We are just a week away from the Midsummer Classic airing at 8 pm ET on Tuesday, July 14th. The MLB announced the rosters for the 2026 All-Star Game last week, but we had a few thoughts of our own.
Below you’ll find the Rotoworld Baseball Staff’s picks to start the MLB All-Star Game, plus some of our favorite reserves. Everybody was asked to choose their starting lineup, one starting pitcher, one relief pitcher, one reserve hitter, and one reserve starting pitcher from both the American League and National League. We tallied the votes and awarded starting spots to those who came out ahead in our mini competition. Then we also took the other hitters and starting pitchers who received votes and put them on our reserves list. Since each writer did not create a full bench, you’re primarily seeing players who got starting votes, which means not every player we think deserves to be in the All-Star Game will be represented below.
Also, it should go without saying, but this is just an exercise for fun. We wanted to shine light on players who we felt had a great first half and weren’t awarded the starting spot we felt they deserved, and also salute some who were.
American League All-Star Starters
C: Dillon Dingler, Tigers (unanimous)
1B: Nick Kurtz, Athletics (unanimous)
2B: Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees
3B: Junior Caminero, Rays
SS: Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals (unanimous)
Our three unanimous choices are pretty cut and dry, but only Bobby Witt Jr. was voted to be an All-Star starter. Nick Kurtz is now starting after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. pulled out of the event, but Dillon Dingler will instead be coming off the bench. With all due respect to Shea Langeliers, Dingler has the best case to be the starting catcher for the AL. This season, he ranks 1st among all catchers in wRC+, 1st in RBI, 2nd in OPS, 2nd in hard-hit rate, and 3rd in home runs. Oh, and he’s a really good defensive catcher, ranking 2nd among qualified catchers in framing runs saved and tied for 2nd in blocks above average. It’s great that he made the game, but he would be our starter if we had a vote. – Eric Samulski
I strongly considered Travis Bazzana for the second base spot, and if he had played another 15-20 games, he likely would have received my nod. Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s numbers aren’t overly impressive, but he’s been able to provide enough power and steals — while playing quality defense at the keystone — to justify a selection at this position, even if his numbers are essentially only based on one good offensive month. If we’re being honest, this is not exactly the deepest class of second baseman we have, and if we’re being brutally forthright, Chisholm is a bit of a consolation prize, even with those dingers and thefts. – Chris Crawford
It should be clear to anyone that has watched baseball this season that Junior Caminero has been the best third baseman in the American League. The 23-year-old slugger hasn’t been impacted at all by the move from Steinbrenner Field back to Tropicana Field, as he has slugged 26 home runs while slashing .284/.374/.554 with 56 RBI through his first 88 games. He’s the best player on the best team in the American League, so it would be a travesty if he wasn’t starting at the hot corner for the Mid-Summer Classic in Philadelphia. Astonishingly, he’s set to become the first player in Rays’ franchise history to start in two All-Star Games. He’s likely to wind up with a lot more than that when all is said and done. – Dave Shovein
OF: Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins (unanimous)
OF: Mike Trout, Angels
OF: Cody Bellinger, New York Yankees
DH: Yordan Alvarez, Astros (unanimous)
Despite missing the last few weeks with a hamstring injury, Mike Trout has still been one of the most productive outfielders in the American League. Only Byron Buxton has more home runs or a higher OPS than him and his on-base percentage is the best by a longshot. Also, the All-Star game is supposed to be a fun,joyous event. Trout having this resurgent season at 34 years old is a great story. The game in Philadelphia, just a stone’s throw from where he was raised in south Jersey, also adds an exciting element to his selection. Now, let’s just hope that hamstring injury doesn’t cause an issue before next Tuesday. – James Schiano
Cody Bellinger was arguably one of the AL’s top 10 position players while finishing with 29 homers and 98 RBI last year. He was probably one of the AL’s top 10 position players for 2 1/2 months this year, hitting .280/.373/.487 with 49 RBI through 71 games. He’s been in a miserable slump since, and at this point, it’d be just as fair to put Riley Greene or Randy Arozarena as the replacement for Aaron Judge in the AL lineup. – Matthew Pouliot
SP: Cam Schlittler, Yankees (unanimous)
RP: Louis Varland
