The final rosters for the 2024 MLB All-Star game in Arlington, Texas, have been announced. Twenty-six internationally-born players are on the team, including 14 on the National League team and 12 in the American League. Thus, 39% of the All-Star team are players from international countries, a decrease from recent years.
In 2023, 34 international players were selected for the All-Star team, compared to 32 in 2022. This number is still impressive and showcases the impact international players have on the MLB.
The 26 players on this year’s team hail from seven countries which include the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Curaçao, and Japan. The Dominican Republic is the most represented country on this team with 11 players from the DR. Yordan Alvarez is the lone player from Cuba selected, which is the fewest player from Cuba to make an All-Star team since 2017.
Some of this year’s most notable international players include MVP favorite in the NL, Shohei Ohtani from Japan. Ohtani is batting .314 with a 1.036 OPS and an NL-leading 28 home runs. Also from Japan, Cubs rookie Shota Imanaga was selected in his first chance. Imanaga is 7-2 through 16 starts this year with a 3.16 ERA.
One of the 11 players from the Dominican Republic, Juan Soto, was selected to his fourth All-Star team and his first with the Yankees. Soto is leading the MLB with a .430 OBP. Soto will start for the AL alongside fellow countrymen Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Jose Ramirez. Reds second-year star Elly De La Cruz, also from the DR, will play in his first mid-summer classic for the NL.
Jose Altuve is playing in his ninth All-Star game and is starting for the AL. Born in Venezuela, Altuve is batting .309 for the Astros in his 14th MLB season. Jurickson Profar is the only player from Curaçao to be selected for the team this season. He has a career for the Padres batting .315 with 14 home runs and will start for the NL next to fellow Padres outfielder and native of the Dominican Republic Fernando Tatis Jr.
This year’s MLB All-Star teams are full of international talent that will wow the crowd in Arlington on the 16th. MLB fans can expect some dazzling plays from these players during the midsummer classic.
Throughout MLB’s history, many players have impacted the league and left lasting impacts. One group of players that has impacted MLB is the many international stars that can be found in the league today. Baseball has always been a global game, and MLB is a prime example of the talent that is spread across the world.
Photo Credit: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is showered with sunflower seeds after hitting a two-run home run. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
