Way-Too-Early Predictions for 2026 MLB All-Star Rosters

One of the liveliest sports debates each year centers around the biggest snubs when MLB All-Star Game rosters are selected, so why not get that debate started here in April?

Each month during the 2026 season, leading up to the All-Star roster announcements, we will be giving our best guess at which 64 players will get the call to play in this year's Midsummer Classic.

Future versions will be based on 2026 production, but this first round of predictions is based solely on expectations for the season ahead.

Using the 32-player roster format and sticking to the rule of selecting one player from each of the 30 teams, we have assembled our way-too-early 2026 AL and NL All-Star teams. For consistency, each roster consisted of 20 position players and 12 pitchers.

Let the debate begin!

AL Starting Lineup

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Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

AL Starting Lineup

1. CF Julio Rodríguez, SEA
2. 3B José Ramírez, CLE
3. RF Aaron Judge, NYY
4. DH Yordan Álvarez, HOU
5. 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR
6. SS Bobby Witt Jr., KC
7. 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr., NYY
8. C Shea Langeliers, ATH
9. LF Roman Anthony, BOS

Notes

-Aaron Judge, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bobby Witt Jr. and José Ramírez are an extremely safe starting point to build the American League lineup around. All four are recognizable superstars likely to carry plenty of voting support outside their home markets.

-After posting a 132 OPS+ with 31 home runs last season, Shea Langeliers profiles similarly to Cal Raleigh entering the 2025 season. That's not to suggest Langeliers is going to pop off a 60-homer season, but it's within the realm of possibility that another step forward could earn him the starting AL nod over Raleigh, who he will likely experience some level of regression.

-It's not a stretch to think Roman Anthony could make his first All-Star appearance as part of the AL starting lineup. The AL outfield group is not as deep as its NL counterpart, which opened the door for Javier Báez to find his way into the starting lineup a year ago.

AL Reserves

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Pete Alonso

AL Reserves

C Cal Raleigh, SEA
1B Pete Alonso, BAL
1B Vinnie Pasquainto, KC
2B Ernie Clement, TOR
3B Junior Caminero, TB
SS Kevin McGonigle, DET
SS Zach Neto, LAA
OF Wilyer Abreu, BOS
OF Byron Buxton, MIN
OF Wyatt Langford, TEX
DH Yandy Díaz, TB

Notes

-Vinnie Pasquantino, Ernie Clement, Kevin McGonigle, Zach Neto, Wilyer Abreu and Wyatt Langford would all be first-time All-Star selections. After there were 13 first-timers among position players last year, that might be underselling the newcomer crop.

-First base (Nick Kurtz, Ben Rice, Josh Naylor, Munetaka Murakami) and shortstop (Gunnar Henderson, Corey Seager, Jacob Wilson) were both loaded with snubs, and shortstop in particular will be a fun one to track as the season unfolds.

-If he's healthy and even moderately productive, there's a good chance Mike Trout will find his way onto the AL roster, which could hurt the chances of his teammate Zach Neto getting the call. For now, Neto gets the nod, but keep an eye on that spot as it could shuffle in the next update.

AL Pitchers

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Garrett Crochet

AL Pitchers

SP Hunter Brown, HOU
SP Dylan Cease, TOR
SP Garrett Crochet, BOS
SP Max Fried, NYY
SP MacKenzie Gore, TEX
SP Trevor Rogers, BAL
SP Joe Ryan, MIN
SP Tarik Skubal, DET
SP Gavin Williams, CLE
RP David Bednar, NYY
RP Andrés Muñoz, SEA
RP Grant Taylor, CWS

Notes

-Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet, Hunter Brown and Max Fried finished 1-4 in the AL Cy Young voting a year ago. They are all safe bets to again anchor the staff of four projected playoff contenders.

-Trevor Rogers (12 GS, 1.94 ERA, 71 K, 74.1 IP) and Gavin Williams (12 GS, 2.18 ERA, 78 K, 70.1 IP) were two of the best pitchers in baseball during the second half last season. They would be first-time All-Star selections, but certainly looked the part last summer.

-Grant Taylor is the lone representative for the White Sox. He is an under-the-radar candidate worth keeping an eye on this year. With an upper-90s fastball and wicked breaking stuff, he struck out 54 of the 157 batters he faced in 2025 while logging a 1.42 FIP in 36.2 innings.

