Shohei Ohtani and Shota Imanaga Earn All-Star Team Selection as MLB Unveils Rosters

The MLB All-Star Game lineups were unveiled on Sunday. Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani won a starting place for the game for the fourth consecutive year, while Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga became an All-Star in his first season.

The starting lineups for the American League and National League teams were decided via fan voting. Pitchers and reserves were chosen by players and the league office, while starters were chosen by fans. On July 4, the fan vote results were made public. The complete rosters were revealed on Sunday. The Philadelphia Phillies, who will be represented in this year’s Midsummer Classic, which is scheduled for July 16 in Arlington, Texas, have an MLB-high and franchise-record seven players.

After making three consecutive appearances with the Los Angeles Angels in the American League, Ohtani was voted in as a starter on Thursday and is an All-Star for the fourth consecutive season and his first in the National League. Ohtani is batting.316 with 65 RBIs and leads the NL in home runs scored (28).

Imanaga spent eight NPB seasons with the DeNA BayStars before joining the organization as an MLB rookie. The left-hander has made 16 starts and is 7-2 with a 3.16 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 92 innings pitched.

Imanaga had a quick start in the major leagues. He became the fourth pitcher in Cubs history to win five or more games in their first nine MLB outings after winning his first five starts. He also had an 18-inning scoreless streak to start his career. Being the first Cub to win the title since Seiya Suzuki in April 2022, he received the NL Rookie of the Month for the months of March and April.

With a combined total of 32 first-time All-Stars, both the Al and NL lineups are heavily youthful. This includes Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds, rookie pitcher Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and infielder Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres, who is 21 years old.

After being chosen #1 overall in the MLB draft, Skenes is the first player to be voted to the All-Star Game of the season.

Star outfielder Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees for the AL and Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper for the NL were chosen from the first round of fan voting; the remaining starting lineups were determined in a second round.

Harper’s eighth overall start puts him ahead of all other All-Star starts.

Jose Altuve, a second baseman for the Houston Astros, is batting.308 with 13 home runs and 13 stolen bases. This will be his sixth All-Star start. Alongside Altuve are other AL starters Yordan Alvarez of Houston at designated hitter, Juan Soto of the Yankees at outfield, Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians and third baseman Jose Ramirez, Vlad Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays at first base, and Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles at shortstop and catcher, respectively.

Along with Ohtani and Harper in the National League will be outfielders Christian Yelich of Milwaukee, Jurickson Profar and Fernando Tatis Jr. of San Diego, catcher William Contreras of the Milwaukee Brewers, second baseman Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks, shortstop Trea Turner of the Philadelphia Phillies, and third baseman Alec Bohm.

The hottest pitchers in the MLB season are among those named to the squads: Right-hander Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves and left-hander Seth Lugo of the Kansas City Royals both have 11 wins between them.

Lefty 10-game winners Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers in the AL and Ranger Suarez of the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL were also selected.