Only one Diamondback in ESPN’s way-too-early 2024 MLB All-Star team prediction

It seems to never be too early to predict who will be an MLB All-Star for the 2024 season, as ESPN’s David Schoenfield recently released his predictions for the mid-summer classic. 

Corbin Carroll was the only Diamondback to make Schoenfield’s fantasy roster. He left out Zac Gallen, who was named the National League Starter in 2023. Gallen also finished third in Cy Young Award voting last season.

This would be Carroll’s second appearance in the all-star game at only 23-years-old. Last season, he won National League Rookie of the Year. 

Schoenfield opted for the Braves’ Spencer Strider to start for the NL this season and even left Gallen off the reserves.

As you’ll see below, there are more starting pitcher options in the NL than the AL. I couldn’t even find room for Zac Gallen here and he’s finished third and fifth in the Cy Young voting the past two seasons. Strider is coming off a 20-win season while leading the majors with 281 strikeouts and holding batters to a .210 average. His ERA, however, was 3.86, a run higher than his component numbers would suggest. That could be random or it could be that he loses something with runners on base: Five of the 22 home runs he allowed were three-run home runs and he also gave up a grand slam. With a runner on third and two outs, batters went 10-for-27 with three home runs. I think he improves in this area and gets the ERA back under 3.00.

Arizona had four players in the 2023 all-star game with Carroll and Gallen starting the game, as well as shortstop Geraldo Perdomo and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. making it as reserves. These four helped the Diamondbacks make it all the way to the 2023 World Series.

There weren’t many surprises on Schoenfield’s list as he has new Los Angeles Dodgers Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto both making the roster in their first years with the ballclub.

 

Bryce Harper, Mookie Betts and Austin Riley fill out the infield with Francisco Lindor starting at shortstop, which might be Schoenfield’s farthest reach on his predictions.

However, he doesn’t think so. 

Is Lindor now underrated? His first season with the Mets in 2021 certainly didn’t go well, but he’s now had back-to-back top-10 MVP finishes (ninth both times), has missed three games in two years and has put up 11.5 WAR over the past two seasons, seventh best among position players. However, he hit only .254, which clouds the perception that he’s still extremely valuable, despite his power, durability and plus defense.

In the outfield, Carroll is joined by 2023 NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. and San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. 

Despite the star outfield depth being slim, Schoenfield opted to put Nolan Jones from the Colorado Rockies and Lars Nootbar from the St. Louis Cardinals in the backup slots. Acuña Jr.’s teammate Michael Harris II took the last spot ahead of any other Diamondbacks.

Arizona will have half a season to prove Schoenfield wrong as the 2024 all-star game will take place at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas on July 16.