Predicting the 2024 All-MLB Team

Predicting the 2024 All-MLB Team

April 2nd, 2024

The All-MLB Team is an annual honor recognizing the best players at each position across Major League Baseball as a whole.

Though the 2024 season just got underway, a panel of MLB.com experts assembled to vote on which players they think will end up making up the All-MLB First and Second Teams at the end of the campaign.

As a reminder, each team features one selection at catcher, first base, second base, shortstop, third base and DH, as well as three outfielders (regardless of specific outfield position), five starting pitchers and two relievers.

Here are the results.

CATCHER

First team: (BAL)
Second team: (LAD)

The 2019 No. 1 overall Draft pick, Rutschman has lived up to the hype and then some since his 2022 debut, sparking a dramatic turnaround for the Orioles franchise. Rutschman, who earned All-MLB First Team honors a year ago, has produced a 130 wRC+ and 10.6 WAR (per FanGraphs) across 270 games as a big leaguer.

Smith, who signed a 10-year, $140 million contract extension with the Dodgers on March 27, led all catchers in WAR (10.9) across 2021-23 while ranking second at the position in homers (68) and RBIs (239) in that span.

Also receiving votes: William Contreras (MIL), Willson Contreras (STL), Sean Murphy (ATL), J.T. Realmuto (PHI)

FIRST BASE

First team: (LAD)
Second team: (PHI)

One of MLB’s most consistent superstars, Freeman is the only player to be named to the All-MLB Team in each of the first five years of the honor’s existence. The veteran has continued to mash since he jumped from the Braves to the Dodgers in free agency, slashing .328/.409/.538 with 51 homers and 106 doubles over 326 games with Los Angeles.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022, Harper moved to first base last season and will be staying there full time going forward. The two-time NL MVP Award winner has produced a .284/.395/.534 slash with 122 homers over 583 games since joining the Phillies on a 13-year, $330 million deal.

Also receiving votes: Pete Alonso (NYM), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR), Matt Olson (ATL)

SECOND BASE

First team: (TEX)
Second team: (HOU)

Semien is not only an all-around force out of the leadoff spot and a top-notch defender at second base but also one of baseball’s true iron men. The second baseman played more games than anyone else across 2019-23, appearing in 700 of a possible 708 games during that span. He finished third in the AL MVP Award voting last year (his third third-place finish since 2019) after slashing .276/.348/.478 with 29 homers, 100 RBIs, 14 steals and an AL-leading 122 runs scored for the eventual World Series champions. He was the All-MLB First Team second baseman in 2023.

Altuve is still going strong at the age of 33. Although he missed Opening Day last year after fracturing his right thumb during the World Baseball Classic, the former AL MVP returned to hit .311 with 17 homers and a .915 OPS over 90 games. His 157 OPS+ across 2022-23 ranked fifth among hitters with at least 1,000 plate appearances.

Others receiving votes: Ozzie Albies (ATL), Luis Arraez (MIA), Andrés Giménez (CLE), Nolan Gorman (STL), Brandon Lowe (TB)

THIRD BASE

First team: (ATL)
Second team: José Ramírez (CLE)

Riley has cemented himself as one of the game’s top third basemen over the past three years, recording a .286/.354/.525 slash with 108 homers, 297 RBIs and 298 runs scored in that span. He earned an All-MLB First Team selection in 2021 and again in 2023.

Ramírez continued to produce across the board for Cleveland in 2023, notching his fifth 20-20 season since 2018. No other player had more than three such campaigns across 2018-23, a stretch in which Ramírez ranked third overall in WAR (32.9).

Others receiving votes: Alex Bregman (HOU), Rafael Devers (BOS), Ke'Bryan Hayes (PIT), Josh Jung (TEX), Royce Lewis (MIN)

SHORTSTOPS

First team: (LAD)
Second team: (KC)

The competition for the All-MLB shortstop spots became even more crowded when the Dodgers decided to make Betts their new starting shortstop in March. A six-time Gold Glove Award winner in the outfield, Betts showed his versatility last season by playing 16 games at short in addition to 107 games in right field and 70 at second base. Meanwhile, he remained as productive as ever on offense, hitting .307 with 39 homers, 107 RBIs, 14 steals, 126 runs and a .987 OPS over 152 games, leading to a second-place finish in the NL MVP race. He's kept it up to begin 2024, hitting .500 with four homers, 10 RBIs and a 1.757 OPS through six games.

