For the first time since 1996, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be held in Philadelphia.
How many red pinstriped jerseys will fill the home dugout? We’ll find out about a month from now.
Fan voting begins June 3. Thirty-two players will be selected for each league – 20 hitters and 12 pitchers – although numerous injury and pitching replacements will likely be named after the initial rosters are released.
Here is our first stab at picking a National League team, following the requirement that each team must be represented.
All stats are as of entering play on June 1.
Pitchers
Cristopher Sanchez, Phillies
Sanchez has been brilliant.
He will carry a scoreless streak of 44⅔ innings into his next start at home June 3 against the San Diego Padres. After a scoreless May, his ERA plummeted to an MLB-leading 1.47.
He leads MLB in innings (79⅓) and is second in strikeouts (95) behind the Milwaukee Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski (108). His wins above replacement of 3.3 by Fangraphs’ calculation is tops in the NL in the non-Shohei Ohtani division.
The debate of who should start the All-Star Game for the NL is a microcosm of what is shaping up to be one of the best Cy Young races of recent memory. Take your choice between Sanchez, Misorowski, Ohtani and the Atlanta Braves’ Chris Sale. All are delivering Cy-worthy seasons.
If it’s close, the nod should go to the player who would be pitching in his home ballpark.
The last player to start the All-Star Game at home was the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw in 2022. The last Phillie to start an All-Star Game was Roy Halladay in 2011.
Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers
Sanchez didn’t allow a run in May and yet Misiorowski might have been even better.
A look at the raw totals:
- Misiorowski: 5-0, 38⅓ innings, 1 run, 14 hits, 6 walks and 57 strikeouts
- Sanchez: 4-0, 39 innings, 0 runs, 25 hits, 3 walks and 45 strikeouts
“The Miz” was a controversial addition to last year’s All-Star roster, having pitched in only five major-league games prior to the Midsummer Classic. There will be no hand-wringing this time around.
Chris Sale, Braves
At age 37, Sale is continuing a career renaissance that started when he was traded to Atlanta ahead of the 2024 season. Through 11 starts, he has a 2.01 ERA (fourth in NL), 80 strikeouts (third in NL) and a 0.94 WHIP (third in NL).
Sale has been a thorn in the side of the Phillies. Since joining the Braves, he has posted a 2.31 ERA in six regular season starts against the Phils, which include 13 innings of one-run ball this season.
Chase Burns, Reds
The 23-year-old made his MLB debut on June 24, 2025. With a fastball averaging 98 mph, he has a 1.96 ERA and 72 strikeouts and a 0.96 WHIP through 11 starts this season.
Paul Skenes, Pirates
Skenes, now in his third year, isn’t at the top of the NL in the traditional stats, but the underlying numbers align with his Rookie of the Year Cy Young award-winning seasons the previous two years.
Two outings stick out as having inflated his numbers. Skenes gave up five runs on Opening Day to the New York Mets. The Phillies then tagged him for five on May 17 in Pittsburgh.
The bet here is Skenes ends up with a career-high ERA – something like 2.50 – that still places him among the league’s best.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers
Most recently seen dicing up the Phillies to the tune of 10 Ks in 5⅓ on May 31, Yamamoto has a 2.86 ERA through 11 starts and 69⅓ innings.
Braxton Ashcraft, Pirates
The 6-foot-5 26-year-old has outperformed his battery mate Skenes through 12 starts. Ashcraft has a 2.77 ERA in 74⅔ innings (second in NL).
Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
While Ohtani has been solid at the plate, we have the two-way star on the All-Star team as a pitcher to reflect the progress he’s made on the mound. In nine starts (55 innings), Ohtani has a 0.82 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP.
Ohtani is more likely to appear in the All-Star Game as a batter, likely replacing Kyle Schwarber, who we have starting as the designated hitter.
Kyle Harrison, Brewers
The Giants traded Harrison, a 2020 third-round pick and once their No. 1 prospect, to the Boston Red Sox in a four-player package for Rafael Devers. Six months later, the Red Sox flipped him to the Brewers in a six-player trade centered around infielder Caleb Durbin.
