For the fourth time in his career, Shohei Ohtani is headed to the Midsummer Classic. He was named the National League's representative at the designated hitter spot for this month's All-Star tilt in Texas.
A finalist for a starting gig, Ohtani was up against Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber. Our last check prior to the announcement had indicated that Ohtani garnered 61 percent of the vote against his DH counterpart. As such, he'll be the starter for the NL. Unfortunately, his trip to Texas won't include a run at the HR Derby crown.
All four of Ohtani's All-Star Game appearances have come in the last four years, but, of course, this is his first with the Dodgers. He's the only starter represented by LA on the starting side, as Mookie Betts lost out to Trea Turner for the NL's starting spot at shortstop.
Among full-time designated hitters, Ohtani's 191 wRC+ easily paces the field. He's 30 points ahead of Atlanta's Marcell Ozuna. He also leads all of average (.320), on-base percentage (.402), and isolated power (.326) by a fairly wide margin. He also has 16 steals. Second place has five. In short, it would've been an extreme upset for anyone other than Ohtani to start at the NL's DH spot.
It's highly likely some of his Dodger teammates will join him in Arlington, with Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández, and Tyler Glasnow candidates for a reserve role.
The 2024 MLB All-Star Game will be played on July 16th at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.