Among All-Stars, who's the best of the best?

The best thing about the All-Star Game is right there in the name: Everybody’s a star. There isn’t a player in the game who isn’t one of the best players in baseball right now. That’s why they’re there.

But some are obviously bigger stars than others. So let’s rank them all -- or at least the top 50.

Now, every fan has his or her own criteria. Mine is a highly subjective amalgam of several factors: How each player has played in the first half this year, how he's played in his career and how much I want to watch him play right now -- which, after all, is why we have an All-Star Game in the first place. (Players who are unlikely to be healthy enough to play or have said they aren’t playing aren’t included here, such as Aaron Judge and Mike Trout.)

• Here are the 2023 All-Star rosters

Every single one of these players belong here. But here are the top 50, ranked.

1. Shohei Ohtani, DH/RHP, Angels
OK, fine, so he’s not pitching. Ohtani still might be the best hitter in baseball, in addition to the fact that he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball. What he's doing right now is unlike anything anyone who has ever played this sport has ever done, and we get to see it, right now, in front of us, in his prime.

2. Ronald Acuña Jr., OF, Braves
Now that his injuries are behind him, Acuña doesn’t just look like the superstar we thought he was going to be back in the days before the Braves were World Series champs -- he’s better. It sure looks like he’s winning his first MVP Award this year.

3. Mookie Betts, OF, Dodgers
First off, how awesome is it that Betts is in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby this year? (It’s a little like Michael Jordan being in the three-point contest: It’s not his specialty, but you still want to watch him do it.) Betts is building a Hall of Fame career. He may already have one.

4. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Dodgers
Remember when we all thought Freeman was just an above-average first baseman who was never going to hit for much power? He has a .939 OPS through 87 games this season. The real question: When he goes into Cooperstown, will he do enough at Chavez Ravine to wear a Dodgers hat?

5. Juan Soto, OF, Padres
While the Padres have been going through all their troubles, and too many people still remember his post-Trade Deadline “struggles” in San Diego last year, Soto has quietly re-established himself back at his true superstar level. This offseason, it’s going to be all about Ohtani. But next offseason, it’ll be all about Soto.

6. Corey Seager, SS, Rangers
Because he missed much of the first month of the season, Seager’s career season has sneaked a little under the radar. He’s hitting .363 with a 1.048 OPS in 57 games, and he’s leading perhaps the most surprising team in the game.

7. Gerrit Cole, RHP, Yankees
While everything else in The Bronx has been shaky, inconsistent or just injured, Cole has taken the ball every fifth day for several years now and put the Yankees in position to win. He’s everything the Yankees could have possibly hoped he would be -- and more.

8. Luis Arraez, 2B, Marlins
Could Arraez actually make it to .400? Time can only tell. That he’s even in the conversation -- during an era when no one even tries to get to .400 -- speaks to how transcendent Arraez has been this year. Put away your arguments about batting average: Arraez has been a superstar by any metric, and he just might lead the Marlins to the playoffs. Better stay healthy, Acuña: Arraez is right behind you in the MVP race, waiting to strike.

9. Corbin Carroll, OF, D-backs
Carroll is that great sort of old-fashioned player: One that’s just great at everything. He hits, he runs, he fields, he makes baseball look like the easiest game in the world. (It isn’t. It’s very hard.) He very well could win the Rookie of the Year Award, possibly unanimously. The MVP Award is still in his sights. If you haven’t seen him play yet, the All-Star Game is a terrific opportunity to get yourself acquainted.

10. José Ramírez, 3B, Guardians
The very definition of underrated, I’ve long believed we’d talk about Ramírez as much as he deserves to be talked about one day. The ever-consistent slugger has 14 homers and 53 RBIs through 84 games.

11. Wander Franco, SS, Rays
It makes one feel a little guilty just now having a Ray on this list, but Franco’s ascension to top-shelf shortstop has raised the ceiling on the AL’s best team.

