Who mill make their first All-Star Game in 2024?

Third baseman Alec Bohm has been a productive regular for Philadelphia since debuting during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, and here in '24, the 27-year-old is enjoying his best season. Bohm is currently slashing .305/.356/.484 with seven home runs and a Major League-high 26 doubles, and he's currently 2nd in the NL with 60 RBI. He's been an integral piece of the high-flying Phillies lethal offensive attack, and there is no realistic argument for anyone else to be starting at the hot corner for the National League in the all-star game. 

The Phillies have been the National League's best team seemingly since the first pitch of 2024, so it should come as no surprise that our list begins with two players who call the City of Brotherly Love home. Philadelphia's rotation has been fronted by veterans Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola for a while now, but in '24 southpaw Ranger Suarez has become far and above the club's best starter. Through his first 14 starts, Suarez has delivered a 1.77 ERA with a 0.77 WHIP and earned 10 victories---all of which currently pace the big leagues. He's struck out 91 hitters in 86.1 innings while issuing only 19 walks, and has served up only five home runs. Suarez should not only be participating in his first all-star game next month, but he should also be the starting pitcher for the NL. 

Veteran righty Seth Lugo had longed for the opportunity to start for years while serving as a reliable reliever for the Mets, and since leaving Queens he's proven he was right to bet on himself. Lugo enjoyed a strong season pitching out of San Diego's rotation a year ago which he was able to parlay into a multi-year deal with the Royals last winter, and all he's done in Kansas City is become one of the best starters in the American League. Through 15 starts, Lugo has worked to a 2.40 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP. He's averaged nearly 6.5 innings/start, is tied with the aforementioned Ranger Suarez for the Major League lead in wins, and is arguably the biggest reason the Royals are currently holding a playoff spot. If Lugo is not included on the American League all-star roster it will simply be a travesty. 

Before 2024 even beginning, Tigers' lefty Tarik Skubal had already proven himself to be one of the American League's most talented young starting pitchers, and injuries are honestly the only reason he hasn't pitched in an all-star game already. Detroit had been anxious to see what kind of performance they could get from their ace over the course of a full season, and this year, he's rewarded them in a big way. Through his first 14 outings, Skubal has gone 8-2 with a 2.20 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. He's struck out 98 hitters in 86 innings, issued only 16 walks, and surrendered only six long balls. Skubal's inclusion on this year's AL all-star team feels like a foregone conclusion, and he really should be in the mix to start the game. 

The Rockies have predictably suffered through a difficult first half, but if there is one positive to take away from the team's first few months, it's been the breakout performance of second-year shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. The 22-year-old has easily been Colorado's best player in 2024. He's slashing .285/.312/.483 with 11 homers, 35 RBI, and an impressive 23 doubles. The National League is loaded with big-name shortstops, but every team needs a representative in the midsummer classic, and I, for one, would really like to see Tovar get the nod for the Rockies. 

Lefty Shota Imanaga didn't have as much fanfare as Yoshinobu Yamamoto when the two came over from Japan last winter, but it's fair to say he's made the greater impact. During the first few months of 2024, Imanaga has been everything the Cubs could have hoped for, and more, and it's daunting to think where the team would be without him. Through his first 13 starts, the 30-year-old has pitched to a 1.89 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP, while striking out 78 hitters in 76 innings and winning seven of his eight decisions. 

Similarly to the earlier mentioned Seth Lugo, right-hander Jordan Hicks always fostered hopes of becoming a starting pitcher, but like Lugo was with the Mets, Hicks consistently found himself pigeonholed into a late-inning relief role in St. Louis. That was the same story for him in Toronto a year ago as well, but Hicks has written a whole new chapter in his career since joining the Giants as a free-agent last winter. San Francisco gave him his long-awaited chance to pitch out of a Major League starting rotation, and Hicks is rewarding their leap of faith tenfold. In his first 15 starts this season, the 27-year-old has pitched to a stellar 2.82 ERA across 76.2 innings, while punching out 68 hitters and serving up only six long balls. 

