MLB All-Star Game: The all-time American League All-Star team

With the MLB All-Star game next week, we look at the all-time American League All-Star team

Using the best single seasons in baseball history and the current All-Star Game roster rules, here is the all-time AL All-Star team.

Imagine an All-Star team with all of the best single-season performances in baseball history. You could have an American League outfield with Ted Williams in left field, Ty Cobb in center field, and Babe Ruth taking his place in right field. When Ted Williams comes out, you simply put Carl Yastrzemski in left field, handing the position from one Red Sox legend to another. Backing up Ty Cobb in center would be Mickey Mantle or Ken Griffey, Jr. If you need speed off the bench, you could send in Rickey Henderson or Mike Trout.

The pitching staff would be impressive, with old-schoolers Walter Johnson or Cy Young handing the ball over to modern-day studs like Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez. The bullpen would feature Rich “Goose” Gossage and Mariano Rivera, of course, along with a name only serious baseball fans might expect, Mark Eichhorn (his 1986 season was incredible).

The rules for populating the roster are the current all-star roster rules. There are 32 total roster spots for each league. This includes 20 position players and 12 pitchers. As always, every team must be represented. In the case of the all-time American League All-Star roster, the rule requiring every team to have a representative made things difficult because of two teams—the Houston Astros and the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Astros have been a major league franchise since 1962, but were a National League team until 2013. This leaves just five seasons to choose from for an Astros representative. The Rays have been around since 1998, so we have 20 seasons from which to pick. That’s better, but it’s not close to the 100-plus years that some franchises have played.

With the MLB All-Star Game to be played on Tuesday, July 17, it’s fun to consider an all-time All-Star Game that would feature the best players from each league in their best seasons. Let’s look at the American League roster.

Starting Lineup

CF Ty Cobb, Tigers (1917–.383/.444/.570)
LF Ted Williams, Red Sox (1946–.342/.497/.667)
RF Babe Ruth, Yankees (1923–.393/.545/.764)
1B Lou Gehrig, Yankees (1927–.373/.474/.765)
DH Mickey Mantle, Yankees (1956–.353/.464/.705)
3B Alex Rodriguez, Yankees (2007–.314/.422/.645)
C Joe Mauer, Twins (2009–.365/.444/.587)
SS Lou Boudreau, Indians (1948–.355/.453/.543)
2B Ben Zobrist, Rays (2009–.297/.405/.543)
SP Walter Johnson, Senator/Twins (1913—346 IP, 1.14 ERA)

Catcher
Joe Mauer’s best season earned him the catching position on this all-time AL All-Star lineup. He led the league in hitting three times in four years from 2006 to 2009, but his peak was the 2009 season when he led the AL in all three rate-stat categories. He also hit 28 home runs and had 96 RBI, both career highs. As you might expect, this impressive production from a catcher earned him the AL MVP Award.

First base
The year Babe Ruth famously hit 60 home runs, his teammate and fellow slugger, Lou Gehrig, hit 47 big flies. Gehrig led the league in doubles, RBI, and total bases on his way to winning the AL MVP Award. In his career, Gehrig was right there with Stan Musial as one of the greatest first baseman to ever play the game.

Second base
There have been almost a dozen better seasons for an American League second baseman than Zobrist’s 2009 season, but the Rays needed an All-Star so Zobrist got the nod. This was Zobrist’s breakout season. He hit .297/.405/.543 and had 27 homers and 91 RBI. He also played seven different positions that year. He’s the Swiss Army Knife of this All-Star roster.

Shortstop
Lou Boudreau was the 30-year-old player/manager for the last Cleveland Indians team to win the World Series. In 1948, he hit .355/.453/.534 and had a career-high 18 homers, 116 runs scored and 106 RBI. He won the AL MVP Award. This season was the best season Boudreau ever had and one reason he ranked 15^th on the list of the all-time greatest shortstops in baseball history.

Third Base
The 2007 season was one of Alex Rodriguez’ three MVP seasons, all within a span of five years. He led the league in runs, home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, and total bases. This season came near the end of A-Rod’s peak. He followed it up with a strong 2008, then settled in as a still above average player but not the superstar he had been for so long. Like Boudreau above, Alex Rodriguez is one of the greatest third basemen to ever play the game.