12. Matt Olson, 1B, Braves
How good do you have to be to make Braves fans move on from Freddie Freeman? This good. Olson has 29 homers through 87 games, which is second in the Majors behind just Ohtani with 31.

13. Adley Rutschman, C, Orioles
No offense to Jonah Heim -- whom you will see later on this list and is a very worthy All-Star catcher -- but Rutschman is exactly what a superstar looks like: Someone whose team wasn’t able to do anything until he got there and became downright elite when he arrived.

14. Julio Rodríguez, OF, Mariners
Rodríguez and his team have taken somewhat of a step back in 2023, but that doesn’t mean the sky isn’t still the limit for the homefield kid this All-Star Game. In 15 years, when he’s a Mariners legend, they’ll be showing highlights of him in front of his hometown fans from this very game.

15. Nolan Arenado, 3B, Cardinals
It has been -- fair to say -- a bit of a rough season for the Cardinals this year. But while Arenado’s defense has taken a (presumably temporary?) step backwards, he’s back to hitting the way we’ve all come to know and love. And no All-Star Game would feel right without him.

16. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Blue Jays
He hasn’t quite been the player he was in 2021 over the past couple of years. He’s still the face of his team, one of the most recognizable players in the league and, oh yeah, still younger than Rutschman.

17. Sean Murphy, C, Braves
There was no more difficult selection on the ballot this year than National League catcher ...

18. Will Smith, C, Dodgers
So feel free to put these two in either order you’d like. But make sure they’re next to one another.

19. Zac Gallen, RHP, D-backs
Last year, one of the two pitchers the Cardinals traded for Marcell Ozuna (Sandy Alcantara) won the NL Cy Young Award. This year, the other pitcher the Cardinals traded for Ozuna (Gallen) might win the award.

20. Pete Alonso, 1B, Mets
The Home Run Derby will be his main stage, but he could still do something special in the game.

21. Félix Bautista, RHP, Orioles
Sure, he’s new, and maybe this seems a little high because of it. But Bautista might be the most unhittable pitcher in the sport right now.

22. Marcus Semien, 2B, Rangers
Perpetually underrated, he almost won an MVP a few years ago with the A’s and would be a sleeper candidate for one this year if it weren’t for that Ohtani fellow.

23. Yandy Díaz, 1B, Rays
For years, the baseball world has been imploring the hulking Díaz to hit the ball in the air more. He has responded this year simply by hitting it everywhere, and just as ridiculously hard as he always has.

24. Bo Bichette, SS, Blue Jays
Why do the Blue Jays feel leave us wanting more? Try having two legacy superstars like Bichette and Guerrero in your infield and still being in fourth place in the ultra-competitive AL East.

25. Kyle Tucker, OF, Astros
For years, we’ve been grousing how underrated and underappreciated Tucker is. He’s now the only Astros hitter in the All-Star Game (Yordan Alvarez will be out with an oblique strain), so maybe everyone is finally noticing.

26. Josh Hader, LHP, Padres
Those post-trade jitters Hader had when he came to San Diego are long behind him.

27. Luis Robert Jr., OF, White Sox
Finally healthy, Robert has become the superstar we all thought he’d someday be.

28. Randy Arozarena, OF, Rays
From the 2020 postseason to the ‘23 World Baseball Classic, this guy just loves the big stage. I wonder what Arozarena has in store for Tuesday.

29. Sonny Gray, RHP, Twins
Remember when he struggled with the Yankees? That feels like a very long time ago: Gray is better than he has ever been -- and he has been pretty great!

30. Alexis Díaz, RHP, Reds
Considering how truly thrilling Cincinnati has been this season, it is a bit of a letdown to have only one Red on the All-Star team, even one as terrific as Díaz has been in 2023. But I bet this is the last time there’s only one Red for a long, long time.

31. David Bednar, RHP, Pirates
Often, an under-.500 team will get a closer on the All-Star roster, just because they have to have someone. But Bednar has been downright incredible for a few years now in Pittsburgh. This is his second straight All-Star appearance.

