Projecting the 2024 MLB All-Star Game rosters using WAR

The 2024 MLB All-Star Game is about one month away, and fan voting has opened for roster selections. But how would the rosters look if MLB only used statistics to determine the All-Star starters?

One of the main statistics professional baseball uses to measure a player's value to his team is Wins Above Replacement (WAR). It's a stat that attempts to account for the offensive and defensive production of each player and what he contributes to his team's success.

WAR is not a perfect statistic, but it is a worthy attempt at estimating how valuable a player is. Generally speaking, WAR evaluates which players are the "best" in a given season or seasons by approximating how many wins a player brings to his team.

If MLB were to choose a statistic to use to select players to All-Star rosters, it would most likely be the (close to) all-encompassing WAR.

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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: Salvador Pérez, Kansas City Royals

• First baseman: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays

• Second baseman: Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers

• Third baseman: José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians

• Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals

• Outfielders: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees; Juan Soto, New York Yankees; Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros

• 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: Ryan Mountcastle, Baltimore Orioles

• Second baseman: Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers

• Third baseman: José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians

• Shortstop: Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles

• Outfielders: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees; Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros; Juan Soto, New York Yankees

• Designated hitter: Yordan Álvarez, Houston Astros

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National League All-Star roster by WAR

FanGraphs WAR formula (fWAR)

• Starting Pitcher: Ranger Suárez, 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: Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers

• Outfielders: Jurickson Profar, San Diego Padres; Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres; Christian Yelich Milwaukee Brewers

• Designated hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

Baseball Reference WAR formula (bWAR)

• Starting Pitcher: Ranger Suárez, Philadelphia Phillies

• Catcher: William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers

• First baseman: Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers

• Second baseman: Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks

• Third baseman: Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants

• Shortstop: Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers

• Outfielders: Heliot Ramos, San Francisco Giants; Jurickson Profar, San Diego Padres; Teoscar Hernández, Los Angeles Dodgers

• 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: MLB All-Star Game roster projections by WAR leaders at each position