⚾ The First Half All-MLB Teams

All-Star nods don’t always tell the story so who’ve been the best players in baseball? [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider with guest writer Rowan Kavner: The All-Star break is almost here so who have been the best players at each position? … The Cowboys have a solid secondary, but is it the best in the NFL? … and more! With the All-Star break approaching, it feels like the right time to look at which players have been the best in baseball. Sure, the simplest way to do that is to look at the All-Star rosters in Seattle — but that can be deceiving. The most popular players aren’t always the best ones, and those rosters must consist of at least one player from every team. That works for an All-Star format, giving every fan base a player to cheer for, but it’s not completely indicative of the absolute peak performers around the league. Instead, determining which players have been the best in baseball is more like putting together an All-MLB Team, which Major League Baseball has done after every season since 2019. So, consider this the "First-Half All-MLB First and Second Teams," examining the best players at every position so far: The First Team C: Sean Murphy, Braves On June 17, Murphy left a game with a hamstring tightness. He returned five days later and proceeded to record hits in six of his next 15 at-bats, raising his OPS for the year to .949 at a time no other major-league catcher sported a mark above .900. He has been arguably both the best offensive and defensive catcher in the game this year. For the rest of the story, [click here.]( [STORY IMAGE 1] [IN OTHER WORDS] - The Dallas Cowboys have had plenty of DB issues in the past. But the 2023 team may have the [NFL's best secondary](. David Helman goes through their case, and that of competitors. - Mike Trout will be out at least a month, which leads right into the trade deadline. Can the Angels stay in contention amid the uncertainty? Rowan Kavner [examines their chances](. - They call him "The Mountain." And less than two years into his MLB career, 6-foot-8, 285-pound Félix Bautista has grown to be [MLB's most dominant closer](. Jake Mintz has the story. - Carli Lloyd was an absolute force for the U.S. at the Women's World Cup. The FOX Sports Research Team provides a look at her illustrious [international career by the numbers](. For the latest news and updates, [click here.]( [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Atlanta Braves at Tampa Bay Rays (APPLE TV+, 6:40 p.m. ET) Tyler Glasnow and Charlie Morton clash when the Braves head to Tropicana Field to face the Rays. Charlotte Hornets vs San Antonio Spurs (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET) Victory Wembanyama makes his long-awaited debut in NBA Summer League when he faces second overall pick Brandon Miller and the Hornets. Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee Brewers (Saturday, FS1, 4:10 p.m. ET) The Reds look to maintain their hot streak when they face the division rival Brewers in Milwaukee. Atlanta Braves at Tampa Bay Rays (Saturday, FOX, 7:15 p.m. ET) One of the game’s brightest young pitchers faces the one of the top teams in baseball when Spencer Strider takes the hill for the Braves to face the Rays. Washington Mystics at Connecticut Sun (Sunday, ESPN, 3 p.m. ET) The Sun aim to defend their home court when they welcome the Mystics to Connecticut. Detroit Pistons at Houston Rockets (Sunday, ESPN2, 6 p.m. ET) Two teams with bright young players take the court in NBA Summer League when the Rockets battle the Pistons. For all of today's games and scores, [click here](. [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Texas Longhorns to finish 2023 season with UNDER 9.5 wins (+102) From FOX Sports Betting Analyst: Geoff Schwartz Texas has not won more than nine games in the regular season since 2009, so fading the Longhorns each year has been profitable. They're coming off an eight-win season, which arguably could have been better if they had a healthy quarterback. However, when Quinn Ewers was in the lineup, he was just OK. After returning from an injury he suffered against Alabama, he threw for more than 197 yards only once in the regular season. Texas relied on its rushing attack with Bijan Robinson, who was just drafted No. 8 overall by the Atlanta Falcons, so his replacement will not be as good. There’s a fair argument to be made that Ewers will improve in Year 2 as a starter or be replaced by Arch Manning — the true freshman who's the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning. A 10-win team rarely has question marks at quarterback before the season begins. Let’s look at Texas' schedule. The Horns have road games at Alabama, Baylor and TCU, plus the annual game in Dallas against Oklahoma. If they go 2-2 in those road games, they cannot lose another game and get over 9.5 wins. Texas tends to have a stinker or two a season, and I’m going to wager on that happening this year. Sarkisian & Co. go 9-3 at best. Give me the Under. For the latest betting odds, [click here](. [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download FOX Sports App: [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [Google Play]( [App Store]( [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [App Store]( [Google Play]( Also available on these devices: [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV | Vizio | LG Smart TV] [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV | Vizio | LG Smart TV] Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2023 Fox Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Please do not reply to this message. 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