After looking at who should start in the All-Star Game as of now in the American League yesterday, today brings a look at the National League. Many of the positions were hotly contested and not easy to pick. Through games played on May 20, here are the players that should be starting in the All-Star Game for the National League.
To see who should start for the American League in the All-Star Game, click here.
Catcher
J.T. Realmuto, Miami Marlins
Realmuto gets the slight edge over Willson Contreras for now despite Realmuto missing about the first three weeks of the season.
He has been arguably the best offensive catcher in baseball this season with a .311 batting average -- with six home runs and six doubles in 103 at bats.
Others in consideration: Willson Contreras (Cubs), Buster Posey (Giants), Francisco Cervelli (Pirates)
Infield
First base - Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves
Freeman is off to an excellent start for the first-place Braves as he leads the National League with a .431 on-base percentage. He ranks third in the league with a .325 batting average & .999 OPS, tied for second with 35 RBIs, fifth with 32 runs, and tied for 11th with nine home runs & 12 doubles.
Others in consideration: Brandon Belt (Giants), Eric Hosmer (Padres), Matt Adams (Nationals)
Second base - Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves
Just 21 years old, Albies has been the main young upstart on a team that has many and has helped them surprisingly sit in first place.
He leads the National League in runs (42), is tied for the league-lead in homers (13), is second in doubles (15), and is tied for fourth in RBIs (33).
Others in consideration: Scooter Gennett (Reds), Asdrubal Cabrera (Mets), Cesar Hernandez (Phillies), Javier Baez (Cubs)
Shortstop - Brandon Crawford, San Francisco Giants
Winner of a Gold Glove in each of the last three seasons, Crawford takes the starting shortstop position in what almost can be a toss-up with Trea Turner (Paul DeJong would widely be considered if he wasn’t out 4-6 weeks).
Still a superb defender, Crawford is also off to a good start with the bat as evidenced by his .302 batting average, good for 16th in the National League.
Others in consideration: Trea Turner (Nationals), Paul DeJong (Cardinals), Trevor Story (Rockies)
Third base - Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs
Another close battle with this one between Bryant and Nolan Arenado.
Bryant currently leads the National League with a 1.010 OPS. He has hit eight homers, batted .305 (14th in National League), and connected on 14 doubles (tied for third in the league). He also continues to strike out at a lesser rate after leading the league in his rookie season in 2015.
Others in consideration: Nolan Arenado (Rockies), Eugenio Suarez (Reds), Travis Shaw (Reds)
Outfield
Odubel Herrera, Philadelphia Phillies
Herrera is off to an awesome start for the Phillies as he leads the National League with a .344 batting average. His .955 OPS is sixth-best in the Senior Circuit, and he has also connected on seven home runs & nine doubles. He is hitting an incredible .421 at home.
Nick Markakis, Atlanta Braves
At 34 years old, Markakis is in the midst of a resurgent season with Atlanta.
His .343 batting average is just one point behind Herrera for the league-lead. He does lead the league with 62 hits, has more than a 1:1 walk to strikeout ratio (22 walks, 17 strikeouts), and has seven homers, along with 11 doubles.
Tommy Pham, St. Louis Cardinals
A.J. Pollock would be in contention for this spot too, but a thumb injury is expected to sideline him for 4-8 weeks. Pham is 10th in the National League with a .312 batting average, seventh with a .951 OPS, and third with 35 runs. He has also hit eight homers and stolen eight bases.
Others in consideration: A.J. Pollock (Diamondbacks), Lorenzo Cain (Brewers), Starling Marte (Pirates), Corey Dickerson (Pirates)
Starting pitcher
Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals
Scherzer, the two-time reigning National League Cy Young winner (he also won the American League Cy Young in 2013), is off to another dominant year.
In 10 starts, he is 7-1 (wins lead National League) with a 1.78 ERA (third in NL), 104 strikeouts (leads majors), and a 0.85 WHIP (leads NL).
Others in consideration: Aaron Nola (Phillies), Carlos Martinez (Cardinals), Jacob deGrom (Mets), Patrick Corbin (Diamondbacks)
