All-MLB Team: Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernández nominated

Seven Dodgers were nominated to the 2024 All-MLB team, headlined by presumptive National League MVP Shohei Ohtani and outfielders Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández.

Major League Baseball launched the All-MLB team in 2019 as an official postseason recognition, similar to the All-Pro designation in the NFL and All-NBA teams in professional basketball. There is a first team and a second team for All-MLB honors, each consisting of one player at each position (including three outfielders) plus five starting pitchers and two relievers.

Ohtani broke the mold by being named to the All-MLB team as both designated hitter and starting pitcher in each of the previous three seasons with the Angels, including first-team at DH in 2021 and 2023, plus first time at the starting pitcher in 2022-2023. He’s a no-brainer to become this year’s first-team All-MLB design hitter.

Betts started the season as the Dodgers’ shortstop until a fastball broke his left hand in June. When he returned eight weeks later, he moved back to his old stomping grounds in right field. He is listed as an outfielder on the MLB nominees list along with Hernández, who leads all National League outfielders in home runs (33) and RBI (99) on Sunday.

They face stiff competition in the outfield, with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto Locks, as well as the Red Sox’s Jarren Duran, who ranks third with a 7.7 aWAR and an average of wins above replacement from Baseball Reference and FanGraphs .

Betts was a first-team All-MLB outfielder in 2019-2020 and 2022-2023. Hernández was a second-team selection for the Blue Jays in 2021.

Freddie Freeman is the only Major League player to earn All-MLB honors in each of the award’s five seasons (First Team in 2020 and 2023, Second Team in 2019 and 2021-2022) and is there again this year ready for. Freeman ranks third among the group in OPS (.854), wRC+ (137) and aWAR (4.4), but Bryce Harper and Vladimir Guerrero are ahead of him in all three categories, and each with more home runs and extra -base hits .

Jack Flaherty, whom the Dodgers acquired from the Tigers at the trade deadline, is one of 26 starting pitchers nominated. He has a 3.17 ERA and 194 strikeouts in his 28 starts between the two teams, but his 162 innings are the seventh fewest among the nominees.

Will Smith, who was a second-team All-MLB selection at catcher in 2022, is one of 10 nominees behind the plate this year. But William Contreras, Salvador Perez and Cal Raleigh make this a tough position to break.

Alex Vesia was recognized with an All-MLB nomination, one of 20 relievers fighting for four spots. The southpaw has a 1.79 ERA and 2.81 xERA this season, with career highs in strikeouts (85), games pitched (66) and innings pitched (65⅓).

All MLB teams will be determined by a panel of media members and baseball officials, combined with fan voting running until 9 a.m. PT on October 11. All MLB selections will be announced on Thursday, November 14.