Left Field
In 1946, Ted Williams came back from World War II and won the first of his two MVP Awards. He hit .342/.497/.667 with a league-leading 142 runs and 156 walks. Williams had numerous seasons that could have landed him on this all-time All-Star roster, but his 1946 season rates the best statistically. Although, it also would have been fun to use the 1941 season in which he hit .406.

Center Field
Like Ted Williams, Ty Cobb had numerous seasons that could have landed him on this roster. Based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference Wins Above Replacement (WAR), it’s Cobb’s 1917 season that was the best. He led the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, hits, doubles, triples stolen bases, and total bases.

Right Field
Babe Ruth is most famous for his 1927 season because of the 60 home runs he hit that year. It remained the MLB single-season record until Roger Maris hit 61 in 1961. Despite all those long balls, Ruth’s 1927 season wasn’t his best. In 1923, he hit .393/.545/.764 with 151 runs scored, 41 home runs, and 130 RBI. Ruth had at least a half dozen seasons that qualified him for this team.

Designated Hitter
This might be fudging it a little bit, but the best non-starter for this all-time AL All-Star roster is Mickey Mantle. The DH wasn’t a position when he played, but he’s too good to leave out of the starting lineup. In 1956, Mantle won the first of his three AL MVP Awards when he hit .353/.464/.705. In addition to leading the league in batting average, he also led the league in runs, home runs, RBI, and total bases. This season put Mantle in the company of other Triple Crown winners like Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx and Rogers Hornsby.

Starting Pitcher—Walter Johnson, also known as “The Big Train,” was at his best in 1913. He went 36-7 and even saved two games. He pitched 346 innings and had a 1.14 ERA. His 6.3 K/9 may not look like much these days, but the MLB strikeout rate was just 3.9 K/9 back then. This year, it’s 8.5 K/9. Translated to today’s game, Johnson’s strikeout ability would be up there with the top starting pitchers in baseball, like Chris Sale, Max Scherzer, and Gerrit Cole.

Position Player Reserves

C Darrell Porter, Royals (1979—.291/.421/.484)
1B Jimmie Foxx, Athletics (1932—.364/.469/.749)
1B Norm Cash, Tigers (1961—.361/.487/.662)
2B Jose Altuve, Astros (2017—.346/.410/.547)
SS Cal Ripken, Jr., Orioles (1991—.323/.374/.566)
3B George Brett, Royals (1980—.390/.454/.664)
LF Carl Yastrzemski, Red Sox (1967—.326/.418/.622)
LF Rickey Henderson, Athletics (1990—.325/.439/.577)
CF Tris Speaker, Red Sox (1912—.383/.464/.567)
CF Mike Trout, Angels (2013—.323/.432/.557)
CF Ken Griffey, Jr., Mariners (1996—.303/.392/.628)

Catcher
The reserve catcher spot was a battle between 1977 Carlton Fisk and 1979 Darrell Porter. The Red Sox have five other players on this all-time AL All-Star squad, so Porter becomes the second Royal. They were close enough that it could have gone either way. In addition to that impressive batting line shown above, Porter hit 23 doubles, 10 triples, and 20 homers. He’s the only catcher in baseball history to have that combination of extra-base hits (20 or more doubles, 10 or more triples and 20 or more homers).

First Base
Imagine having a 58-homer, 169-RBI season and not being worthy of starting the All-Star Game. That’s the fate of Jimmie Foxx because Lou Gehrig’s 1927 season was even more valuable than Foxx’s 1932 season. The third first baseman on this team is the fluky 1961 campaign of Norm Cash. This was the year Cash hit 41 home runs and had 132 RBI while leading the league with a .361 batting average and .487 OBP. Cash never again hit .300, had 100 RBI or had an OBP over .400 in a season. He admitted to corking his bat, but this article suggests that wasn’t the reason for his offensive explosion.

Second Base
This team needed a Houston Astros player and only had the last six seasons to choose from. Come on down, Jose Altuve! As mentioned above in the Ben Zobrist blurb, there have been many better seasons by an American League second baseman. Altuve’s 2017 MVP season is on the team to represent the Astros. He led the league in hits for the fourth straight year and in batting average for the third time in four years. He also tied his career high with 24 home runs.

Shortstop
Ripken has a good argument for starting this game. His 1991 season and Lou Boudreau’s 1948 season were similarly valuable. On social media in the mythical world where this game takes place, many Ripken fans are angry that he was snubbed for a starting spot. Ripken’s 1991 season was the second of his two AL MVP years. It was his best power year. He hit a career-high 34 homers and drove in a career-high 114 runs.