Even as a Cam Schlittler skeptic coming into the season, I have to admit that he has been the best starting pitcher in the American League. It doesn’t matter if everything he throws is hard or that he had an extreme velocity jump last season; he just keeps performing. He has the second-best ERA in baseball at 2.01 (only behind Jacob Misiorowski), he’s third in strikeout-minus-walk rate, and 4th in WHIP. His raw stuff is among the best in the league, but he also features above-average command. His increased sinker usage to righties has allowed his four-seam fastball to play up more as a whiff pitch, and his strikeout rate and swinging strike rate have both gone up as a result. He’s the ace of this Yankees’ staff. – Eric Samulski
What were the odds that the Twins would trade away a pair of relievers during last trade deadline’s fire sale that would go on to make All-Star Game appearances? Louis Varland has rapidly evolved into one of the premier relief arms in the entire sport, as he approaches the first-half finish line with 18 saves along with a microscopic 0.96 ERA and 65/13 K/BB ratio across 47 innings of work. The Blue Jays will have plenty of representation at the upcoming Midsummer Classic, but Varland is one of the few that deserves a spot on the strength of his on-field performance alone. – George Bissell
Reserves (others receiving starter votes, plus honorary mention starting pitchers and bench bats:
Ben Rice, 1B – New York Yankees
Yandy Diaz, 1B – Tampa Bay Rays
Willson Contreras, 1B – Boston Red Sox
Travis Bazzana, 2B – Cleveland Guardians
Kevin McGonigle, SS/3B – Detroit Tigers
Miguel Vargas, 3B – Chicago White Sox
Randy Arozarena, OF – Seattle Mariners
Riley Greene, OF – Detroit Tigers
Drew Rasmussen, SP – Tampa Bay Rays
Dylan Cease, SP – Toronto Blue Jays
Bryce Miller, SP – Seattle Mariners
Parker Messick, SP – Cleveland Guardians
A 12th-round pick by the Yankees in 2021 from Dartmouth College, Ben Rice has slugged his way to his first All-Star Game. The 27-year-old first baseman ranks inside the top 10 in the American League in slugging percentage (.565), home runs (25) and RBI (57) entering play Tuesday. Rice (154 wRC+), Willson Contreras (152), and Yandy Diaz (147) are all very close, but I gave the nod to Rice. He’s a minor league development success story for the big market Yankees. – Nick Shlain
Miguel Vargas has been one of the top breakout hitters in baseball. After hitting 16 home runs over 138 games last season, Vargas has already reached 20 before the break. The breakout is supported by elite batted-ball metrics, such as his 15% barrel rate, which ranks among the best in baseball. The 26-year-old slugger has been a well-rounded contributor both at the plate and on the bases, with 11 stolen bases that make him one of three players with at least 20 homers and double-digit steals. And his incredible 14.3% walk rate has put him in a position to score 61 runs, tied for third in the American League. – Jorge Montanez
Second base in the American League has been a wasteland this season. There are currently only seven qualified players there and Ernie Clement leads the way with a 106 wRC+. While Travis Bazzana slumped hard in June after a red-hot May, he still has both the highest OPS and on-base percentage among all AL second basemen with at least 200 plate appearances. He is the best option among a field without many good options. – James Schiano
Parker Messick is more interesting than a pure stuff guy. His 96 Stuff+ is actually below average, which reminds us not to lean too hard on any one metric. The results hold up under the hood with a 2.80 ERA (86th percentile) on an 18.2% K-BB% (79th) and a 3.21 xERA (85th), so he’s earning most of it rather than getting lucky. A southpaw pounding the zone and missing enough bats to post a top-20% K-BB% over 106 innings is an All-Star. – Brendan Tuma
National League All-Star Starters
C: Drake Baldwin, Atlanta Braves
1B: Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves
2B: Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers
3B: Max Muncy, Dodgers (unanimous)
SS: CJ Abrams, Nationals
Despite missing nearly a month due to an oblique strain, Drake Baldwin has been terrific for the Braves this season, slashing .255/.340/.452 with 15 homers, 48 runs scored and 43 RBI in 66 games. His production has fallen off a bit since returning from the injured list, but he has still been one of the biggest reasons that the Braves find themselves atop the National League East heading into the All-Star break. You could make a case that Hunter Goodman’s recent home run barrage has pushed him past Baldwin as the top catcher in the National League this season, and it would be difficult to argue with that, but given his stellar work behind the dish and the Braves’ perch atop their division, I would still give the slight not to Baldwin. – Dave Shovein
It’s not surprising that some folks went with Bryce Harper, and I did give some consideration to the two-time MVP. Ultimately, Matt Olson has to be the pick. He’s done basically everything you can ask for from a first baseman in 2026 but steal bases, and why are you asking a first baseman to steal bases? That seems kinda cruel. After a pair of disappointing power seasons — if only because the expectations were so high after the 54-dinger campaign in 2023 — it’s fun to see Olson whalloping the baseball. He’s not only deserving of the positional nod, he should hit in the middle of the National League lineup, as well. – Chris Crawford
