The MLB All-Star ballot has been released: Where do the Cardinals rank?

MLB released the 2024 All-Star ballot on Monday. The Cardinals show up well, having a player eligible for each position. New this year to the ballot will be Masyn Winn and Michael Siani. They are replacing Paul DeJong and Tommy Edman. 

In 2022, the Cardinals Paul Goldschmidt was voted in as the starting first baseman. Nolan Arenado was selected as a reserve. The legacy selection that year was Albert Pujols. The Cardinals even had Miles Mikolas as a starting pitcher and Ryan Helsley was selected as a reliever. 

Last year, the only one to make the team was Nolan Arenado. 

This year, is it more likely the Cardinals roster five players as we did in 2023, or just one? We know by rule, one has to be picked. 

Andrew Heckroth thinks the Cardinals have three players that deserve to be considered. Now that the ballot is released, we can see who the competition is.

Catcher: Willson Contreras. Out with a broken arm, Contreras probably won’t be back until sometime near the All-Star break. Even though he is one of the best hitters the Cardinals have, his competition would have been stiff. His brother William Contreras has an .852 OPS 44 RBIs, and a .308 average. There is also Elias Dias (.801 OPS, .304 AVE), JT Realmuto, and Will Smith. 

First Base: Paul Goldschmidt. As of today, he is hitting .223, 7 home runs and .656 OPS. His main competition is Pete Alonso, Freddie Freeman, Bryce Harper, and Christian Walker. Things can change, but he will watch this one from home. 

Second Base: Nolan Gorman. His primary competition will be Ozzie Albies, Luis Arreaz, and Ketel Marte. Gorman leads all second basemen with 14 home runs, tied for second in RBIs, 1st in Slug, 3rd in walks, and 3rd in WAR. If he keeps up this production, he is the Cardinal with the best chance of being a starter. 

Shortstop: Masyn Winn. His problem is he plays the same position as Mookie Betts. Among all shortstops, Betts is first in average, Winn is second. Betts is first in OBP, and Winn is second. Betts is first in wOBA, and wRC+, and Winn is second. His other obstacle will be Elly De La Cruz. He has  39 runs scored and a crazy 32 stolen bases. Winn will not get more votes than Betts, but should be on this team. If none of the Cincinnati pitchers are selected, however, De La Cruz could be the default Reds member on the team, and with Gorman and Helsley having a good chance to make this squad, Winn might just miss because of a numbers problem. 

Third Base: Nolan Arenado. He has admitted that this is an off-year so far. He will have to compete with Alec Bohm, (.294 AVE, 50 RBIs, and .824 OPS), Matt Chapman, Manny Machado, and Joey Ortiz (.288 AVE, .873 OPS). Bohm has the better numbers and Chapman and Machado have the names. If Arenado can continue his recent rebound, he could still have a shot to make the team as a reserve. Of all the positions, third base in the NL looks pretty weak. 

Outfield: Brendon Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, Michael Siani. The two names that will get the most votes will probably be Fernando Tatis, Jr and Cody Bellinger. Teoascar Hernandez is first among outfielders with 12 home runs, second in SLUG, and 3rd in RBIs. The biggest surprise this year is Jurickson Profar. He is 4th in home runs, 2nd in RBIs, 1st in OPS and SLUG. His average is .323 which is 46 points higher than the second-place Tatis.  Also, getting votes will be Ronald Acuna, Jr. There is one name on the list to monitor and that is the Giants Heliot Ramos. Among batters with 100 plate appearances, he is 3rd in AVE, 2nd in OBP and SLUG, and 1st in OPS. He may not start but would probably beat out Donovan for a reserve spot. 

DH: Alec Burleson. There are some worthy names in this category but it doesn’t matter. Shohei Ohtani could break the record for votes. Even worse than Winn going up against Betts, you won’t get very good odds on Burleson against Ohtani. 

If none of the Cardinals position players get voted in, Gorman and Winn could be selected as reserves. If things stay as they are now Ryan Helsley, the league leader in saves should be a lock to make the team. Starting pitching is the position most managers park the lone representative from a bad team. There are also surprise candidates this year like Paul Skenes, Yamamoto, and Imanaga that we all want to see. It may be hard to find Sonny Gray’s name on this roster. 

This is the only time in this country where you can legally be told to vote early and vote often. Go vote.