Third Base
In his epic 1980 season, George Brett had one of the greatest years ever for a third baseman and he did it while playing just 117 games. That was the year Brett was hitting .400 as late as September 19. He finished at .390 with a .454 OBP and .664 slugging percentage, leading the league in all three rate-stat categories. Of course, he also won the AL MVP Award.

Left Field
Backing up Ted Williams on this team are two other left fielders who were in the top five of the greatest left fielders in baseball history. Carl Yastrzemski’s Triple Crown-winning 1967 season makes the cut, along with Rickey Henderson’s 1990 AL MVP season. In 1967, Yaz carried the Red Sox to the playoffs by leading the league in almost everything. In 1990, Rickey helped the A’s make the World Series for a third straight year.

Center Field
This team will start Ty Cobb in center and have 1912 Tris Speaker, 2013 Mike Trout, and 1996 Ken Griffey, Jr. on the bench. Speaker was with the Red Sox in 1912. Along with his sky-high rate stats, he had 53 doubles and 52 steals. He also scored 136 runs and was the MVP. Mike Trout didn’t win the AL MVP in 2013, but he should have. He led the league in runs scored and walks that year, while hitting .323/.432/.557. Really, Trout has a few years that would qualify him for a spot on this team, including this season. Griffey’s 1996 or 1997 season would land him here. Statistically, his 1996 season was slightly better.

Starting Pitchers Reserves

SP Cy Young, Americans/Red Sox (1901—371.3 IP, 1.62 ERA)
SP Roger Clemens, Blue Jays (1997—264 IP, 2.05 ERA)
SP Pedro Martinez, Red Sox (2000—217 IP, 1.74 ERA)
SP Bob Feller, Indians (1946—371.3 IP, 2.18 ERA)
SP Ed Walsh, White Sox (1908—464 IP, 1.42 ERA)
SP Bert Blyleven, Twins (1973—325 IP, 2.52 ERA)

Walter Johnson is the starting pitcher for this team. He could easily pitch the whole game, but others need to get their day in the sun, so here are the reserves, starting with Cy Young. I mean, can you really have an all-time All-Star Game without the man whose name is synonymous with the award for the best pitcher in each league each season? Cy Young famously won 511 games. Sure, it was a different era, but he still gets a place on this team for his 1901 season when he was 33-10 with a 1.62 ERA and had 38 complete games out of his 41 starts.

Roger Clemens was very good when he went 24-4 with a 2.48 ERA in 254 innings in 1986. He was better when he was 21-7 with a 2.05 ERA in 264 innings in 1997. This was at the beginning of the high offense period in baseball from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s. Clemens’ 2.05 ERA was less than half the league ERA of 4.56. He also struck out an impressive 292 batters, leading the league.

You could take either Pedro Martinez’ 1999 season or his 2000 season as evidence he deserves a spot on this team. In 1999, he was 23-4 with a 2.07 ERA. He struck out 313 batters in 213.3 innings. His FIP was 1.39. In 2000, he was 18-6 with a 1.74 ERA and 284 strikeouts in 217 innings. His FIP was 2.17. Flip a coin. We took the 2000 season, but we would hope for a performance like this one he had in the 1999 All-Star Game, when he struck out five batters in two innings (the sixth out was on a caught stealing).

In his first full season after his World War II military service, Bob Feller led the AL in wins, games, games started, complete games, shutouts, innings and strikeouts. He was 26-15 with a 2.18 ERA and 348 strikeouts in 371.3 innings. That year, he faced 1512 batters. Last year’s league leader in batters faced was Rick Porcello, with 885. It was a different time back in 1946.

Speaking of a different time, Ed Walsh makes this team for his 1908 season when he pitched 464 innings and had 40 wins and a 1.42 ERA. He not only led the league in wins, he also led the league in saves. He started 49 games and completed 42 of them. He also pitched 17 games in relief.

One of the reasons it took Bert Blyleven so long to make the Hall of Fame was because he didn’t win 300 games. He won 287. He also played for many mediocre or worse teams that didn’t get him the victories he deserved. The 1973 season was the only year Blyleven ever won 20 games, but he also lost 17 games despite a 2.52 ERA. Still, it was good enough to make this team and put him 10^th all-time on our list of the 15 greatest right-handed pitchers in MLB history.