None of those pitchers is scheduled to start on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, so that makes the decision more difficult.Įven if Ohtani does not start at pitcher, he should appear in the first four or five innings. Lance Lynn, Carlos Rodon, Kyle Gibson, Nathan Eovaldi and Yusei Kikuchi are the other starting pitchers on the AL roster. With Shane Bieber on the injured list and Gerrit Cole's results decreasing over the last few weeks, Ohtani could be viewed as the favorite to start on the mound for the AL. He last pitched on Tuesday, so in theory, he would be able to throw on full rest in Denver. Ohtani is not listed as a starter for the Angels' three-game set with the Seattle Mariners. We know Ohtani will start the game in the AL lineup, but there is a question about his credentials to start the All-Star Game as a pitcher. Tatis and Guerrero have a better OPS than the Angels star.Īs a pitcher, the Japanese superstar is 4-1 with a 3.49 ERA, 87 strikeouts and a. He is one of three players with an OPS over 1.000 at 1.064. Through 81 games, Ohtani has the league lead of 32 home runs, and he also has 69 RBI. Ohtani has answered the call almost every time he stepped on the diamond during the first half of the season. 330/.418/.560 slash line in 54 games.Īnother potentially intriguing storyline surrounds whether Los Angeles will let Ohtani both pitch and hit in the All-Star Game.Baseball fans wake up every day and ask: 'What will Shohei Ohtani do next to impress us?' The former NL MVP has been incredible with a. Posey is an All-Star for the seventh time in his career, but this will mark his first appearance since 2018. They will likely have multiple representatives in Colorado for the All-Star Game when the reserves and pitchers are announced, but Buster Posey will be in the starting lineup. Staying in the NL, the San Francisco Giants entered Thursday with the best record in MLB (50-29). Arenado was the face of the franchise from the time he was called up in 2013. The reaction from Denver to that trade was, unsurprisingly, negative. The Rockies traded Arenado and sent up to $51 million to the Cardinals in February for five prospects. He won a Gold Glove award every season from 2013-20 and was named to the NL All-Star team in five consecutive years from 2015-19. That said, some of the shine has been taken away from Arenado returning to Colorado for the All-Star Game since the Cardinals started four-game series at Coors Field on Thursday.Īrenado was a second-round draft pick by the Rockies in 2009 and spent the first eight years of his career with the franchise. Among the most compelling storylines for the All-Star Game is Nolan Arenado's return to Colorado as a member of the St.

2001 mlb all star roster