We believe Brice Turang should be the starting second baseman for the NL, but he didn’t even make the All-Star team. How does that make sense? In fact, Ozzie Albies, who is starting, didn’t even get a single vote from us. Turang ranks 1st among all qualified second basemen in wRC+, 1st in walk rate, 2nd in OPS, 5th in home runs, 5th in steals, and 5th in hard-hit rate. Defensively, he also ranks 5th in Defensive Runs Saved, 5th in fielding percentage, and 6th in Outs Above Average. His all-around skillset should have made him a clear choice to represent the National League. – Eric Samulski
Just to be clear, Otto Lopez also deserves a trip to the Midsummer Classic. However, the case for CJ Abrams as the senior circuit’s starting shortstop is straightforward since he needed just 88 games to match his home run total from last season and is one shy of reaching the 20-homer plateau for the second time in the past three seasons. The 25-year-old speedster has blossomed into Washington’s middle-of-the-order run producer and deserves some recognition for his efforts on a squad that remains just outside of a playoff spot during their ongoing rebuilding effort. Simply put, both Lopez and Abrams should be on their way to Philadelphia and being forced to pick between them is almost unfair. – George Bissell
OF: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs (unanimous)
OF: Juan Soto, New York Mets
OF: James Wood, Washington Nationals
DH: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
Entering play Tuesday, James Wood leads the National League in runs (81), walks (73) and total bases (190, tied with Matt Olson). He ranks inside the top 10 in fWAR (3.7), on-base percentage (.398), slugging percentage (.541), home runs (24), RBI (60), and wRC+ (154). Wood also has 14 stolen bases. His numbers are pretty similar to last year’s first half, when he had 24 home runs, 69 RBI and 12 steals and made the NL All-Star team in his first full season in the major leagues. Fantasy managers have to hope Wood is able to avoid a second-half slump this year, as he hit just .223 with seven home runs and 25 RBI in 62 games after the All-Star Game last year. – Nick Shlain
SP: Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee Brewers
RP: Mason Miller, Padres
Jacob Misiorowski is the best pitcher in MLB right now, and the peripherals back it up. His 1.47 ERA sits on top of a 2.25 SIERA and a 32.5% K-BB%, so it’s earned. Throw in a 126 Stuff+ and a 127 Pitching+, and that’s elite stuff with enough command from a 24-year-old. All five of those metrics are best in the league. Only about a dozen qualified starters have finished a season under a 2.00 ERA in the past 40 years, and Miz has a real shot to join them. – Brendan Tuma
Reserves (others receiving starter votes, plus honorary mention starting pitchers and bench bats:
William Contreras – C, Milwaukee Brewers
Bryce Harper – 1B, Philadelphia Phillies
JJ Wetherholt – 2B, St. Louis Cardinals
Trea Turner, SS – Philadelphia Phillies
Otto Lopez, SS – Miami Marlins
Elly De La Cruz, SS – Cincinnati Reds
Corbin Carroll – OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
Jordan Walker – OF, St. Louis Cardinals
Kyle Schwarber – DH, Philadelphia Phillies
Cristopher Sanchez, SP – Philadelphia Phillies
Chris Sale, SP – Atlanta Braves
Rookies are fun, and JJ Wetherholt leads all NL second basemen in fWAR. He’s hitting just .269 to Luis Arraez’s .326, but he has the slight OBP edge (.364 to .362) anyway, and after playing mostly shortstop previously, he’s put up the best defensive numbers of any second baseman in the league. Brice Turang, who, like Wetherholt, was snubbed from the All-Star team altogether, has a strong case here, too. However, Wetherholt, at just 23, has already made a case as the NL’s best all-around second baseman. – Matthew Pouliot
Otto Lopez made the All-Star team as a reserve infielder over Brice Turang, and while we may not have voted that way, we believed Lopez deserved to make the roster, and he even earned votes to be the starting shortstop. He has taken a swing change and rode it to a breakout season, posting a .346/.376/.520 slash line with nine home runs and 17 steals, both on pace to be new career highs. He also has a career-high barrel rate and hard-hit rate while leading all second basemen with 123 hits and 25 doubles. He has the second-highest zone contact rate of any shortstop in baseball and has been a driving force of a resurgent Marlins team. – Eric Samulski
Jordan Walker got off to a blazing start with nine home runs through April. And while the power has cooled off a bit, he’s continued to hit incredibly well, slashing .290/.353/.526 across 368 plate appearances in what has been a true breakout campaign. The 24-year-old outfielder not only has the power numbers and batting average to support his claim to an All-Star nod, but he also leads the National League in RBI while being one of only three players in baseball with at least 20 home runs and 10 stolen bases. – Jorge Montanez