Speaking of hot starts, Witt had a huge opening series against the Twins, going 6-for-11 (.545) with five extra-base hits (one homer) and a 1.888 OPS. The youngster signed an 11-year, $288.7 million contract extension with the Royals in March, following a breakout season that saw him hit .276 with 30 homers, 49 steals and an .813 OPS.

Others receiving votes: Gunnar Henderson (BAL), Corey Seager (TEX), Trea Turner (PHI)

OUTFIELD

First team: (ATL), (SEA), (NYY)
Second team: (SD), (NYY), (AZ)

Acuña made history during his NL MVP Award-winning 2023 campaign, becoming the fifth member of the 40-40 club and the first player to produce 40-plus homers and 70-plus steals in a single season. He also hit .337 with an NL-leading 1.012 OPS and an MLB-high 149 runs scored. The 26-year-old is the total package.

After winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 2022, Rodríguez had another impressive campaign last year, producing an .818 OPS with 32 homers and 37 steals. With that, the youngster became the fourth player to a record a 30-30 season at age 22 or younger, joining Acuña (2019), Mike Trout (2012) and Alex Rodriguez (1998).

Following a trade from the Padres to the Yankees in December, Soto now shares a lineup with Judge, which is an unpleasant thought for pitchers around the Majors. Soto’s lifetime 157 OPS+ through the end of 2023 was the ninth-highest mark all time for a player through his age-24 season (minimum 2,500 plate appearances). Judge, meanwhile, led all players in homers (253) and ranked second (minimum 2,000 PAs) in OPS+ (167) from 2017-23.

After missing all of 2022 due to injury and suspension, Tatis returned last year at a new position, moving from shortstop to right field. The shift was incredibly successful, with Tatis winning both a Gold Glove Award and the Platinum Glove in the NL. Tatis’ results on offense were a bit more mixed -- he produced 25 homers and 29 steals but had a career-low .770 OPS. The 25-year-old is capable of much more than that, as he showed when he registered a .965 OPS in his first three seasons and led the NL with 42 homers over 130 games in 2021.

Carroll is coming off a sensational rookie season, winning NL Rookie of the Year honors after producing 25 homers, 54 steals and an .868 OPS. To cap it all off, he helped the D-backs make a shocking run to the World Series.

Others receiving votes: Evan Carter (TEX), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (MIA), Adolis García (TEX), Michael Harris II (ATL), Nolan Jones (COL), Mike Trout (LAA), Kyle Tucker (HOU)

DESIGNATED HITTER

First team: (LAD)
Second team: (HOU)

Ohtani and Alvarez have both made the All-MLB team at the DH spot in each of the past three years, with Ohtani earning First Team honors twice (2021, 2023) and Alvarez once (2022).

Ohtani led the AL in homers (44) and MLB in OPS (1.066) a year ago, all while continuing to perform like a frontline starter on the mound. The two-way superstar earned his second unanimous AL MVP Award in three years before signing a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers, setting a record for the richest deal in global sports history.

Alvarez, meanwhile, has been one of MLB’s most productive sluggers since his debut, posting the third-highest wRC+ (166) among qualifying batters across 2019-23. Although he missed nearly seven weeks with an oblique injury and played only 114 games in 2023, Alvarez nonetheless eclipsed the 30-homer plateau for the third straight season.

STARTING PITCHER

First team: (ATL), (BAL), (PHI), (MIN), (SEA)
Second team: (SF), (DET), (SEA), (AZ), (ATL)

Strider has flashed overpowering stuff in his MLB career, racking up 491 strikeouts -- including an MLB-leading 281 K’s in 2023 -- over 325 2/3 innings. An elevated 3.86 ERA prevented him from placing higher in the NL Cy Young race (he finished fourth) a year ago, but this could be the year Strider earns his first Cy and cements himself as baseball’s preeminent ace.

If Burnes’ dominant Opening Day start for the Orioles is any indication, the right-hander is poised to continue his run as one of MLB’s best pitchers following an offseason trade from Milwaukee to Baltimore. Over the past four seasons for the Brewers, Burnes posted a 2.86 ERA with a 2.84 FIP and 765 strikeouts in 622 1/3 innings.