Harrison has flourished in Milwaukee, compiling 1.7 WAR (tied for seventh among NL pitchers) and a 1.57 ERA across 51⅔ innings.
Landen Roupp, Giants
As you’ll see, second base was an overcrowded position, leaving Giants’ hits leader Luis Arraez on the outside looking in. That makes Roupp, a 27-year-old who has already surpassed his career-best in WAR, the Giants’ representative. Utility man Casey Schmitt was also considered.
Mason Miller, Padres
The Padres’ 27-year-old closer has a 0.72 ERA in 25 innings and an NL-best 17 saves.
Miller’s average fastball velocity of 101.2 mph is the highest in MLB. He has struck out 17.64 batters per nine innings, which would be the highest in a season since Aroldis Chapman struck out 17.67 per nine in 2014 with the Cincinnati Reds (minimum 50 innings).
Jhoan Duran, Phillies
Duran is 12-for-12 on save chances and has a 1.53 ERA across 17⅔ innings.
Duran can crack it up past 100 mph but has been mixing five pitches this season. His knuckle curve has been particularly effective, drawing a 58.3% whiff rate.
Duran went on the injured list on April 18 and missed about two weeks with a left oblique strain.
Other in consideration: Raisel Iglesias, Braves; Zack Wheeler, Phillies; Max Meyer, Marlins; Justin Wrobleski, Dodgers; Michael King, Padres; Eduardo Rodriguez, Diamondbacks.
Hitters
Drake Baldwin, Braves
The 2025 NL Rookie of the Year, Baldwin went on the injured list on May 19 with a right oblique strain. He still leads NL catchers with 2.2 WAR per Fangraphs and is tied for the lead in home runs among catchers at 13 with the Colorado Rockies‘ Hunter Goodman.
William Contreras, Brewers
Hitting .295 with 14 extra-base hits, Contreras has been solid at the plate but also provides significant defensive value per Fangraphs WAR calculations. He ranks second in the NL in WAR behind Baldwin.
Matt Olson, Braves
Olson has been the top run-producer among NL first baseman, hitting .261 with 16 home runs and 45 RBIs. This would be his fourth All-Star Game appearance, but his first as a starter.
Bryce Harper, Phillies
Harper is an eight-time All-Star but has only made two appearances in the Midsummer Classic in eight years with the Phillies.
Harper gets dinged for defense in advanced metrics but his production at the plate has been in line with his past few seasons. The hometown and star power bumps help him sneak in over the Pirates’ Spencer Horwitz and the Padres’ Ryan O’Hearn as the NL’s second first basemen. Harper has said he’ll participate in the Home Run Derby if he is an All-Star.
Xavier Edwards, Marlins
The 28-year-old switch hitting second basemen is having a career year. He has already surpassed his career-best WAR per Fangraphs, leading NL second basemen at 2.6. Edwards is hitting .314 with a .398 on-base percentage.
Brandon Lowe, Pirates
Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in a December three-team deal, Lowe leads NL second basemen in home runs (14), RBIs (37) and slugging percentage (.529).
Brice Turang, Brewers
Turang was the last batter on our early NL All-Star team. He’s a top-tier defender at second base and a high walk rate has fueled a .391 on-base percentage (second among NL second basemen).
Max Muncy, Dodgers
Third base is the NL’s weakest position group. Only four qualified third basemen have a weighted runs created above league average. Only two have hit 10 or more home runs, one of which is perennial All-Star Manny Machado whose sub-.200 batting average this year is so far disqualifying.
Muncy has been the best of the bunch so far, hitting .257 with 14 home runs.
Nolan Arenado, Diamondbacks
Arenado isn’t the same player as he was when he started four straight Midsummer Classics at the hot corner as a Rockie, but he is improved from two lackluster seasons with the Cardinals that resulted in a January trade to the desert.
Arenado has an .801 OPS and seven home runs and is tied for second in WAR among NL third basemen (1.3) per Fangraphs.
Elly De La Cruz, Reds
De La Cruz could make his third All-Star Game appearance at just 24 years old. As of now, we have him starting for the first time, but the 6-foot-6 shortstop just went on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain.
