All-MLB Teams Features Four Members Of World Champion Astros On First Team

The 2022 World Champion Houston Astros added another statement of their impact on MLB in2022 with Monday’s announced that four Astros— shortstop Jose Altuve, DH Yordan Alvarez, and starting pitchers Framber Valdez and Just Verlander — were first team selections on the fourth annual All-MLB Team. Astros outfielder

Two other Astros were selected to the second team — outfielder Kyle Tucker and reliever pitcher Ryan Presley.

The players on the first and second teams were determined by a combination of voting from fans, a panel of media members, broadcasters, former players and other officials throughout the game.

In addition to the four Astros, the All-MLB First Team included catcher J.T. Realmuto of the Philadelphia Phillies; first baseman Paul Goldschmidt of the St. Louis Cardinals; shortstop Trea Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers; third baseman Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres; outfielders Mookie Betts of the Dodgers, Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, who was the overall leading vote-getter amongst fans, and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels; starting pitchers Sandy Alcantara of the Miami Marlins, Alek Manoah of the Toronto Blue Jays, Shohei Ohtani of the Angels, and relief pitchers Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians and Edwin Díaz of the New York Mets.

Second Team All-MLB selections in addition to Presley and Tucker include catcher Will Smith of the Dodgers; first baseman Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers; second baseman Andrés Giménez of the Guardians; shortstop Francisco Lindor of the Mets; third baseman Nolan Arenado of the Cardinals; outfielders Julio Rodríguez of the Seattle Mariners, Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies and Kyle Tucker of the Astros; designated hitter Shohei Ohtani of the Angels; starting pitchers Dylan Cease of the Chicago White Sox, Max Fried of the Atlanta Braves, Aaron Nola of the Phillies, Max Scherzer of the Mets and Julio Urías of the Dodgers; and relief pitchers Ryan Helsley of the Cardinals and Ryan Pressly of the Astros.

Freeman has now appeared as an All-MLB selection in all four seasons since the honor was introduced following the 2019 season (also: 2019 2nd team; 2020 1st team; 2021 2nd team).  In addition, nine players overall were selected to either of the teams for a second consecutive season, including Alvarez (2021 2nd team); Freeman (2021 2nd team); Fried (2021 2nd team); Judge (2021 1st team); Ohtani (2021 1st team at DH, 2021 2nd team at SP); Scherzer (2021 1st team); Tucker (2021 2nd team); Turner (2021 2nd team); and Urías (2021 2nd team).

Right behind the Astros in terms of honored players, the Angels and Dodgers each had two first-team honorees.  The Dodgers led the NL with five players selected across both teams, while the Angels, Mets, Phillies and Cardinals each had three selections across the two teams.

Twelve of the 32 All-MLB Team selections (37.5%) hail from countries outside the 50 United States, and six of the 32 selections (18.8%) are players age 25-or-younger.  The six players include Alvarez (25), Clase (24), Giménez (24), Manoah (24), 2022 Jackie Robinson AL Rookie of the Year Rodríguez (21) and Tucker (25).