Which current Texas Rangers could play in the 2024 All-Star Game?

Rob Manfred announced that the Texas Rangers would host the 2024 All-Star Game in Arlington. Baseball fans in North Texas will have the chance to come out to the park to see the game’s biggest stars for the midsummer classic itself and for events such as the Home Run Derby.

It’s never too early to think about how many Rangers players might play in the game. There’s something special about seeing players take the field for an All-Star game in their home park, and since MLB rules require that each team has at least one representative, it’s guaranteed to happen when the game comes to Globe Life Field.

Evaluating potential Texas Rangers All-Stars when the game comes to Arlington in 2024

But even that rule aside, chances are good that the Rangers will have multiple All-Stars in 2024. Ownership has made it clear that they want to field a competitive team, and Texas has several solid performers already on board.

In the following slides we’ll take a look at several current Rangers players who have a realistic shot at playing in the 2024 All-Star Game. For the sake of this list, we only considered players currently under contract for the 2024 season. This obviously eliminates Martin Perez from consideration, along with free-agent to be Mitch Garver and any player that the Rangers may sign or acquire via trade later in the off-season.

Also, you’ll notice we only make a case for eight players. We limited the list because it’s unlikely that any team in the modern era will ever have more than eight All-Star representatives during one season. The 1939 Yankees had ten, but there were only sixteen teams in the league that year. So you won’t hear a case for every player currently on the Rangers 40-man roster and Top 30 prospects list. That said, if you think there’s someone we should have mentioned, comment and let us know!

Jonah Heim

The Case: Heim wasn’t an All-Star in 2022, but he had a legitimate case. Ultimately, voters chose former Ranger Jose Trevino for the back-up catcher spot instead. Heim outperformed Trevino offensively during the first half with a slash line of .262/.313/.467 compared to Trevino’s .252/.299/.415. Trevino made a stronger impact on the defensive side (specifically with his pitch framing) and was awarded the Platinum Glove after the 2022 season. As good as Trevino’s season was, no American League catcher has appeared in consecutive All-Star games since Salvador Perez in 2016 and 2017. Should we root for Heim to get snubbed again in 2023 so he can make the team in 2024?

Nathaniel Lowe

The Case: Lowe recently won his first Silver Slugger and was one of the best hitters in the entire league through the last four months of the season. It remains to be seen whether his 2022 performance was a splash in the pan or a true sign of what’s to come. If Lowe begins the 2023 season in the same way that he finished 2022, he’ll be a near lock for a spot on the team.

Jon Gray

Jon Gray hasn’t appeared in an All Star game through the first eight years of his career, but he would have a good chance of putting together a strong case as long as he could stay healthy. Gray went on the 10-day IL twice during April last year. He struggled through five starts in May, but found his groove in June. Through 11 starts between June 1st and July 27th, Gray won seven games and posted an ERA of 2.65. He limited opposing hitters to a .204 average and had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of four to one. Perhaps Gray would have received All-Star consideration in 2022 if he had stayed healthy and put together a successful string of starts like this before the teams were finalized.

Josh Jung

The Case: Jung only has 98 big-league plate appearances and was limited through the 2022 season because of a shoulder injury. He was also was the Rangers number-one prospect in 2022 as well as a top 50 prospect in all of baseball. He slashed .321/.525/.846 through 106 at-bats at Round Rock before earning a big-league call-up on September 9th. Jung should play everyday at third base during the 2023 season and will be talked about as a potential Rookie of the Year candidate before the season. Perhaps he’s stated his claim among the top third basemen in the American League by the time the All-Star game comes to Arlington. Rangers fans certainly hope this is the case.

Brock Burke

Brock Burke was traded to the Rangers as a part of the Jurickson Profar trade prior to the 2019 season. He battled through multiple injury-plagued seasons before finding a home in the Rangers bullpen in 2022. In 82.1 innings spread out across 52 appearances, Burke allowed only 18 runs and struck out 90 hitters. By the end of the year, he was the Rangers’ most reliable option out of the bullpen along with fellow starter-turned-reliever Matt Moore. Moore is currently a free agent, but Burke isn’t arbitration eligible yet. There’s a chance he continues to improve as he further distances himself from Tommy John surgery and continues to acclimate to life in the bullpen.

Undoubtedly, one of these players will get hurt or underperform in 2024 and we’ll look back on these predictions and wonder what we were thinking at the time. But chances are also high that a prospect from the ranks of Owen White or Justin Foscue comes up, makes an instant impact, and hears their name mentioned in All-Star discussions. There’s also no telling what former All-Star may find their way onto the Texas Rangers over the course of the next two seasons.

This is an exciting time to be a Texas Rangers fan, and not only because the All-Star game is coming to town in a few years. Plenty of stars will be showing off their skills throughout the course of the next few seasons.