Does Red Sox’s Tanner Houck Have Real Campaign To Start All-Star Game?

Tanner Houck entered the season with the goal, and honestly, the necessity for his team, to take a leap forward and raise his game on the mound for the Boston Red Sox.

Houck is among the best-qualified starters in baseball in 2024, truly trusting his stuff, attacking hitters, and going deeper into games. His previous knocks of struggling the third time through a lineup, among other inconsistencies, have been silenced thus far in a major progression.

The Red Sox starter sports a 1.85 ERA and a 2.14 FIP through his first 12 starts, tallying the second-most innings (78.0) in the American League. He kept that rolling with seven strong innings in his start on Friday against the Detroit Tigers.

Houck’s stuff looks better, he’s inducing weak contact and he’s not walking batters at the lowest rate of his career.

He dazzled in a “Maddux” earlier in the season with a shutout win over the Cleveland Guardians. That outing stands out as the Red Sox starter is one of just two American League arms, joined by Ronel Blanco’s no-hitter for the Houston Astros, to toss a complete-game shutout this season.

When you put this all together, Houck truly makes a strong case to take the ball as the starter for the American League in the 2024 MLB All-Star Game. Voting does not begin until Wednesday, though Houck’s numbers speak for themselves.

Houck may run into trouble depending on who still cares about a pitcher’s record. Houck sits at 5-5 on the year, though his numbers show a much better performance. It doesn’t help that the Red Sox are generating less than four runs of support per outing for Houck, per OddsShark. For reference, several of the other top A.L. arms are working with upwards up five runs of support per start.

Nonetheless, Houck should be right in the running. Should that path come to fruition, Houck would be just the first Red Sox pitcher to start the All-Star Game since Chris Sale in 2017 and 2018.

Let’s take a look at a few other American League arms that could challenge the Red Sox righty for the opportunity at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

Tarik Skubal – LHP, Detroit Tigers
2024 Stats: 7-1, 2.01 ERA, 11S, 67.0 IP, 80 K, 11 BB, 10.7 K/9, 2.06 FIP

The Detroit southpaw is putting it all together in a healthy start to the year. In his age-27 season, Skubal is realizing the potential the Tigers hoped he would.

The ninth-round draft pick can overwhelm hitters, pumping a fastball that runs up to 100 mph for the 6-foot-3 lefty while sporting an A.L.-best 0.82 WHIP.

He’s throwing strikes and setting the tone against hitters with a five-pitch arsenal. Skubal tallied at least five innings in each of his 11 starts. This lefty may be Houck’s greatest challenge in taking the ball for the American League.

Seth Lugo – RHP, Kansas City Royals
2024 Stats: 9-1, 1.72 ERA, 12S, 78 1/3 IP, 66 K, 18 BB, 7.6 K/9, 3.21 FIP

The Royals should be very happy with this offseason signing after inking Lugo to a three-year deal.

Lugo is pacing the A.L. to start the season with nine wins already while leading the league in ERA, starts and innings pitched. Lugo’s run is impressive, given he’s only operating as a full-time starter for the third time in his MLB career.

Lugo’s wide arsenal keeps hitters off balance and could allow a Royal to start the All-Star Game.

Luis Gil – RHP, New York Yankees
2024 Stats: 7-1, 1.99 ERA, 11S, 63 1/3 IP, 79 K, 31 BB, 11.2 K/9, 2.97 FIP

If there was a guess as to which Yankee would be in this conversation at the start of the season, it likely would have been Gerrit Cole.

Instead, the Yankees ace is still sidelined with an elbow injury.

Gil has more than stepped up to boost the New York rotation, leading the American League with a sub-2.00 ERA. The Yankees sit in first place, and impact seasons like Gil keep that trend going.

Corbin Burnes: RHP, Baltimore Orioles
2024 Stats: 5-2, 2.35 ERA, 12S, 72 2/3 IP, 71 K, 20 BB, 8.8 K/9, 3.08 FIP

The Orioles are watching the benefits of their blockbuster trade with the Milwaukee Brewers.

The former N.L. Cy Young award winner keeps on producing, giving Baltimore the ace that their talented young core needed to take another step. That impact will truly be put to the test in October, though Burnes is definitely in this conversation for the midsummer classic.