Wheeler has become a bona fide ace since he joined the Phillies as a free agent after the 2019 season. Over his first four years with Philadelphia, he recorded a 3.06 ERA with a 2.90 FIP and a 5.0 K/BB ratio in 629 1/3 innings.

López enjoyed a breakout after being traded from the Marlins to the Twins with two others for Luis Arraez after the 2022 season. López tied for third in the Majors with 234 strikeouts and posted a 3.66 ERA over 194 innings in his first year with Minnesota, showing increased fastball velocity and establishing his new sweeper as a dominant offering.

Kirby’s 9.05 K/BB ratio last season was the fifth best for a qualified pitcher during a non-shortened season in the Modern Era (since 1900). The control artist finished the season with a 3.35 ERA, 172 strikeouts and only 19 walks over 190 2/3 innings.

Webb finished second behind new teammate Blake Snell in the NL Cy Young Award voting a year ago after posting a 3.25 ERA with an NL-leading 6.26 K/BB ratio over an MLB-high 216 innings. The sinkerballer owns a sparkling 3.07 ERA over 93 appearances (92 starts) since the outset of 2021.

Skubal held the White Sox scoreless over six innings on Opening Day, continuing the dominance he showed last summer after returning from left flexor tendon surgery. The southpaw recorded a 2.80 ERA with a 2.00 FIP and a 7.29 K/BB ratio over 15 starts in 2023, raising expectations for his ceiling entering 2024.

Castillo found another gear over the past two years, culminating with a fifth-place finish in the AL Cy Young Award race in 2023. The right-hander notched a 3.19 ERA and a 3.82 K/BB ratio across 2022-23, an improvement from his 3.72 ERA and 2.97 K/BB in his first five big league seasons.

Gallen has garnered two straight Top 5 finishes in the NL Cy Young Award voting, posting a collective 3.04 ERA with 412 strikeouts in that span. He reached the 200-inning and 200-strikeout plateaus for the first time in his career last season.

Fried missed a lot of time due to injuries last year, but he remained effective, when healthy. The left-hander notched the highest ERA+ (162) among pitchers with at least 400 innings across 2020-23.

Others receiving votes: Dylan Cease (SD), Kevin Gausman (TOR), Tyler Glasnow (LAD), Freddy Peralta (MIL), Cole Ragans (KC), Chris Sale (ATL), Blake Snell (SF), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD)

First team: (NYM), (HOU)
Second team: (SF), Andrés Muñoz (SEA)

Díaz missed all of 2023 after suffering a torn patellar tendon in his right knee during the World Baseball Classic, but he’s back at full strength for 2024. The flamethrowing righty earned an All-MLB First Team selection in 2022 after posting a 1.31 ERA with 32 saves and 118 strikeouts over 62 innings for the Mets.

Hader, who joined the Astros on a five-year, $95 million deal in the offseason, was named to the All-MLB Team for the third time in his career after a dominant 2023 season with the Padres. The left-hander bounced back from a rocky 2022 campaign (5.22 ERA) to notch a 1.28 ERA with 33 saves and 85 K’s over 56 1/3 innings for San Diego last year.

Doval tied for the NL lead with 39 saves last season and pitched to a 2.77 ERA with an 11.3 K/9 over his first three big league seasons with the Giants.

Muñoz is new to the closer role after taking over the job when the Mariners traded Paul Sewald to the D-backs last summer, but he has the stuff to be one of the top ninth-inning men in the Majors. The righty ranked in the 99th percentile in whiff rate in each of the past two seasons while striking out 35.5% of the batters he faced in that span.

Others receiving votes: Bryan Abreu (HOU), David Bednar (PIT), Alexis Díaz (CIN), Jhoan Duran (MIN), Clay Holmes (NYY), Mason Miller (OAK), Paul Sewald (AZ), Tanner Scott (MIA)

Voters: David Adler, Jason Foster, Theo DeRosa, Thomas Harrigan, Cole Jacobson, Brent Maguire, Brian Murphy, Mike Petriello, Manny Randhawa, Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru, Andrew Simon