Predicting Dodgers' representatives in the 2023 All-Star Game

Remember when the 2023 Los Angeles Dodgers opted to sacrifice star power for financial flexibility next offseason? They're about to flood the National League All-Star roster with Dodger Blue anyway.

Sure, they turned several high profile jobs over to relatively inexperienced players and said goodbye to Justin Turner, Trea Turner and Cody Bellinger. But that won't prevent the Dodgers from ruling the roost on All-Star Weekend, including a likely first-time starter and a "bounce back candidate" from their offseason bargain shopping getting some well-deserved love.

After the first round of public balloting, three Dodgers are already in the top two at their positions, meaning there's a high likelihood that they'll advance to the runoff election and get a chance to start the game. Two more are within striking distance, ranking third and fourth after the first wave of updates.

When the dust settles, after the fans, players and coaches all have their say, it seems likely the Dodgers will receive five All-Star nods, with one player lurking on the borderline and another within range if the fans decide to go absolutely wild (Miguel Vargas, currently in fourth).

Dodgers 2023 All-Stars: Predicting who will make the All-Star Team

Will Smith, C

Will Smith has never been an All-Star? But the other Will Smith, the lefty reliever, has? It's true; the loser of Smith vs. Smith in the 2020 NLCS got the nod with the 2019 San Francisco Giants.

Perhaps more importantly, he has a chance to make the American League All-Star Game this season thanks to his work with the Texas Rangers (11 saves, 0.76 WHIP). That means we could get Round II of the Same Name Battle this summer in Seattle. Maybe Will Smith the actor can even come by and umpire? This is out of the Academy's purview, I'm sure Rob Manfred would be cool with it.

Smith the catcher has no business being excluded from this year's festivities, even if he loses a runoff election for a starting role to Sean Murphy, whom he currently trails. Smith has been among the game's preeminent offensive threats behind the plate since his 2019 debut, but somehow failed to qualify at a less-than-stacked position in both 2021 and 2022. No more! His 2.1 WAR and 144 OPS+ should be more than enough to get him across whatever imaginary threshold the baseball world has been using to evaluate him.

Mookie Betts, OF

The next two aren't tough. The 30-year-old Betts has "slowed down" to the point where he's "only" at 2.9 bWAR through June 13, socking 17 homers with a 138 OPS+. The only question left about his All-Star status is whether NL manager Rob Thomson will allow him to play second base, where he's reportedly even more comfortable.

Anticipate Betts not only being in the starting lineup but also leading off/ambushing the first pitch he sees.

Freddie Freeman, 1B

Another lock whose candidacy is not even worth debating. Freeman's more likely to win MVP than be left off the All-Star roster, and seems a safe bet to be in the starting lineup, doubling up Pete Alonso's vote total to lead the first base pack. Mets fans aren't getting any more enthusiastic, either, as the weeks drag on. Can tell you that.

Freeman's 163 OPS+ and .335 average through June 13 make him the best first baseman in the league and an all-time, long-term bargain, signed for just $27 million annually. Thank you, Atlanta! Whatever you did. Thank you.

JD Martinez, DH

Though Martinez has cooled in recent weeks, he's still been good for 16 homers, 47 RBI and a .915 OPS under the tutelage of his old friend Robert Van Scoyoc. He's also outperformed (gulp) Justin Turner and his 109 OPS+ by a good degree. The 38-year-old Turner, now in Boston, was recently named the Red Sox primary first baseman, too, while Martinez just has to roll out of bed in the California sun and hit. Interesting, to say the least.

Martinez is in for a dogfight in the voting with Phillies face of baseball Bryce Harper, who trails him for the No. 1 spot by around 30,000 votes. If Dodgers fans keep the pedal to the metal here, they should come out on top, but Martinez is the obvious bench addition in case their trigger fingers fail. Expect him to make the trip either way.

All-Star Possibility: Max Muncy?

The rest of the Dodgers' roster has a few more intriguing possibilities. Bobby Miller probably won't have enough of a case file to be considered by late June, but he's certainly pitching like a Cy Young candidate, let alone an All-Star. Evan Phillips? Not quite a closer, not quite a setup man, and won't have the gaudy save numbers, but his current WHIP (0.85) demands attention. He'll probably get forced off the roster in favor of a bullpen rep for a far worse team, though (Alexis Diaz? Josh Hader? Kidding. Kinda.).

But what about Max Muncy? The power's certainly there; his 18 home runs tie him for third in the National League behind the injured Pete Alonso and Marlins DH Jorge Soler (who's got to make the team, unless the world deems Luis Arraez to be Enough Marlins). The .191 average and mild hamstring strain he's currently dealing with might turn him into a midsummer snub, though. If it were as easy as going down the home run leaderboard and checking boxes, Muncy would have it. In reality, he probably falls among the final names eliminated.