Trio of Blue Jays headline 2021 All-MLB team
Major League Baseball announced its third annual All-MLB teams Tuesday, designating a first team and second team comprised of 16 players each.
A trio of Toronto Blue Jays made the first team, with Teoscar Hernandez also claiming second-team honors.
1st-team hitters
| Pos. | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| C | Salvador Perez | Royals |
| 1B | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | Blue Jays |
| 2B | Marcus Semien | Blue Jays |
| 3B | Austin Riley | Braves |
| SS | Fernando Tatis Jr. | Padres |
| OF | Juan Soto | Nationals |
| OF | Bryce Harper | Phillies |
| OF | Aaron Judge | Yankees |
| DH | Shohei Ohtani | Angels |
The American League's unanimous MVP, Shohei Ohtani, locked up first-team designated hitter duties after crushing 46 homers and collecting 100 RBIs. Meanwhile, the MVP runner-up, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., slotted in at first base by leading MLB with 123 runs scored and 363 bases.
Salvador Perez claimed his second consecutive nod as the top catcher, hitting 48 home runs to set a new record among backstops, while Marcus Semien's 45 dingers set a new mark among second basemen.
Each of the NL MVP finalists - Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., and winner Bryce Harper - also made the first team.
1st-team pitchers
| Pos. | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| SP | Walker Buehler | Dodgers |
| SP | Corbin Burnes | Brewers |
| SP | Gerrit Cole | Yankees |
| SP | Robbie Ray | Blue Jays |
| SP | Max Scherzer | Nationals/Dodgers |
| RP | Josh Hader | Brewers |
| RP | Liam Hendriks | White Sox |
Headlined by the two Cy Young winners in Milwaukee Brewers ace Corbin Burnes and free-agent lefty Robbie Ray, the first-team pitching staff is stacked. Among the starters, only Walker Buehler, who finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting, wasn't a finalist for the award in his respective league.
2nd-team hitters
| Pos. | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| C | Buster Posey | Giants |
| 1B | Freddie Freeman | Braves |
| 2B | Ozzie Albies | Braves |
| 3B | Rafael Devers | Red Sox |
| SS | Trea Turner | Nationals/Dodgers |
| OF | Nick Castellanos | Reds |
| OF | Kyle Tucker | Astros |
| OF | Teoscar Hernandez | Blue Jays |
| DH | Yordan Alvarez | Astros |
Retired catcher Buster Posey headlined the second team one day after he claimed the NL's Comeback Player of the Year.
A pair of Braves hitters also earned second-team selections, with Freddie Freeman and Ozzie Albies, as well as Max Fried, joining Austin Riley as four honorees from the World Series champions.
2nd-team pitchers
| Pos. | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| SP | Max Fried | Braves |
| SP | Kevin Gausman | Giants |
| SP | Shohei Ohtani | Angels |
| SP | Julio Urias | Dodgers |
| SP | Zack Wheeler | Phillies |
| RP | Raisel Iglesias | Angels |
| RP | Kenley Jansen | Dodgers |
Zack Wheeler notably led the second-team staff. He was a surprising omission from the top squad after the Philadelphia Phillies right-hander finished as the Cy Young runner-up in the NL.
Ohtani also earned a nod on the pitching side to complete his two-way resume and historic MVP season.