This article is part of our Sorare MLB series.
MLB doesn't return from the All-Star break until Friday. However, that doesn't mean I'm taking a break from my Sorare MLB recommendations. In fact, I decided to focus on the All-Star Game and the players involved for my recommendations. My upgrades, holds and downgrades are all guys who were selected, either originally or as a replacement, for either the American League team or the National League squad.
Now, I'm dealing with All-Stars. Obviously what qualifies as an "upgrade" or particularly a "downgrade" shifts based on that fact. This is more about what top players have been on an upswing or should bounce back from a so-so stretch, or what players who, while good, have perhaps been riding a red-hot start or maybe were scuffling before the break. With that in mind, here are my All-Star Sorare suggestions.
The number in parentheses represents each player's last limited card sale price as of 7/16.
Upgrades
Ketel Marte, ARI ($10.52): A combination of once again missing a solid portion of the season and playing in Arizona has perhaps left Marte flying under the radar. This is a second baseman who has gotten on base at a .394 clip and hit 19 home runs in only 68 games. Plus, just as crucially, he's barely missed any time since returning from a long absence on May 2, though he was battling groin tightness before the break. As long as Marte can stay healthy, though, he produces Sorare points at a level higher than most second basemen.
Randy Arozarena, SEA ($4.76): Arozarena was only in Atlanta because his teammate Julio Rodriguez bowed out, but frankly the former Ray would have been the better pick all along. He started his first full season with the Mariners slowly, which may have helped hinder his All-Star resume. Well, he's now up to 17 homers and 16 stolen bases and is all but locked into a fifth-consecutive 20/20 campaign. Arozarena's power has really come on as of late, with nine of those homers coming in the last three weeks. Already in July, he has seven games with at least 14.0 Sorare points.
Andrew Abbott, CIN ($3.61): Many Reds hurlers have issues with the club's home ballpark. Abbott thrives there. Since 2023, he has a 3.12 ERA at home compared to a 3.52 ERA on the road. This year, though, his home ERA is down to 1.98, and his road ERA is down to 2.18 for good measure. Just three times this season, out of 16 starts, has Abbott allowed more than one earned run, and in one of those starts he still managed 15.5 Sorare points.
Holds
Eugenio Suarez, ARI ($7.23): Suarez was hit in the hand by a pitch during the All-Star Game, but he should be fine and that's only a minor reason to be concerned. If Suarez stays with the Diamondbacks, he'll have 33 more games at a home ballpark where he's slugged .626 this season, plus four more games at Coors Field. The reason Suarez is a hold is the "if" qualifier. He's one of the biggest names in trade rumors, and if he has a new home park, it might be harder for him to keep tallying Sorare points.
Brandon Lowe, TAM ($6.37): Unlike Suarez and his hand, health is a concern with Lowe. He missed the All-Star Game because he was on the IL with an oblique injury. He's expected back when MLB action resumes. Lowe is a second baseman with a ton of power for the position. He has 19 homers in 84 games this year. Five times in the 10 games before he got injured, he had at least 12.0 Sorare points. However, 84 games is already more than the 31-year-old often plays in an entire season. Only once in his career has he played more than 109 games in a campaign, so to see him hit the IL for any reason is a cause for pause.
Hunter Brown, HOU ($5.16): It's just two starts. However, in his two starts prior to the break, here's how Brown performed: he allowed six runs in six innings to Cleveland, and then five runs in five innings to Texas. Those are two of the worst offenses in MLB. Granted, on the season, Brown has a 2.43 ERA, but he also has a 3.01 FIP. His career FIP is 3.59. It would not be surprising if this season was another step forward for Brown, but maybe it won't end up being a leap forward, which is what it looked like early on.
Downgrades
Freddie Freeman, LAD ($13.29): Freeman is headed to the Hall of Fame someday, and he can still hit for average. However, is it possible that the now 35-year-old can no longer do much else? Freeman doesn't run anymore, having stolen one base while being caught once. While he used to be able to handle his fellow lefties, this year he has a .683 OPS in those matchups. Before the break, he had 2.0 or fewer Sorare points in eight of his last outings. Things are heading in a concerning direction for the veteran.
Jacob Wilson, ATH ($3.48): Wilson was voted the starting shortstop for the American League, but is it possible that years down the line this is going to seem quite strange? Yes, Wilson crushed it in the minors, but in 28 MLB games last season he had a .629 OPS. Over the last three weeks he has a .494 OPS with zero homers and zero stolen bases. His BABIP is still .342 as well, suggesting that he's been lucky. Wilson is 23, he was a sixth-overall pick, and he was a top prospect. He should have a good career, but maybe he overproduced to start this season, and with an unknown like him, it's hard to figure that out in the moment.
Shane Smith, CWS ($3.11): Sure, the White Sox needed a representative and all that, but there was a point in this season where Smith's numbers were reasonable for an All-Star. After his start on June 10, Smith had a 2.37 ERA. Yeah, that's changed quite a bit. Over his last five starts Smith has an 11.29 ERA, and in four of those games he's had single-digit Sorare points. Now, his ERA is up to 4.26, and he was probably the least-qualified of the All-Stars.
