Let’s not waste any time here with some fancy introduction, where we evoke the pastoral sights of spring training or the loud crack of a perfectly struck ball during batting practice in a near-empty ballpark. No, let’s cut right to the issue at hand: It’s time for our annual way-too-early All-Star selections, in which we predict who will be making the trip to Philadelphia for the 2026 Midsummer Classic in 138 days (but who’s counting).
As always, we’ll fill out the 32-man rosters with 20 position players and 12 pitchers, including three relievers, with each team receiving at least one representative.
C: ,
What will Raleigh do for an encore after his historic ? Here’s one way to look at it: 34 players have hit at least 50 home runs in a season, with 23 of those doing it just once. Let’s assume Raleigh’s true talent level isn’t hitting 60 home runs, or even 50, but something less. We don’t know that yet, but you probably don’t want to bet on a 50-homer season.
Raleigh’s difference of 26 home runs to his second-highest season total currently ranks tied for the biggest among those 23 players:
Raleigh: 26 (60 in 2026 to 34 in 2025)
: 26 (57 to 31)
Brady Anderson: 26 (50 to 24)
Barry Bonds: 24 (73 to 49)
Roger Maris: 22 (61 to 39)
While those are the five biggest gaps, the average among the 23 players is 12.7 home runs, so if we use that for Raleigh, we get 47 home runs. That feels attainable, especially if he carries a big workload again like he did in 2025, when he played 159 games between catcher and DH.
1B: ,
Kurtz over .? A tough call for sure, but I just can’t ignore Kurtz’s rookie slash line: .290/.383/.619, with 36 home runs in 117 games. You don’t luck your way into numbers like that — and he did that after playing a grand total of 33 games in the minors. After getting called up in late April, it’s not like the league ever really figured him out either, as July and August were his best months.
Kurtz did tail off a bit in September when he hit .221 with a .309 OBP — although he still hit nine home runs and slugged .570 — and struggled against southpaws (.197, .685 OPS) all season, but that’s no surprise given his limited at-bats against good left-handers in college and the minors. In Dan Szymborski’s 2026 simulations, the 80th-percentile outcome for Kurtz is posting a .291/.379/.571 slash line and that’s realistic, with the possibility of matching what he did in 2025 if he improves against lefties.
2B: .,
started last year’s All-Star Game, but don’t bet on that again. After slumping in the second half, he may not even hold the job all season with rookies Kevin McGonigle and Max Anderson hot to take a spot in the Detroit infield.
Chisholm is the best of a weak group of AL candidates, with , and all going to the National League this offseason. may win the fan vote and can still hit, but his poor defense craters his value.
3B: ,
Ramirez finished third in the AL MVP voting — his eighth career top-10 finish. He’s now the all-time leader in MVP award shares among players who have never won the award. Ramirez hasn’t really deserved an MVP award in any of those seasons — his highest ranking among AL position players in WAR was third in 2018 and 2021 and he was sixth in 2025 — but his voting results are a testament to his consistency and the appreciation of his all-around game. He should get some competition from and , but for now he remains the top candidate at the position as he enters his age-33 season.
SS: .,
A year ago, this was a good debate between Witt and after they finished second and fourth in the 2024 AL MVP voting after both posted ridiculous 9-WAR seasons. Witt has pulled ahead since.
Henderson injured his side in spring training last season, got off to a slow start and went from hitting 37 home runs to just 17 while Witt had another excellent campaign, finishing fourth in the MVP vote. The biggest difference between the two is now on defense, where Witt has matured into perhaps the best shortstop in the game, winning back-to-back Gold Gloves, while Henderson’s metrics took a hit last season to where he ranked below average.
OF: , New York Yankees
The easiest call on the board, coming off another MVP and another historic offensive season (.331/.457/.688, 53 home runs, 9.7 WAR). With three MVP awards, Judge is looking to join Barry Bonds and as the only players to win more than three and he enters 2026 as a huge favorite to do that. Judge turns 34 in April, but just won his first batting title, crossed 50 home runs for a record-tying fourth time and is making a run at one of the greatest five-year stretches we’ve ever seen.
