It's almost All-Star time and it looks like the Dodgers are going to be well-represented during the festivities in Cleveland on July 16.
Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic on Friday posted his All-Star predictions after Phase 1 of the voting process ended.
Five Dodgers make the team, including one at each position group.
Starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow is the lone pitching representative, while first baseman Freddie Freeman landed an infield spot, outfielder Teoscar Hernandez grabbed one of the outfield spots, catcher Will Smith was one of the three players at his position on the roster, and Shohei Ohtani was one of the trio of designated hitters to land on Rosenthal's version of the National League All-Star team.
It's tough envisioning a version of the NL club that doesn't feature those five Dodgers. All of them have been among the best players at their positions this year, as illustrated by Smith, Hernandez and Ohtani all earning starting nods from Rosenthal.
Glasnow should be in the mix to start the game for the NL, but Phillies starter Ranger Suarez has also been sensational this season and got the start in Rosenthal's prediction. Suarez is tied for first in the NL in WAR for starting pitchers, is No. 2 in ERA and fifth in fielding independent pitching (FIP). Both he and Glasnow have been outstanding in 2024, but Suarez has been just a tick better so starting him makes sense.
It also tracks that Freeman isn't the starting first baseman over Bryce Harper of the Phillies. He's playing that spot because he's returning from Tommy John surgery and has been flat out awesome since making the transition to the infield. Harper's 4.0 wins above replacement (WAR) trails only Ohtani in the NL and his 20 home runs are behind Ohtani and Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna. There's a real chance Harper winds up winning an MVP award this season, so making him the starting 1B in the All-Star Game makes sense.
The one glaring omission for the Dodgers is starting pitcher Gavin Stone, who has been outstanding in his first full season with Los Angeles. He's No. 12 in FIP, No. 3 in ERA and No. 12 in WHIP while owning one of three (3) complete game shutouts in the NL this season. All-Star teams are tough because including a player means taking another player off, and in MLB every team has to be represented which adds another layer of difficulty when picking the teams. Perhaps Stone winds up getting in due to an injury or a pitcher being unavailable. He should certainly be on the short list of players to be in the mix for a spot on the NL All-Star staff.
