When it comes to the 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, much of the focus right now is on voting for the starting position players. The final round of voting kicked off Monday and runs through Thursday on MLB.com. I'd like to focus right now on the other side, though, which would be what pitcher will take the mound to start for each respective league.
Even though the game doesn't actually matter, in terms of results, starting the All-Star Game is truly a proverbial feather in the cap pitchers carry with them the rest of their lives. Each fan base rallies around the possibility of having a pitcher from their favorite team start the game and they wear it as a badge of honor.
And, sure, some people don't care. That's fine, too. Those people can leave before we proceed.
First, a little trivia: What pitchers have started the All-Star Game the most times? Three have done it five times and three others have done it four times. I'll reveal the answer at the bottom of this article.
Now, let's take a look at the pitchers who are likely in the mix to get the starting nod for each respective league for the 2023 Midsummer Classic. I'll list them alphabetically within the leagues.
American League
Luis Castillo, Mariners - If there's ever a situation where all else is equal -- or just in the ballpark -- giving the home fans their ace to cheer is a popular decision. Castillo has a 2.86 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 108 strikeouts in 94 1/3 innings this season, so his resume is worthy. That 5-6 record might scare some people off and we know AL manager Dusty Baker has some old-school tendencies. Gerrit Cole, Yankees - Cole might have the best career resume among pitchers who have never started the All-Star Game and that could pull some weight. He's also 8-1 with a 2.78 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 103 2/3 innings. Unless the Yankees shuffle their rotation, Cole would be on regular rest for the All-Star Game, too. The Yankees haven't had the starter since Roger Clemens in 2001. Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers - The AL leader in innings pitched, Eovaldi is having the best year of his career here at age 33. He's 9-3 with a 2.82 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 101 strikeouts in 105 1/3 innings. He'd actually be on extra rest, assuming the Rangers leave their rotation as is until the break. If the Rangers hold onto first place, maybe that would give Eovaldi a boost in the eyes of Baker? The Rangers haven't had the AL starter since Kevin Brown got the honor in 1992. Kevin Gausman, Blue Jays - Though not to the extent of last season, Gausman's incredible strikeout-to-walk rate (127 K, 25 BB in 98 2/3 IP) has him in contention along with quality run prevention. As things stand, he's set to start on Saturday, July 8, but if he gets pushed back and starts for the Jays that Sunday, he'd be ineligible to pitch in the All-Star Game. Sonny Gray, Twins - The 2.67 ERA will turn some heads here. Like Gausman, he's also set to start on Saturday, July 8. The last time a Twins pitcher had this honor was 1991, when it was Jack Morris. Shane McClanahan, Rays - He started last year and would be an excellent choice to go two straight years. McClanahan right now is 11-1 with an MLB-best 2.23 ERA. He's struck out 100 in 93 innings. Also, if the Rays leave their rotation as is moving to the break, McClanahan would be on regular rest for the All-Star Game. Shohei Ohtani, Angels - Ohtani started the 2021 Midsummer Classic in Coors Field and, frankly, once is probably enough given how much he does for the league. He's already the starting DH in the game. If he wants to do it, the Angels are OK with it and Baker wants to pick him, his stat line says he's a worthy selection. Joe Ryan, Twins - As things stand, Ryan is lined up to pitch on Sunday, July 9, which would make him ineligible. If things change, he should get a look. Ryan is 8-4 with a 2.98 ERA and 100 strikeouts against only 15 walks in 93 2/3 innings. Framber Valdez, Astros - If Baker wants to pick one of his guys, Valdez would be an outstanding choice. The lefty has a 2.27 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 104 strikeouts in 99 innings. He's lined up to pitch Friday, July 7, so there wouldn't be conflict with an inning or two on the following Tuesday.National League
Bryce Elder, Braves - Heading into the season, who would've thought this would be the top choice from the Braves? Elder leads the NL with a 2.40 ERA in his 15 starts. One issue: There might be some shuffling, but right now it looks like Elder would start for the Braves on Sunday, July 9, and that would make him ineligible for the All-Star Game. Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks - After his scoreless innings streak late last season caught the attention of baseball fans across the nation, Gallen is 9-2 with a 2.84 ERA (153 ERA+) and 104 strikeouts against 20 walks in 98 1/3 innings. It looks like he'll line up to start for the first-place Diamondbacks on Saturday, July 8 so this could work. The last D-Backs All-Star starting pitcher was Curt Schilling in 2002. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers - Kershaw got the nod in Dodger Stadium last year for his first All-Star start. This time around he's in his age-35 season and is 9-4 with a 2.72 ERA while his strikeout rate isn't far off his prime. Don't discount what a steadying presence he's been in an injury-ravaged Dodgers rotation. He's set to pitch on July 7, so things would line up good enough for a second-straight start. Would we see a McClanahan-Kershaw rematch? It hasn't been that long since a pitching rematch happened. It was Chris Sale vs. Max Scherzer in both 2017 and 2018. Eury Pérez, Marlins - I don't see this happening, but the kid deserves to be mentioned. Pérez is only 20 years old and has a 1.34 ERA through nine starts and 47 innings right now. He's struck out 54. The Marlins have never had a pitcher start the All-Star Game.Justin Steele, Cubs - An injury held back Steele's workload a bit, but he's pitched to a 2.62 ERA in 79 innings. He would likely be on extra rest, which is a plus. I would also be shocked if Steele got the nod over more established names, including a teammate I'll mention in a second. Spencer Strider, Braves - Strider had a historic streak of games with nine-plus strikeouts that carried over from last year and went through his fifth start this season. He did hit a lull, though he's bounced back to lower his ERA back to 3.73. Strider also leads the majors with 146 strikeouts and could make some of the best hitters in the world look foolish. The Braves have had plenty of All-Star Game starters, but no pitcher since Greg Maddux in 1998. Marcus Stroman, Cubs - Stro might be having his career year and he leads all MLB pitchers in Baseball-Reference's version of WAR. He's also 9-5 with a 2.47 ERA in 102 innings. He had a blister spur his removal from the game on Sunday, so that's something to monitor. If Stroman doesn't miss a turn and stays on the same schedule, he'd be on normal rest for the All-Star Game on Tuesday the 11th. The Cubs have only had one pitcher start the All-Star Game and that was when Claude Passeau took ball for the NL in 1946. Logan Webb, Giants - The Giants have been on a major surge for several weeks and Webb fronts their rotation. He leads the majors with 105 1/3 innings pitched and sports a 3.16 ERA. Though the Giants' rotation will need to be carved up a bit, if Webb stays on regular rest from here until the All-Star break, he'll pitch on Sunday, July 9 and won't be eligible to start the following Tuesday. Zack Wheeler, Phillies - If NL manager Rob Thomson wants to pick one of his guys, Wheeler would make perfect sense. He's having a quality season to this point and he's lined up to start on Friday, July 7.The trivia answer!
Pitchers who started the All-Star Game five times: Don Drysdale, Lefty Gomez, Robin Roberts
Pitchers who started the All-Star Game four times: Jim Palmer, Randy Johnson, Max Scherzer
Thank you to my fellow trivia nerds for caring to look for this answer.