OF: , Seattle Mariners
J-Rod’s value is due more to his all-around game than a batting line that jumps out at you, but he still went 30/30 for the second time last season while hitting .267/.324/.474 with superb defense in center field. Put him in a different home park and those numbers would look more impressive: He hit .236/.306/.369 at home compared to .296/.341/.571 on the road.
OF: ,
Yes, he’s this good. We saw flashes of his future All-Star potential as a rookie, as he hit .292/.396/.463 in 71 games. That on-base percentage would have finished tied with for third-highest in the majors if he had enough plate appearances. Anthony’s power started to show up in August, when he hit .304 with six home runs as he started lifting the ball more, before he missed September with an oblique strain. Look for a .400 OBP, 25 home runs and a top-10 MVP finish as a sophomore.
DH: ,
A hand injury and severe ankle sprain limited Alvarez to 48 games in 2025, but don’t forget him when drafting your fantasy team. From 2022 to 2024, only Judge had a higher OPS+ and Alvarez will still be just 28 years old on Opening Day. He should return to his status as one of the top hitters in the game — maybe top three alongside Judge and Ohtani.
SP: ,
Skubal, and separated themselves from the pack of AL starters in 2025 and I would rank them 1-2-3 heading into 2026 with a gap to the next tier.
should once again win a lot of games. had a nice comeback season, but Globe Life Field played as such an extreme pitcher’s park and deGrom still allowed 26 home runs. His road ERA was 3.65 compared to 2.35 at home, so he’s not quite in the top echelon. The same analysis applies to Mariners starters and , who benefit from a friendly home park.
The wild card is Baltimore’s , who had a 1.81 ERA in 18 starts and ranked fourth in WAR. He’s not that good, of course, but don’t discount his chance of being a top-10 starter in the league.
C: , Athletics
1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.,
1B: ,
2B: ,
3B: Junior Caminero,
SS: Gunnar Henderson,
SS: ,
OF: ,
OF: , Minnesota Twins
OF: , Boston Red Sox
DH: , Athletics
The most difficult position here is shortstop, which is stacked. I had to leave off , and , last year’s starter, with Neto appearing as the Angels’ lone representative. He’s a valid All-Star, however, with 5.1 WAR each of the past two seasons, combining good power with plus defense.
Langeliers quietly hit .277/.325/.536 with 31 home runs and it wasn’t a Sacramento thing as he hit better on the road. He gets the nod over . Murakami is a boom-or-bust type and is my White Sox rep, knocking off the roster. Keaschall can really hit but must stay healthy. He had wrist surgery in 2023, Tommy John surgery in 2024 and missed time with a fractured forearm and then a torn thumb ligament as a rookie in 2025.
Buxton gets the nod for now … assuming the Twins don’t trade him. Duran was a stud in 2024 (8.7 WAR) and still very good in 2025 (4.7 WAR). had a monster year in 2025 but that will be difficult to repeat at 36, so we’ll go with Rooker at DH (the A’s have a fun lineup, don’t they?).
SP: Garrett Crochet, Boston Red Sox
SP: Hunter Brown, Houston Astros
SP: Max Fried, New York Yankees
SP: , Toronto Blue Jays
SP: Logan Gilbert, Seattle Mariners
SP: , Texas Rangers
SP: , Kansas City Royals
SP: Trevor Rogers, Baltimore Orioles
RP: , Boston Red Sox
RP: , Cleveland Guardians
RP: , Seattle Mariners
So many good pitchers left off here: Bryan Woo, , , , Rookie of the Year contender and , who was just as impressive as Yesavage last fall.
I like Cease’s chances of having a big year, after joining the Blue Jays with their terrific defense behind him. Gilbert gets the nod over his teammate Woo because of a much higher strikeout rate last year, which makes him the better bet for 2026. Ragans was an All-Star in 2024, missed a bunch of time in 2025, but struck out 98 in 61.2 innings and finished the year healthy. Chapman is coming off one of the most unhittable relief seasons of all time, Smith is one of the top strikeout relievers and Muñoz works around a few too many walks by limiting both hits and home runs.
