Mookie Betts has appeared in five All-Star games in his career, all as an outfielder.
As the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting shortstop, Betts has a chance to make history: No player has ever started in the All-Star Game at both the outfield and shortstop positions.
Harvey Kuhn, Tom Tresh and Ian Desmond were all named to the All-Star team at least once as a shortstop and at least once as a primary outfielder who played in the game that year, in different seasons, but none of them started in the Midsummer Classic.
Betts isn’t the only player capable of making this kind of history.
San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. is in a similar situation, but he has a chance to start in the outfield after starting at shortstop in 2021.
Betts will join Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper in another historic feat: Betts and Harper have each started five All-Star games as outfielders and are eligible to be voted into the infield this year; Harper is now a first baseman.
Only three players have ever accomplished this feat, all of whom are Hall of Famers: Henry Aaron (16 outfielders, 1 first baseman), Stan Musial (10 outfielders, 4 first basemen), and Carl Yastrzemski (6 outfielders, 1 first baseman).
The third category Betts fits into is players who have started at least one All-Star Game in both the outfield and the infield. In 2024, there are 13 players who have started at least one All-Star Game in both the outfield and the infield. Aaron, Musial, Yastrzemski, Orlando Cepeda (5 first basemen, 2 outfielders), Pete Rose (3 outfielders, 2 first basemen, 2 third basemen, 1 second baseman), Albert Pujols (5 first basemen, 1 outfielder, also 2 DHs), Harmon Killebrew (3 first basemen, 2 third basemen, 1 outfielder), Jackie Robinson (4 second basemen, 1 outfielder), Alfonso Soriano (3 second basemen, 1 outfielder), Lance Berkman (2 outfielders, 1 first baseman), Vic Wertz (1 first baseman, 1 outfielder), Gary Sheffield (1 third baseman, 1 outfielder), Buddy Lewis (1 third baseman, 1 outfielder).