Right-handed reliever Mason Miller's electric fastball has become must-see TV here in 2024, and the 25-year-old has been easily the most exciting player on the Oakland Athletics. In 25 outings thus far, Miller has pitched to a 2.20 ERA with an 0.83 WHIP while limiting opposing hitters to just a .139 batting average and striking out an eye-opening 57 men in 32.2 frames. He's converted 13 of his 15 save chances, allowed only one inherited runner to score, and induced a pair of ground ball double plays. Heading towards the trade deadline the A's are one of very few assured sellers, and while the price will be enormous, there may be a contender willing to sell the farm to bring Miller's power arm to their bullpen. 

Guardians' first baseman Josh Naylor seems to be an annual member of this list, and hopefully, for him, his long-awaited opportunity to be on an American League all-star game roster will come next month. Here in 2024, Naylor has been his usual dynamic self with a bat in his hands, slashing .229/.316/.470 with 17 home runs and 50 RBI. He ranks in the top 10 in baseball in both power statistics, has added nine doubles for good measure, and is one of the most important pieces for a Cleveland team leading the AL Central virtually all season. 

The Yankees always believed young righty Luis Gil could blossom into a productive member of their starting rotation, but I'm not sure they anticipated him developing into one of the best pitchers in the entire American League. In a prime example of the way everything has gone right for the Bombers as they've sprinted out to baseball's best record, Gil has emerged as the unexpected ace in the Bronx. Through his first 14 starts, the 23-year-old has pitched to an AL-best 2.03 ERA with an 0.97 WHIP while striking out 96 hitters in 80 innings and earning nine victories. The American League is obviously loaded with pitching talent, but it would be a crime to leave Gil off of the all-star team next month. 

Up in Boston, right-hander Tanner Houck has essentially been for the Red Sox, what Luis Gil has been for the Yankees. The University of Missouri product struggled a bit a year ago in his first opportunity to be a full-time member of Boston's rotation, but he's flipped the script dramatically here in 2024. In 14 starts, Houck has pitched to a 2.08 ERA with an 0.94 WHIP, while allowing just a .208 batting average against and striking out 89 hitters in 91 innings. He fired the first complete game--and first shutout--of his career in April, and there's not a player on the Red Sox' roster more deserving of representing the club in the midsummer classic. 

The Mariners have enjoyed a terrific first three months and currently have fans in the Pacific Northwest bursting with excitement as they carry a sizeable first-place lead in the American League West. One of the primary reasons for the M's success is righty Logan Gilbert, the team's first-round pick from the 2018 draft. Gilbert is already in his 4th season with Seattle, and while he displayed ace potential at times early in his career, he too often struggled with inconsistency. Not anymore. Through 15 starts here in 2024, Gilbert has pitched like a true number one, working to a 2.93 ERA with an 0.91 WHIP while striking out 93 hitters in a Major League-high 98.1 innings. Seattle will likely have a horde of players on the American League all-star team, and Gilbert will almost certainly be one of them. 

The Padres have largely been up and down in 2024 but that's certainly not the fault of their closer, Robert Suarez, whose been arguably the best relief pitcher in all of baseball. In 28 appearances thus far, the righty has worked to an astonishing 0.61 ERA with a 0.68 WHIP. He's converted all 17 of his save opportunities, is striking out almost exactly a hitter/inning, and the only two runs he's given up this season have come via a pair of solo homers. 

A legitimate case could be made that there is not a more exciting all-around player in baseball than Reds' shortstop Elly De La Cruz. The 22-year-old switch-hitter can do anything on a baseball diamond, and while he is still raw in some areas, De La Cruz just oozes talent and swag in droves. To date this season, he's slashing .240/.339/.442 with 12 home runs, 31 RBI, 12 doubles, three triples, and a Major League-high 37 stolen bases. He's also seemingly making eye-opening defensive plays with both his glove and his arm on an almost nightly basis. De La Cruz will unquestionably eventually become a fixture at the all-star game every July, and his first one could easily come a month from now. 

