Which 2014 All-Stars Will Return in 2015? No, Not Yu

It is a little early to look at who will be an All-Star this year, but that hasn’t kept Major League Baseball from promoting the online voting and won’t keep us from speculating which players will not be making a return to the Mid-Summer Classic, despite making an appearance at the game last year in Minnesota.

Talent aside, there are a few members from both the AL and NL squads who we know will not be heading to Cincinnati this year. In the American League, the starting shortstop from 2014, Derek Jeter will likely not be making an appearance in 2015 as he retired at the end of last season. I say likely here as he shouldn’t have been voted in last season based on stats alone and it wouldn’t be surprising at all if baseball’s nostalgia machine brings Jeter back for the game in some fashion.

One other American Leaguer will also certainly miss the 2015 classic as Yu Darvish is out for the season. The final player from the AL roster who hasn’t played a single game so far is Sean Doolittle, the Oakland Athletics closer who is currently rehabbing a torn rotator cuff. He is eyeing a return by the end of May, but even if he is the best pitcher in baseball from then until the All-Star break, he probably will not be included.

Of those who have played this season, six 2014 AL All-Stars have switched teams, three of whom jumped to the NL. While those now in the NL will not return to the visitors dugout this July, there is a good chance each Max Scherzer, Derek Norris, and Jon Lester will represent their new teams.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JULY 15: American League All-Stars Derek Jeter #2 of the New York Yankees and Robinson Cano #22 of the Seattle Mariners look on from the dugout during the 85th MLB All-Star Game at Target Field on July 15, 2014 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

As should be expected, every position player from both squads, with the exception of Jeter, is listed as an option on this year’s ballot. Even with those who switched teams, generally a team who adds an All-Star at the trade deadline or in the off-season will not use that player as a starter. This is at least true at the beginning of the season when the ballots were created, ignoring those who have been injured or replaced in the lineup. The list to the right shows the current WAR (as of 5/15) of each member of the 2014 American League All-Star team (the NL is below) as well as their team in 2014 and their current home.

As expected, the best players in the league are still the best with the 2014 MVP, Mike Trout leading the way. There is still a long way to go before the 2015 game, so those with at least 0.5 WAR could still pick things up and those with a big name (like Robinson Cano) will likely poll high in the East Coast “fan” voting.

Seattle and Oakland lead the way last season with ten All-Stars between the two teams and both teams have struggled this year. Combining those two teams, they are the teams set to lose the most representation, particularly looking at Kyle Seager (.255/.304/.423) and Fernando Rodney (5.65 ERA in 14.1 IP) of the Mariners and everyone who made it from the Athletics. Most of those players were of the kinds mentioned above as Norris, Josh Donaldson and Brandon Moss have all jumped teams, Doolittle is yet to play. Scott Kazmir (3.08 ERA in 49.2 IP)is the lone man left standing and he could make it back, although it look to be a tough crowd to break into yet again.

For the home team National League, there were seven players who switched teams and four defectors from the league. Of the latter, all are pitchers and three are relievers with just Alfredo Simon playing a more significant part for the Tigers. There are no retirees and each member of the 2014 roster is either a pitcher or on the 2015 ballot one way or another.

Like the AL, there is one player who has yet to get into action, Hunter Pence, and another, Devin Mesoraco, has barely played at all due to injury. Chances are neither of these players will return and it would be surprising to the others who have a negative WAR on the season like Tim Hudson, Chase Utley and the top player from the 2014 NL squad, Jonathan Lucroy.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JULY 14: National League All-Stars Devin Mesoraco #39 of the Cincinnati Reds, Hunter Pence #8 of the San Francisco Giants, and Jonathan Lucroy #20 of the Milwaukee Brewers during the Gatorade All-Star Workout Day at Target Field on July 14, 2014 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Speaking of Lucroy, the Brewers were the story of the National League at the All-Star break in 2014, but managed to fall so far as to not even make the play-offs. They have continued that sorrowful streak and now sit in last in the NL Central. In 2014, their four players tied Cincinnati for the most by any NL team and with the Reds sitting second to last to the Milwaukee, it wouldn’t be any surprise to see those eight spots drop to two this year. Of those who were included last year, Francisco Rodriguez (1.29 ERA, 7 saves in 14 IP) is most likely to repeat for the Brew Crew while Aroldis Chapman (1.04 ERA, 7 saves in 17.1 IP) and Todd Frazier (12 HR, 23 RBI) are the top candidates to return and play as an All-Star in their home city.

Every year, there are All-Stars who fall completely off the charts, but all things considered, the vast majority of 2014 All-Stars are still producing at an All-Star level. Obviously there will be some changes, but many will have to do with teams needing a single representative and non-All-Stars putting together seasons that can’t be ignored (see: Harper, Bryce). We’ll see a cleared picture as voting totals are announced, but either way, the All-Star class of 2014 should be pretty proud of themselves.