Projecting the 2024 MLB All-Star Game rosters using WAR

Hey now, who's an All-Star?

The 2024 MLB season has reached its halfway point with every team – except the New York Mets – having played at least 81 games in the 162-game season (the Mets play Game 81 later on Sunday). The "official" halfway point of the season is roughly two weeks away with the 2024 MLB All-Star Game , and fan voting for each league's starters is still open.

But what if MLB took the power out of fans' hands and named starting rosters based on one all-encompassing statistic? Here's a projection for each league's All-Star roster based on players' WAR at the midpoint of the 2024 season.

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WAR explained

According to baseball sabermetrics database FanGraphs, "WAR offers an estimate to answer the question, 'If this player got injured and their team had to replace them with a freely available minor leaguer or a AAAA player from their bench, how much value would the team be losing?'"

In other words, WAR is roughly how many wins a player is worth compared to a replacement-level player. The higher the number, the more impactful the player. WAR can be negative to account for players performing to the detriment of their teams' success.

There are two main resources for a player's WAR value that use two different formulas for their calculations: Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.

Here's how the 2024 MLB All-Star Game rosters would look for each league if MLB used WAR to select the teams.

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American League All-Star roster by WAR

FanGraphs WAR formula (fWAR)

• Starting Pitcher: Tanner Houck, Boston Red Sox
• Catcher: Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles
• First baseman: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
• Second baseman: José Altuve, Houston Astros
• Third baseman: José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians
• Shortstop: Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles
• Outfielders: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees; Juan Soto, New York Yankees; Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians
• Designated hitter: Yordan Álvarez, Houston Astros

Baseball Reference WAR formula (bWAR)

• Starting Pitcher: Tyler Anderson, Los Angeles Angels
• Catcher: Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles
• First baseman: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
• Second baseman: Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Toronto Blue Jays
• Third baseman: Josh Smith, Texas Rangers
• Shortstop: Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles
• Outfielders: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees; Juan Soto, New York Yankees; Jarren Duran, Boston Red Sox
• Designated hitter: Yordan Álvarez, Houston Astros

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National League All-Star roster by WAR

FanGraphs WAR formula (fWAR)

• Starting Pitcher: Cristopher Sánchez, Philadelphia Phillies
• Catcher: Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers
• First baseman: Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
• Second baseman: Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
• Third baseman: Joey Ortiz, Milwaukee Brewers
• Shortstop: Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds
• Outfielders: Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres; Jackson Merrill, San Diego Padres; Jurickson Profar, San Diego Padres
• Designated hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

Baseball Reference WAR formula (bWAR)

• Starting Pitcher: Ranger Suárez, Philadelphia Phillies
• Catcher: Patrick Bailey, San Francisco Giants
• First baseman: Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
• Second baseman: Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
• Third baseman: Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants
• Shortstop: Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers (injured)
• Outfielders: Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates; Heliot Ramos, San Francisco Giants; Jurickson Profar, San Diego Padres
• Designated hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

When is the MLB All-Star Game?

The 2024 MLB All-Star Game is Tuesday, July 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Projecting the 2024 MLB All-Star Game rosters using WAR