CLEVELAND — It seems likely the Cleveland Guardians will send at least three players to the All-Star Game next month in Texas.
It would mark the ninth time this century that Cleveland has had three or more representatives.
2022: José Ramírez, Emmanuel Clase, Andrés Giménez
2019: Carlos Santana, Francisco Lindor, Brad Hand, Shane Bieber
2018: José Ramírez, Michael Brantley, Francisco Lindor, Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Yan Gomes
2017: José Ramírez, Michael Brantley, Francisco Lindor, Corey Kluber, Andrew Miller
2016: Francisco Lindor, Danny Salazar, Corey Kluber
2007: CC Sabathia, Victor Martinez, Grady Sizemore
2004: CC Sabathia, Ronnie Belliard, Matt Lawton, Victor Martinez, Jake Westbrook
2000: Roberto Alomar, Chuck Finley, Travis Fryman, Manny Ramirez
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In 2000, Cleveland finished one game shy of a playoff berth. In 2004, Cleveland went 80-82. In each of those six instances since, however, the club has qualified for the postseason.
Unsurprisingly, a wealth of All-Star candidates often translates to a successful first half of the season. That’s certainly the case in Cleveland this year. Here’s a breakdown of who could venture to Arlington, Texas, in a few weeks.
The locks
José Ramírez, Emmanuel Clase, Steven Kwan
Ramírez holds a massive lead in the balloting, with nearly twice as many votes as any other third-base candidate. This will be his sixth trip to the All-Star Game. Only five Cleveland players have ever tallied more.
Most All-Star nods, Cleveland history
8: Bob Feller, Lou Boudreau
7: Larry Doby, Bob Lemon, Ken Keltner
6: Earl Averill, Sandy Alomar Jr., Sam McDowell
5: Kenny Lofton, Jim Hegan, José Ramírez (for now)
Assuming the remainder of his votes don’t get lost in cyberspace, Ramírez will join Alomar as the only Cleveland players in the past half-century with more than five trips to the annual showcase.
José Ramírez tees off for his 18th home run of the year. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/V6Kc6zYfDC
— MLB (@MLB) June 8, 2024
Clase has allowed three earned runs … all season.
This is a no-brainer selection for a third consecutive year. He has been automatic, with a league-leading 22 saves, a 0.76 ERA and a ridiculous 36-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. It’s reminiscent of his 2022 form, in which every ninth inning was a 90-second breeze.
2022: 1.98 FIP, 5.3 H/9, 9.5 K/9
2024: 1.90 FIP, 4.8 H/9, 9.2 K/9
In 2022, Clase sealed the American League’s win in the All-Star Game by mowing down Garrett Cooper, Kyle Schwarber and Jake Cronenworth in order. He missed an immaculate inning by one pitch.
Other closers who could join Clase: Kirby Yates (TEX), Clay Holmes (NYY), Andres Muñoz (SEA) and Mason Miller (OAK). It’s really difficult for a middle reliever or setup man to earn a spot, much to the dismay of those in Cleveland’s loaded bullpen. Four full-time Guardians relievers boast an ERA under 2.00: Clase (0.76), Tim Herrin (1.20), Hunter Gaddis (1.56) and Cade Smith (1.82).
In the initial voting update, Kwan ranked fourth among AL outfielders, behind Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Kyle Tucker. The top six will advance to the final stage of voting. No matter how it shakes out, a guy flirting with a .400 batting average — even if he missed a few weeks — won’t be overlooked.
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Once he qualifies for the league batting title in a couple of weeks, he’ll hold a substantial lead in that category. He’s had more three-hit games (11) than zero-hit games (seven). He has struck out a whopping 15 times. He ranks sixth in fWAR among all AL position players, despite missing 23 games with a hamstring injury. He ranks third in the majors in OPS. He deserves the spotlight, and, who knows, perhaps it’ll shake out so he sneaks his way into the starting lineup, maybe even into the leadoff spot.
The wild card
David Fry
Just as everyone expected, a utility player scrapping for the last spot on the roster in spring training is part of an All-Star conversation in June.
The sport’s OPS leaderboard of players with a minimum of 180 plate appearances (entering Thursday) is spellbinding:
1. Aaron Judge
2. Juan Soto
3. Steven Kwan
4. Shohei Ohtani
5. Marcell Ozuna
6. Kyle Tucker
7. David Fry
Everything about Fry screams All-Star except his playing time. He has about 60 percent of the plate appearances that many of his fellow leaderboard dwellers have. He would be a manager’s dream in a game like this because he offers so much defensive versatility, with the ability to fill in at catcher, the corner infield or the corner outfield. On the ballot, he’s listed as a designated hitter, and he sits behind Yordan Alvarez and Giancarlo Stanton in the voting.
The redemption tour
Josh Naylor
Naylor seemed like a lock last year, as he entered the break with a .305/.344/.481 slash line. When he was snubbed, he contended it didn’t bug him and that he didn’t need to use it as fuel. Sure thing.
Josh Naylor absolutely crushed this ball 😳 pic.twitter.com/W0bwr2wrxH
— MLB (@MLB) June 12, 2024
Naylor seemed like a lock through the first month of this season, too, but a severe slump has jeopardized his chances. He endured an eight-week stretch in which he compiled a .186/.277/.407 slash line. A two-homer game came at a perfect time on Wednesday. His OPS (.819) and his home run total (19) are worthy. His metrics suggest he’ll rebound — not that his peers are looking that deep when considering whom to nominate for an All-Star spot.
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There’s not a ton of competition at first base, though. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Ryan Mountcastle sit ahead of Naylor in the voting. Their numbers are all comparable.
(Entering play Thursday)
Guerrero: .278 average, .760 OPS, seven homers
Mountcastle: .273 average, .789 OPS, 11 homers
Naylor: .237 average, .820 OPS, 19 homers
The crowded field
Ben Lively, Tanner Bibee
Lively is having a career year at age 32, though his ERA looked more appealing last week (2.59) than it does now (3.02), after a rough start on Sunday in Toronto. He’d rank 10th among AL starters in ERA if he had enough innings to qualify. That’ll likely drive his downfall; he’s about 30 innings behind his colleagues, and there’s a bunch of competition here. Corbin Burnes, Luis Gil, Tanner Houck, Tarik Skubal, Ronel Blanco, Seth Lugo, Garrett Crochet, Jack Flaherty and Logan Gilbert are all deserving. Cases could be made for Cole Ragans, Tyler Anderson, Joe Ryan and a handful of others. Lively might be the most surprising name in this conversation, but he’s on the outskirts of the debate since he lacks the quantity.
That crowd will likely squeeze out Tanner Bibee, too. Bibee’s path to an All-Star nod is different; he has the innings and the strikeouts, some of the stuff his peers and coaches will appreciate. His 3.65 ERA is tied for 25th among AL starters. He did submit his strongest outing of the year on Wednesday, with 12 strikeouts across six scoreless innings. If he continues to dazzle in his next few starts, perhaps he can make some headway, but it seems like a tall order.
(Photo of José Ramírez: Ken Blaze / USA Today)
Zack Meisel is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Cleveland Guardians and Major League Baseball. Zack was named the 2021 Ohio Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association and won first place for best sports coverage from the Society of Professional Journalists. He has been on the beat since 2011 and is the author of four books, including "Cleveland Rocked," the tale of the 1995 team. Follow Zack on Twitter @ZackMeisel