32. Nathan Eovaldi, RHP, Rangers
Sneakily, Eovaldi might be the best free-agent signing from this past offseason.

33. Justin Steele, LHP, Cubs
With Marcus Stroman opting not to pitch in the Midsummer Classic, his rotationmate could see action in the game. Steele boasts a 2.56 ERA in 16 starts this season.

34. Jonah Heim, C, Rangers
Heim is the starting AL catcher, and he has us wondering: Are we at a historic high point for catchers? There are six great ones this year, and there isn’t even room for J.T. Realmuto.

35. Josh Jung, 3B, Rangers
Jung's injury last year was a killer for the Rangers, but it has allowed him to develop (and maybe have a Rookie of the Year season) at the exact right time for this team.

36. Ozzie Albies, 2B, Braves
Anybody else notice that Albies is having the best season of his career?

37. Luis Castillo, RHP, Mariners
A savvy pickup for the Mariners last year, he’s set to be a rotation mainstay for many years to come. He is, after all, still just 30.

38. J.D. Martinez, DH, Dodgers
It has been quite a journey for Martinez. But here he is, at his sixth All-Star Game now.

39. Adolis García, OF, Rangers
García has been an RBI machine, and it feels like the Home Run Derby will be when more fans really get to know him.

40. Camilo Doval, RHP, Giants
Doval is tied for the MLB lead in saves with 25 in 40 appearances, pitching for a team that always seems to be playing close games.

41. Nick Castellanos, OF, Phillies
Fair to say, if you would have told us there would only be one Philly representative at the All-Star Game this year, Castellanos would not have been our first guess.

42. Jorge Soler, DH, Marlins
The guy has won a World Series MVP and hit 48 homers in a season before … but this is his first All-Star Game.

43. Kenley Jansen, RHP, Red Sox
It’s worth giving some love to Jansen, who just keeps coming back and finding new ways to be excellent.

44. Salvador Perez, C, Royals
Perez has been a part of the Royals for so long that you forget he wasn’t always the team’s obligatory MVP. He’s the only guy left on the roster with a World Series ring, don’t forget. (And he’s still only 33).

45. Yennier Cano, RHP Orioles
Cano had an 11.50 ERA in 13 games with the Twins and Orioles last year, but he has become one of the two reasons any team that would face Baltimore in the playoffs would feel like, if they’re behind heading into the eighth inning, the game may already be over.

46. Corbin Burnes, RHP, Brewers
The former Cy Young winner isn’t have the greatest of his seasons, but he’s still a guy who you’d trust in any big game.

47. Pablo López, RHP, Twins
All the love justifiably raining down on Arraez should not distract from López essentially being exactly what the Twins wanted when they traded the hot-hitting infielder for him: A top-end starter who gives you a chance to win every night out.

48. Kodai Senga, RHP Mets
The fact that Senga is not, say, Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer is hardly a strike against him, considering he’s the most reliable starter the Mets have had this season. After all, he’s in the All-Star Game, not them.

49. Alex Cobb, RHP, Giants
One of the feel-good stories of the All-Star Game, Cobb is finally getting the call after 12 very respectable years in the bigs.

50. Craig Kimbrel, Phillies
Kimbrel and Jansen are constantly passing their status at top 10 all-time saves leaders back and forth. It’s a privilege to get to watch them together in this game.

The rest
We’ll stop there, because no All-Star deserves to be ranked last. But for the sake of completeness, here are the rest of the players on this year’s rosters, listed alphabetically:

Orlando Arcia, SS, Braves
Elias Díaz, C, Rockies
Carlos Estévez, RHP, Angels
Josiah Gray, RHP, Nationals
Lourdes Gurriel Jr., OF, D-backs
Austin Hays, OF, Orioles
Mitch Keller, RHP, Pirates
George Kirby, RHP, Mariners
Michael Lorenzen, RHP, Tigers
Whit Merrifield, 2B, Blue Jays
Austin Riley, 3B, Braves
Jordan Romano, RHP, Blue Jays
Brent Rooker, DH, Athletics