ESPN Predicts Unsurprising 2023 Red Sox All-Star Candidate

The Boston Red Sox might not have many All-Star candidates to choose from this season for the league’s midsummer classic.

But with the Red Sox needing at least one representative at the All-Star Game, ESPN went with the logical choice when predicting the rosters for the exhibition contest.

While ESPN selected Rafael Devers as a reserve for the American League, it wasn’t as clear cut as it seems. Devers is the face of the franchise but was pushed hard for the All-Star spot in this exercise by rookie outfielder and teammate Masataka Yoshida. This is how ESPN explained picking Devers over Yoshida:

“As I filled out my roster, it turns out the two open slots among my 20 position players came down to two Red Sox players (Devers and Masataka Yoshida) and two Rangers (Josh Jung and Adolis Garcia). Two third basemen and two outfielders. One of the two had to be a Boston player because the Sox still needed a rep. By bWAR: Jung: 1.9, Garcia: 1.9, Yoshida: 1.3, Devers: 0.9

“I took Devers over Yoshida since he’s the more established star and does rank third in the AL in RBIs and Garcia over Jung for similar reasons. Plus, we already have three third basemen if we select Devers.”

Devers, who earned his second All-Star nod last season and started in the game, is turning in another strong campaign despite some inconsistent production at times from the biggest bat in Boston’s lineup. Devers ranks fifth in the American League with 13 home runs and third in all of baseball with 49 RBIs to go along with a .246 batting average.

On the surface, it doesn’t seem like Yoshida could compete with Devers for an All-Star spot, but the Japanese outfielder can make a compelling case due to being third in the AL in batting average at .312 entering Tuesday night’s contest against the Cleveland Guardians. Yoshida also has seven home runs and 33 RBIs. But that type of production doesn’t seem like it will be enough to overtake Devers.

While there weren’t many All-Star options for the Red Sox, a few of the team’s former players are in line for the honor. ESPN had Nathan Eovaldi (Texas Rangers), Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers) and J.D. Martinez (Dodgers) as All-Stars.

Phase 1 of fan voting is already underway and the second round of fan voting will determine starters on June 29. The 2023 All-Star Game is set for July 11 in Seattle.