C: ,
This is a deeper position than you might realize. Contreras, after finishing fifth in the 2024 NL MVP voting, played through a fractured middle finger all of last season and saw his offensive numbers dip a bit. is a three-time All-Star. hit 31 home runs for the Rockies. is an up-and-coming bat-first catcher who had an outstanding rookie season and then you have defensive specialists like and .
We’ll go with Contreras, who should see a rebound in his power numbers, has turned into a solid defensive catcher, and might play 150 games again, starting at DH when he doesn’t catch.
1B: ,
There are four strong candidates here with Olson, , and the overlooked . Harper is to Dave Dombrowski that he’s still an elite player, but he doesn’t need any extra motivation. Freeman is still great, but since 2023 his WAR has dropped from 6.8 to 4.7 to 3.5. Busch hit 34 home runs on his way to posting 4.6 WAR in 2025. But Olson gets the nod. He’s younger than Harper and Freeman and had the best all-around season of this group a year ago (6.0 WAR). He’s also riding a streak of four straight seasons with 162 games played, so you know he’ll post every day.
2B: ,
is the default pick at second base because of his .913 OPS over the past two seasons, the sixth-best mark in the majors. Hoerner is a much different player than Marte, getting much of his value from his glove and legs, but he also hit .297 with a .345 OBP and topped Marte in WAR in 2025 (6.2 to 4.4). Durability is a key, as Hoerner has topped 150 games three straight years while Marte has averaged 137 games over those three seasons.
3B: , Chicago Cubs
There are several candidates here besides Bregman, including , , , and , but they all come with warts, whether it’s injury risk, age or, in Bichette’s case, a new position.
Bregman has been a consistent two-way performer and was on his way to another four-win season with the Red Sox in 2025 if not for a quad strain. He and Machado are similar at this point: Machado has averaged 3.3 WAR the past three seasons with a 117 OPS+ while Bregman is at 4.2 and 121, both now in their early 30s. Riley might have the most upside here but has battled injuries the past two seasons, so I’m going with Bregman, who I think has a big year ahead at Wrigley Field.
SS: ,
Just like in the AL, this is a loaded position in the NL: , , , , . All would be worthy selections, but going with Perdomo is confirmation in my belief that his 2025 season — .290/.389/.462, 100 RBIs, 7.0 WAR, fourth in MVP voting — is the real deal. He combines elite plate discipline with a high contact rate, finishing with more walks than strikeouts, to produce a high OBP with improved power (58 extra-base hits) and plus defense.
OF: Juan Soto,
Soto’s final numbers in 2025 — .263/.396/.525 with 43 home runs — were good enough for third place in the NL MVP voting. The biggest shocker was going 38 for 42 on stolen-base attempts, which tied for the NL lead and certainly makes him the slowest stolen-base leader in MLB history. (He ranked in just the 13th percentile in speed.) According to Statcast metrics, he even hit into some bad luck, with projected numbers of .288 with a .608 slugging. Look for even better numbers in 2026. It will be difficult to unseat Ohtani in MVP voting with the Dodgers superstar slated to pitch a full season, but if the Mets win the NL East and Soto’s numbers tick up a bit, maybe he wins MVP for the first time.
OF: ,
When healthy, Tucker has been one of the best players in the majors the past two seasons, producing 4.7 WAR in just 78 games in 2024, when he fractured his shin on a foul ball, and then ranking among the leaders in 2025 until he fractured his hand, which he played through leading to a prolonged slump.
While going to the Dodgers, where he’ll be just another guy in their star-studded clubhouse, will help keep the attention off him, his high salary — calculated at $57 million average annual value — creates a different level of pressure for Tucker. If he handles that, he’ll earn his fifth straight All-Star selection.
OF: ., Atlanta Braves
Acuña’s career has been a bunch of stops and starts, with the impact of ACL tears in both knees lined up against two 40-homer seasons, his majestic MVP season of 2023, and awe-inspiring displays of power.
