Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz looks to throw during a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers in Cincinnati, Saturday. (Jeff Dean/AP Photo)

Baseball’s Midsummer Classic — officially known as the Major League Baseball All-Star Game — is coming to Texas this year.

Globe Life Field in Arlington, which is the home ballpark of the 2023 World Series champion Texas Rangers, will host the 94th edition of the event. The All-Star Game will be at 7 p.m. on July 16.

I will be lucky enough to be in attendance at this year’s All-Star Game. And on Sunday, the MLB announced the rosters for the game, though some changes will be made because of injuries and pitchers starting on July 14.

This year’s roster looks great and, like always, there were some perceived snubs.

What I decided to do is create a roster of what I would like to see if I was attending one baseball game of current MLB players.

It’s not necessarily who has the best stats or who should be in this year’s game, though there is certainly some overlap.

For my version, I want to see these guys play all nine innings, so no reserves, outside of pitchers. I will select one player at each position and three pitchers for both the American League and the National League.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Starting pitcher: Grayson Rodriguez, Baltimore Orioles. While this is a partial pick — having covered Rodriguez in high school and also having him in my fourth grade P.E. class when I did my student teaching — Rodriguez is also having a stellar season for the first-place team in the AL East. Rodriguez has an MLB-best 11 wins with just three losses and has a 3.52 ERA with 105 strikeouts in 94.2 innings.

Second pitcher: Garrett Crochet, Chicago White Sox. The 6-6 lefty is a strikeout machine, recording 146 punchouts in 105.1 innings. He has six games of at least 10 strikeouts this season. He would be perfect to come in for two to three innings after Rodriguez.

Closer: Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland Guardians. There are several options here, but I went with Clase, who has become arguably the best closer in baseball. He is 4-1 with a 0.85 ERA and 27 saves. He has 138 career saves. Clase started his MLB career with the Rangers in 2019, so he will be making a return to Arlington.

Catcher: Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners. Willians Astudillo is not currently playing in the MLB, so I didn’t choose him, but he would have 100 percent been my pick had he been on an MLB roster. So I went with the man they call the “Big Dumper.” He hit 30 home runs last year and has another 15 this year. Ignore the batting average (.203).

First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays. This guy is entertaining and continues to perform at a high level. He’s not hitting .311 with 37 home runs like he did in 2021, but he still is hitting .295 with 13 home runs.

Second base: Jose Altuve, Houston Astros. This one was easy. Listed at a generous 5-6, Altuve continues to represent for the short kings. He’s hitting. 309 with 13 home runs this year as he looks to guide the Astros back to the postseason.

Shortstop: Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles. This one, on the other hand, was very difficult. Choosing between Henderson and Bobby Witt Jr. (Kansas City Royals) is tough. Luckily in the actual All-Star game, we will get both. I went with the .293 hitter who has 27 home runs, 61 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Witt (.324 average, 15 home runs, 61 RBIs, 22 stolen bases) is also awesome.

Third base: Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox. At a loaded position, I went with Devers, who is hitting .293 with 21 home runs. But it could be Jose Ramirez (Cleveland Guardians), Royse Lewis (Minnesota Twins), Alex Bregman (Houston Astros) or Josh Jung (Texas Rangers), and that would be perfectly fine.

Outfield: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees; Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians; Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels. I like home runs, so Judge fits in perfectly. He hit 52 in his rookie year of 2017, 62 in 2022 and has 32 this season. He is also batting .308, so he’s not home run or bust. Kwan just gets hits. He is hitting .364 with 92 hits and nine home runs this season. Trout is injured, but when he plays, he is still one of the best and most entertaining players in the league, as evidence by his .299 career batting average, 378 career home runs and 212 career stolen bases.

Designated hitter: Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros. I would like to see Alvarez in the Home Run Derby, also, but anytime he is at the plate, it is must see. He is hitting .298 with 19 home runs this season and is on track for his fourth consecutive season with more than 30 home runs.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Starting pitcher: Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates. The No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft got to the majors quickly and has immediately succeeded. He is 5-0 with 78 strikeouts and 12 walks in 59.1 innings. Fastballs of more than 100 mph are normal for this phenom. The mustache and his girlfriend being gymnast, Livvy Dunne, just enhance his star power.

Second pitcher: Matt Waldron, San Diego Padres. To go from Skenes to the knuckleballer Waldron would be a big adjustment for the opposing hitters. I was a huge fan of the late Tim Wakefield growing up and also enjoyed watching another knuckleballer, R.A. Dickey. It’s good to have the knuckleball back in the game, and Waldron is 5-7 with a 3.61 ERA with 93 strikeouts in 99.2 innings.

Closer: Edwin Diaz, New York Mets. Diaz is having a rough year (4.26 ERA) and is coming off of a 10-game suspension, but his entrance is fun, and this is supposed to be fun.

Catcher: Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers. There is another Will Smith in Hollywood, but this one has 15 home runs this season, including four so far in July.

First base: Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies. This guy somehow gets underrated. Even moving to first base, he continues to hit, posting a .303 batting average with 20 home runs this season.

Second base: Luis Arraez, San Diego Padres. People around my age grew up watching Tony Gwynn, who was going to hit for a high average, not hit many home runs but also rarely strike out. Arraez is the closest resemblance of Gwynn that we have today and, thanks to a trade this season, he is now on the Padres just like Gwynn. Arraez Is hitting .312 with two home runs this year, but last year he hit .354 with a career-high 10 home runs and 34 strikeouts. Gwynn did have 30-strikeout seasons early in his career, but in his last 12 seasons, he only struck out more than 20 times — 23 in 1990 and 28 in 1997 — twice. Arraez is already at 23 strikeouts this year, but he is still a low K guy, especially for this current era of baseball.

Shortstop: Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds. This is my current favorite baseball player to watch. He is only hitting .247, but he has 15 home runs and an MLB-best 43 stolen bases. Known for the speed on his throws and the speed on the bases, if you get a chance to watch this young man play baseball, do it.

Third base: Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals. He’s not an All-Star this year, but he’s an eight-time All-Star and a 10-time Gold Glove winner. Known for his defensive excellence, Arenado is also a .286 career hitter with 332 home runs. And my son is named Nolan, so I’ll use that as any tiebreaker.

Outfield: Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves; Jazz Chisholm Jr., Miami Marlins; Jurickson Profar, San Diego Padres. Acuña got injured early this season, but he is a treat to watch when healthy. Last season, he hit .337 with 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases. Chisholm doesn’t do anything extremely well, but I like watching him play. Profar, a former Little League World Series star, hasn’t had the career many envisioned. I’ve always wanted to see him in an All-Star game, and he will get his chance this year in Arlington, where he started his career, after hitting .315 with 14 home runs and 59 RBIs so far this season.

Designated hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers. Let’s end this with the best player on the planet. Ohtani isn’t pitching this year, but he is still hitting the ball at an extremely high level with a .314 average, 28 home runs and 65 RBIs so far this season. He’s already a two-time MVP and should make it three times this season.

— Ogden can be reached at bogden@tylerpaper.com