviously Trout here, given that Shohei Ohtani has not been hitting that well this season. Can Trout get his unprecedented third MVP trophy?

Astros: Yordan Alvarez, DH
Key Stat: 17 HR, 38 RBI

This could be quite a summer for Alvarez: a contract extension and his first All-Star Game appearance.

Athletics: Elvis Andrus, SS
Key Stat: 105 OPS+

OK, so there really isn’t a great answer here, and the A’s All-Star will likely be a pitcher, but Andrus has been one of Oakland’s best hitters, is having one of the best two seasons of his career and hasn’t made an All-Star Game in a decade. Why not?

Mariners: Ty France, 1B
Key Stat: .327/.402/.491

Julio Rodríguez will have plenty of time to make All-Star Games, but it’s France who has helped keep this team’s struggling offense afloat for most of the first half. He’s quietly been one of MLB’s best hitters going back to the start of the 2021 season.

Rangers: Jonah Heim, C
Key Stat: 7 HR, 19 RBI

It’s tough to find any catcher who can hit the ball anymore, so Heim, out of nowhere, has become one of the best-hitting catchers in the Majors. This selection is probably not what the Rangers expected when they signed Corey Seager and Marcus Semien last offseason.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: Ronald Acuña Jr., OF
Key Stat: .318/.406/.523

Acuña hasn’t even really gotten it going yet, but he's still one of the best outfielders in the NL.

Marlins: Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B
Key Stat: 10 HR, 37 RBI, MLB-leading 4 3B

Chisholm has taken a leap this year, to the point that his production is finally matching both his potential and his excitement.

Mets: Pete Alonso, 1B
Key Stat: 16 HR, 54 RBI

There are so many Mets to choose from -- Jeff McNeil actually leads this team in WAR -- but it’s fair to say that Alonso knows his way around All-Star Week at this point. Let’s just hope that injury he suffered on a hit-by-pitch on Tuesday in San Diego isn’t too serious.

Nationals: Juan Soto, OF
Key Stat: 12 HR, 21 RBI, MLB-high 46 BB

He’s the obvious choice, even if this year is downright bizarre to look at. How is Soto batting .226?

Phillies: Bryce Harper, DH
Key Stat: 14 HR, 44 RBI, NL-best .628 SLG

If not for the DH in the NL, Harper might not be playing right now as his elbow injury has prevented him from playing the field. His hitting has not been affected, though.

NL CENTRAL

Brewers: Rowdy Tellez, 1B
Key Stat: 10 HR, 37 RBI

The Brewers don’t do much on offense other than hit home runs, something no player exemplifies more than Tellez.

Cardinals: Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
Key Stat: 12 HR, 47 RBI, NL-high 72 hits, 1.023 OPS

Surprisingly enough, this would be Goldschmidt’s first All-Star appearance as a Cardinal. (He made the game six straight years with the D-backs.)

Cubs: Willson Contreras, C
Key Stat: 10 HR, 23 RBI, .403 OBP

Given that he's in his walk year and the Cubs are rebuilding, many assume he will be moved at this year’s Trade Deadline, which comes a couple of weeks after the All-Star Game. Enjoy seeing him at Wrigley while you can.

Pirates: Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
Key Stat: .285/.374/.387, 7 SB

Hayes isn’t hitting for much power, but every other part of his game has clicked into place his year: He might just be the new standard defensively at third base.

Reds: Tyler Stephenson, C
Key Stat: .309/.366/.475

There isn’t much to choose from offensively in Cincinnati, but if Willson Contreras gets traded out of Chicago, Stephenson might be the best-hitting catcher in the NL.

NL WEST

D-backs: Christian Walker, 1B
Key Stat: 15 HR, 28 RBI

The guy who took over first base for Paul Goldschmidt is hitting for more homers than Goldy anyway.

Dodgers: Mookie Betts, OF
Key Stat: 16 HR, 39 RBI

Betts hasn’t missed an All-Star Game since 2015, and he sure isn’t going to miss one in his home ballpark.

Giants: Joc Pederson, OF
Key Stat: 13 HR, 30 RBI

Pederson left the pearls in Georgia but is en route to having the best season of his career. He seems like a perfect fit with the Giants, doesn’t he?

Padres: Manny Machado, 3B
Key Stat: .329/.401/.543

Will this be his MVP year? Whether he makes it all the way or not, Machado has more than earned his contract’s worth, carrying the Padres until Fernando Tatis Jr. can make it back.

Rockies: C.J. Cron, 1B
Key Stat: 14 HR, 41 RBI

It turns out that Kris Bryant isn’t the obvious All-Star from this team.