CJ Abrams, Nationals
There have been questions about Abrams’ defense and whether he’d be better suited to second base, but the offensive production is undeniable. Abrams’ wRC+ is 159, more than 20 percentage points better than the next NL shortstop. He has hit .290 with a .390 on-base percentage, 12 home runs and 47 RBI.
James Wood, Nationals
Wood has the best OPS among NL outfielders (.960) and is tied with Dodgers’ center fielder Andy Pages and De La Cruz for the best WAR (2.7) among NL hitters.
He’ll look to avoid the second-half slump that plagued his 2025 campaign after making his first All-Star Game appearance.
Wood has primarily played right field but has appeared in 11 games in left. We have him taking Brandon Marsh’s spot in left field in the top of the first inning for the purpose of the All-Star Game.
Andy Pages, Dodgers
On an offense with Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Kyle Tucker, Pages, the 25-year-old center fielder, has been the Dodgers’ most consistent offensive force through the first third of the season.
Pages is hitting .294 with an .881 OPS and 13 home runs.
Jordan Walker, Cardinals
The 24-year-old right fielder is already one homer from tying his career-best total. He’s hitting .290 with a .909 OPS and 15 home runs.
Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks
The 25-year-old could have his fourth straight season with at least 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases. His .916 OPS ranks second among qualified NL outfielders.
Michael Harris II, Braves
Although Ronald Acuna is making a push with five home runs in his last four games, Harris has been Atlanta’s best outfielder this season. The centerfielder is hitting .307 with 13 home runs.
Mickey Moniak, Rockies
The number one overall pick by the Phillies in 2016, Moniak could make his first All-Star Game appearance in his former home ballpark.
The 28-year-old is not a lock. He’s hitting .280 with 12 home runs, but much of that is fueled by a .315, 1.013 OPS April (he hit .230/.840 in May).
Still, Moniak’s 145 wRC+ is the best on the Rockies. He is Colorado’s lone All-Star in this exercise. Goodman, the Rockies catcher, represents Moniak’s biggest competition.
Ian Happ, Cubs
Choosing the Chicago Cubs’ representative was one of the most difficult parts of this exercise. Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong leads the club with 2.4 WAR per Fangraphs but has been a barely above-average run producer. No one goes to the All-Star Game for good jumps in the outfield.
Second basemen Nico Hoerner has a strong case and former Phillies prospect Ben Brown has been solid on the mound, but we chose to recognize one of the more underrated hitters of the NL in Happ.
The switch-hitting left fielder has an .818 OPS with 13 home runs. He is one pace for his fourth consecutive season with 20 or more homers and 70 or more RBIs.
Kyle Schwarber, Phillies
Since Schwarber joined the Phillies in 2022, he has 209 home runs. Only Aaron Judge has more in that time (227). This would be Schwarber’s third All-Star appearance as a Phillie and fourth overall.
Juan Soto, Mets
Soto spent 16 days in April on the injured list with a right calf strain. Since returning, he has been one of the best hitters in the NL, splitting time between left field and designated hitter.
Soto is hitting .305 with 13 home runs and a .994 OPS. Phillies fans will be happy to see he is the New York Mets’ lone representative.
Others in consideration: Hunter Goodman, C, Rockies; Spencer Horwitz, 1B, Pirates; Ryan O’Hearn, Padres; JJ Wetherholt, 2B, Cardinals; Nico Hoerner, 2B, Cubs; Luiz Arraez, 2B, Giants; Otto Lopez, SS, Marlins; Sal Stewart, 1B/3B, Reds; Bryan Reynolds, OF, Pirates.
National League starting lineup
- Kyle Schwarber DH
- Andy Pages CF
- Elly De La Cruz SS
- Matt Olson 1B
- Jordan Walker RF
- James Wood LF
- Max Muncy 3B
- Xavier Edwards 2B
- Drake Baldwin C
SP: Cristopher Sanchez
Brandon Holveck reports on high school sports for The News Journal. Contact him at bholveck@delawareonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: NL All-Star Game roster prediction ahead of fan voting start June 3