He played 90 games in 2025 and was superb: .290/.417/.518. He’ll probably never repeat 2023, when his strikeout rate dipped to a level he hasn’t otherwise approached in his career, but if he can stay on the field he should be one of the best hitters in the league.
DH: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
Let’s see, a few statistical feats Ohtani can accomplish in 2026:
A third straight 50-homer season. Only five other players have at least three 50-homer seasons in their careers.
Lead his league in slugging percentage, OPS, OPS+ and total bases for the fourth straight year.
Lead in runs scored for the third straight year. His 280 runs over the past two years were the most in a two-year span since Jeff Bagwell scored 295 in 1999-2000.
A fourth straight MVP and fifth for his career.
Oh, and he pitches on the side. He continues to amaze and captivate us in impossible ways.
SP: ,
Skenes’ strikeout rate dropped from 33.1% as a rookie to 29.5% last season. Normally, that might be a slight cause for concern, but that rate still ranked eighth among pitchers with at least 100 innings and it’s not like it led to more damage against him.
Statcast classifies Skenes as throwing seven different pitchers, including using five of them at least 10% of the time. He deployed his curveball, his least used pitch, 4.8% (about four pitches a game). I don’t know if he needs all those pitches, but it seems to be working just fine.
Let’s see if the Pirates cut Skenes loose a little more this year: He made just 11 starts on four days of rest and topped 100 pitches just eight times, so he finished with 187 innings. He should get to 200-plus innings in 2026.
C: Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers
C: Hunter Goodman,
1B: Michael Busch, Chicago Cubs
2B: Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
3B: Manny Machado,
SS: Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
SS: ,
OF: ., San Diego Padres
OF: , Arizona Diamondbacks
OF: ,
DH: ,
The problem with the NL is I ended up with nobody from the Rockies, Cardinals or Marlins in my first cut, and generously included Wood as the third outfielder only to give the Nationals a representative. There’s a good chance we end up with some dubious All-Stars from those clubs. Goodman made it last year — and earned it, hitting 31 home runs — and is the logical choice to represent the Rockies again.
I went with Busch over Freeman and Harper, going with the younger player. Shortstop is impossible. Never bet against Betts and I think his offense bounces back after sapped his strength early last year. Winn isn’t one of the top six shortstops, but he did win a Gold Glove — plus someone has to represent the Cardinals. Tatis and Carroll (assuming he’s OK after his hamate injury this spring) are easy picks as outfield backups, especially with Pete Crow-Armstrong’s slide in the second half raising questions about whether he can repeat his offensive output. We’ll see if Schwarber can repeat his monster 56-homer season.
SP: , Philadelphia Phillies
SP: , Los Angeles Dodgers
SP: ,
SP: ,
SP: , New York Mets
SP: , Atlanta Braves
SP: , Milwaukee Brewers
SP: ,
RP: , San Diego Padres
RP: , Philadelphia Phillies
RP: , Los Angeles Dodgers
Sanchez finished second to Skenes in the NL Cy Young voting and deserved it — in fact, he was slightly ahead of Skenes in Baseball-Reference + FanGraphs WAR (although Skenes was the unanimous Cy Young winner). Greene is going to make 30 starts one of these years and that will make him a Cy Young contender. Webb is our only Giants rep but also makes it on merit. He increased his strikeout rate in 2025 and with five straight excellent seasons is one of the safest bets among starting pitchers.
McLean is still a rookie but looked so polished in his eight starts that I’m taking him instead of new Mets teammate . Sale just has to stay healthy. He won Cy Young honors in 2024 and is a good sleeper pick to win again as he was just as dominant in 2025 until he fractured his ribcage diving for a ball.
Misiorowski was a controversial All-Star last year, a late addition to the squad after making just five career starts. If he can improve his control, he’ll earn that selection this year. Perez made it back from Tommy John surgery after missing 2024 and is still just 23 with huge upside.
The relievers? No controversy with those three choices, with apologies to for not finding a spot for him.
