Mookie Betts, Corey Seager, Clayton Kershaw named to All-MLB teams

A trio of Dodgers were named to All-MLB teams on Wednesday, with Mookie Betts named to the first team and shortstop Corey Seager and pitcher Clayton Kershaw making the second team.

This is the second year of the All-MLB teams, selected by a combination of fan vote and a “panel of media members, broadcasters, former players and other officials throughout the game.” Two teams are selected with nine position players, five starting pitchers, and two relievers.

Betts was named to the All-MLB second team in 2019 with Boston.

Acquired from the Red Sox in February, Betts was the catalyst for the Dodgers getting over the championship hump in 2020, hitting .292/.366/.562 with 16 home runs and 10 stolen bases. He led the National League with 3.4 bWAR, won a Silver Slugger Award for his offense and a Gold Glove for his work in right field, where he led the majors in Defensive Runs Saved. Betts finished second in NL MVP voting behind Freddie Freeman.

Betts was joined in the first team All-MLB outfield by the Angels’ Mike Trout and the Nationals’ Juan Soto.

Seager was dynamic at the plate this year, hitting .307/.358/.585 with 15 home runs in 52 games, and was otherworldly in the postseason, hitting .328/.425/.746 with eight home runs in 18 games, winning both NLCS MVP and World Series MVP. In NL MVP voting, Seager finished ninth, named on 15 of 30 ballots.

Fernando Tatis Jr. was the first-team shortstop.

Dave Roberts settled on Betts leading off and Seager batting second for good on August 13. With those two hitting 1-2, the Dodgers were 40-13 (.755) including the postseason, and averaged 6.28 runs per game.

Clayton Kershaw had a resurgent season in 2020, with a 2.16 ERA and 3.31 FIP in 10 starts, with 62 strikeouts against only eight walks in 58⅓ innings. His strikeout rate (28.1 percent) was his best since 2017, and his walk rate (3.6 percent) ranked sixth among MLB pitchers with at least 50 innings. Kershaw’s walk rate and ERA were his best marks since 2016.

Kershaw tied for ninth in National League Cy Young Award voting, receiving two fifth-place votes.

In addition to Betts, Seager and Kershaw, the Dodgers had one other All-MLB finalist, a group which were announced Sunday on MLB Network. Justin Turner was among the three finalists at third base, with Manny Machado and José Ramírez capturing first- and second-team honors, respectively, at the position.