The starting position players for the 2024 MLB All-Star Game have been settled. And on Sunday night, we will learn the rest of the American and National League rosters for the July 16 game at Globe Life Field.
But who will have the honor of starting the Midsummer Classic on the mound? It’s something only 129 different pitchers have done since the event began in 1933, including 33 who have done it more than once.
That decision ultimately will fall to All-Star Game managers Bruce Bochy (AL) and Torey Lovullo (NL), selecting from a group of pitchers named to the rosters via a combination of the Player Ballot and Commissioner’s Office picks. Bochy and Lovullo will have many different factors to consider, including candidates’ 2024 performance, their stature in the game and, of course, their availability. (Some pitchers won’t be able to take the mound due to injury, fatigue or having pitched on the Sunday prior to the game.)
The task we’ve presented here to five MLB.com writers is a bit simpler: Draft the best possible 2024 All-Star Game starting pitching matchups from the pool of potential (healthy) All-Stars. Here are their choices:
1. Paul Skenes (NL) vs. Garrett Crochet (AL)
Good luck to everyone. That's what comes to mind with this matchup. We'd get righty Paul Skenes of the Pirates, one of the most exciting pitchers to debut in recent memory, throwing his 100 mph gas and "splinker" to the best hitters in the AL, while White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet, the AL strikeout leader and a reliever-turned-starter who's really come into his own this season, tries to get the best of the NL's top players. No matter how it played out, it would be entertaining. Both guys are electric, and if either or both of them dominate, we'd all look toward the mound and say, "Wow, what talent!" If hitters do damage against them, we'd all look toward the plate and say, "Wow, what talent!" That's a delight any way you slice it. Though neither Skenes nor Crochet is the literal best pitcher in his league, they’re both stars this season, and it sure would be fun to watch them do their thing against a collection of the top bats in the game. It's essentially a no-lose situation for baseball fans.
2. Chris Sale (NL) vs. Max Scherzer (AL)
Let's have a throwback All-Star Game. Put two of the best pitchers of their generation on the mound against each other for a Midsummer Classic showdown. Sale vs. Scherzer is about as marquee of a billing as you can get. They've even faced off in the All-Star Game twice before, in 2017 and '18. But why those two, this year, for Round 3? Well, Sale is having a vintage season for the Braves. He's 11-3 with a 2.71 ERA and 127 strikeouts, which actually puts him in Triple Crown territory -- Sale ranks first in the National League in wins, second in ERA and third in strikeouts. That's an "All-Star Game starter"-worthy first half, period.
And Scherzer? Well, Scherzer's back. And he'd be the hometown ace, pitching in his home ballpark, representing the reigning World Series champs. The three-time Cy Young Award winner has finally returned to the Rangers rotation after missing most of the first half, and he's sporting a 1.74 ERA through his first two starts. Now, two starts don't normally get you into an All-Star Game. But this is Max Scherzer -- one of the most dominant, entertaining pitchers to ever stalk a mound -- and the All-Star Game is in Arlington. This pick is about putting on a show. The theater of a Sale vs. Scherzer All-Star Game in Texas would be awesome to watch.
3. Ranger Suárez (NL) vs. Corbin Burnes (AL)
There are so many deserving candidates, for so many reasons. I can’t wait to see how this turns out.
Suárez and Burnes are second and third, respectively, in MLB in ERA. Each has been stellar in an ace-worthy season so far. Burnes would be the Orioles’ first All-Star Game starting pitcher since Steve Stone in 1980. Suárez would be the first for Philly since Roy Halladay in 2011.
But let’s also think from Midsummer Classic to Fall Classic. This has the potential to be a World Series matchup again later this year, too. Imagine, a rematch down the line with those stakes.
4. Max Fried (NL) vs. Jack Flaherty (AL)
You've heard about it every time either of them have taken the field, so we don't really need to get into it too much. Flaherty and Fried shared a rotation in high school at Harvard-Westlake in Los Angeles, providing a reliable anecdote for every broadcast involving either of them for the better part of a decade. Matchups of childhood friends or classmates have a unique sort of interest, and what’s more, we’ve never actually seen this matchup at this level, so having it for the first time in the All-Star Game sounds pretty cool.
To be clear, both guys are deserving completely independent of the narrative, and this year has been a real triumph for them both. Fried only made 14 appearances in 2023 owing to three IL stints; already this year he’s thrown two complete games and holds a 2.91 ERA through his first 16 starts. Meanwhile, Flaherty’s great first half basically came out of nowhere. After years of injuries and subsequent ineffectiveness, the Cardinals, having once positioned him as their ace of the future, traded him to the Orioles for a trio of mid-level prospects in a distinctly minor move less than a year ago. Now he’s got a 3.24 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 115 K’s in 89 innings, just to scrape the surface, and is on the block again, this time for all the right reasons. Unfortunately, our odds of actually getting this matchup are currently pretty low, given the absolute glut of deserving pitchers, especially in the American League, and Flaherty’s recent back issues, but if you’re the sentimental type, it’s a nice possibility.
5. Zack Wheeler (NL) vs. Tarik Skubal (AL)
There’s a strong case for these being the top two starters in the Majors right now. Since his first season with the Phillies in 2020, Wheeler leads all starters in FanGraphs’ version of Wins Above Replacement (22.0), has thrown the second-most innings (741) and has a 3.01 ERA that is fifth-best among starters who’ve thrown at least 500 innings. Wheeler has the total package -- he’s an innings-eating ace, has dominated in the postseason (2.42 ERA in 63 1/3 innings) and is having one of his best seasons yet at 34 years old (2.74 ERA and 2.8 WAR in 18 starts).
The idea of Skubal even being mentioned as one of baseball’s best starters a year ago seemed inconceivable. After missing nearly a season due to flexor tendon surgery, Skubal returned on July 4, 2023 and has blossomed into a dominant force. Since that time, Skubal leads all starters with 6.2 WAR (no other starter is above 5.5) and FIP (2.42), is second in ERA (2.60) behind Corbin Burnes (2.50) and has struck out the fourth-most batters (221) while only walking 34 hitters. At 27 years old, Skubal has a 2.45 ERA in 103 innings and has punched out 119 batters, putting him squarely in the AL Cy Young Award conversation and deserving of an All-Star Game start.
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2024-07-06 05:00:32Z
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