Righty Javier Assad toggled between the Cubs rotation and bullpen in 2023, but to put it mildly, he's become much more than that for Chicago this season. Assad got a chance to pitch out of the Cubs' starting five from the outset of '24 and has thrived, working to a 2.75 ERA with a 1.24 WHIP across 15 starts. He's struck out over a batter/inning and held opponents to just a .225 average, while really becoming a savior for a pitching staff that needed more depth. The National League has a plethora of arms to choose from when rounding out the all-star game roster so Assad might be a little bit of a long shot, but that's not to say he wouldn't be worthy. 

The Nationals have played much better than expected over the first few months of 2024, and a big reason for that is the brilliance of their late-inning relief. Washington has just not let late leads slip away, mostly due to the career year their closer, Kyle Finnegan, is enjoying. In 30 appearances so far, the veteran right-hander has dominated to the tune of a 1.78 ERA with an 0.78 WHIP, while striking out over a batter/inning and limiting opposing hitters to just a .152 average. He's nailed down 20 of his 22 save opportunities, and there really is just not a more deserving player on the Nationals roster to represent the club in the midsummer classic. 

The Astros have uncharacteristically sat well under .500 for basically this entire season, but their fortunes would certainly be even more dire without the breakthrough performance of Ronel Blanco. The Dominican Republic native made seven spot starts for Houston last year, but when injuries opened the door for him to begin 2024 in the rotation he took the opportunity and ran with it. In his first 13 outings, the right-hander has delivered a 2.43 ERA with an 0.97 WHIP, while striking out 75 hitters in 77.2 innings. He fired a no-hitter against the Blue Jays in April and in his most recent start he kept the Tigers hitless over seven frames. Blanco is far from a household name, but he is a feel-good story and deserves a spot on the AL all-star game roster. 

Like the earlier mentioned Josh Naylor, Diamondbacks' first baseman Christian Walker seems to be an annual participant in this exercise. The 33-year-old crushed 69 homers and drove in 197 runs between '22 and '23, and with his power numbers currently sitting at 16 and 49 not even halfway through '24, he's well on his way to another fantastic season. Unfortunately for Walker, his continued absence from the NL all-star team is not an indictment on himself, but rather a reflection of just how loaded the first base position is on the senior circuit. With guys like Bryce Harper, Matt Olson, Freddie Freeman, and Pete Alonso playing in the same league, Walker has consistently been overlooked. This year could represent his best chance of landing on the squad, however, as the manager for the NL all-star team will be his own skipper, Torey Lovullo. 

The NL Wild Card race is nothing short of a convoluted mess with seemingly every team still alive. That includes the Pittsburgh Pirates, who thanks to the recent promotion of Paul Skenes have garnered more national attention lately. But the most dynamic hurler on the entire Pirates pitching staff all year has been their lesser-known set-up man, Colin Holderman. The 28-year-old righty has been nearly unhittable in 2024, dealing to the tune of an 0.73 ERA with an 0.93 WHIP across his first 26 appearances. He's struck out well over a batter/inning, has allowed only two earned runs all year, and, living up to his last name, has registered a dozen holds. It's generally difficult for relievers that are not closers to find their way onto all-star game rosters, but Holderman has as strong a case as anyone in his role. 

The Mets are currently in the midst of an incredible hot streak and seemingly everyone in their line-up is clicking. But for the majority of 2024 that has just not been the case, which makes for an interesting debate as to who should represent the team at the midsummer classic next month. Sure, the easiest thing to do would be to slide Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, J.D. Martinez, or Brandon Nimmo onto the team but none of them are sporting stat lines that would support earning a nod---at least right now. Which is why I'm here to throw right-handed reliever Reed Garrett into the mix, all the while knowing he would be a long shot. The 31-year-old journeyman has come out of nowhere to become a linchpin in New York's relief corps, and it's scary to consider where the team as a whole would be without him. In 28 appearances thus far, Garrett has pitched to a 3.03 ERA in 35.2 innings while striking out an eye-opening 55 hitters and earning seven victories in relief.