AL Team-by-Team Breakdown

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ATH (1): C Shea Langeliers

BAL (2): 1B Pete Alonso, SP Trevor Rogers

BOS (3): OF Roman Anthony, OF Wilyer Abreu, SP Garrett Crochet

CWS (1): RP Grant Taylor

CLE (2): 3B José Ramírez, SP Gavin Williams

DET (2): SS Kevin McGonigle, SP Tarik Skubal

HOU (2): DH Yordan Álvarez, SP Hunter Brown

KC (2): 1B Vinnie Pasquantino, SS Bobby Witt Jr.

LAA (1): SS Zach Neto

MIN (2): OF Byron Buxton, SP Joe Ryan

NYY (4): 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr., OF Aaron Judge, SP Max Fried, RP David Bednar

SEA (3): C Cal Raleigh, OF Julio Rodríguez, RP Andrés Muñoz

TB (2): 3B Junior Caminero, DH Yandy Díaz

TEX (2): OF Wyatt Langford, SP MacKenzie Gore

TOR (3): 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 2B Ernie Clement, SP Dylan Cease

NL Starting Lineup

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Shohei Ohtani

NL Starting Lineup

1. DH Shohei Ohtani, LAD
2. RF Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL
3. LF Juan Soto, NYMM
4. 3B Alex Bregman, CHC
5. 1B Bryce Harper, PHI
6. CF Fernando Tatis Jr., SD
7. SS Trea Turner, PHI
8. C Francisco Alvarez, NYM
9. 2B Brice Turang, MIL

Notes

-After failing to make the All-Star Game in his Mets debut, Juan Soto enters the 2026 season as one of the safest bets to be in the NL starting lineup, alongside Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuña Jr.

-It would have been just as easy to pencil Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts into the starting first base and shortstop spots, given their superstar status, but since the All-Star Game will be played in Philadelphia, Bryce Harper and Trea Turner got the nod.

-In my 10 Bold Predictions for the 2026 MLB Season article that published on March 28, I predicted that Francisco Alvarez would be the NL's starting catcher in the All-Star Game. The 24-year-old had a .921 OPS in 139 plate appearances after the All-Star break last year, and looks ready to take the next step forward.

NL Reserves

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JJ Wetherholt

NL Reserves

C Will Smith, LAD
1B Rafael Devers, SF
2B JJ Wetherholt, STL
3B Manny Machado, SD
SS Francisco Lindor, NYM
SS Ezequiel Tovar, COL
OF Corbin Carroll, ARI
OF Pete Crow-Armstrong, CHC
OF Sal Frelick, MIL
OF James Wood, WAS
DH Kyle Schwarber, PHI

Notes

-There is a lot of star power on the NL reserves list, but there are also three potential first-time All-Star selections in JJ Wetherholt, Ezequiel Tovar and Sal Frelick. Wetherholt and Tovar are the only selections for their respective clubs, but they are also more than capable of earning a spot on merit.

-While it's one of the thinnest positions on the AL side of things, second base is loaded in the NL, and Ketel Marte, Nico Hoerner, Brandon Lowe, Jake Cronenworth and a resurgent Matt McLain all look like potential snubs.

-If there's a big name missing from this list and them not making the roster feels impossible, just remember that Francisco Lindor did not make the NL All-Star team in any of his first four seasons with the Mets. He racked up 21.4 WAR during that stretch, but had to wait until 2025 to make his NL All-Star debut.

NL Pitchers

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NL Pitchers

SP Chase Burns, CIN
SP Nolan McLean, NYM
SP Eury Pérez, MIA
SP Chris Sale, ATL
SP Cristopher Sánchez, PHI
SP Paul Skenes, PIT
SP Logan Webb, SF
SP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, LAD
RP Edwin Díaz, LAD
RP Jhoan Durán, PHI
RP Mason Miller, SD
RP Daniel Palencia, CHC

Notes

-With the Phillies set to host the 2026 All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park, the smart money might be on Cristopher Sánchez to be the starting pitcher for the National League.

-Chase Burns, Nolan McLean, Eury Pérez and Daniel Palencia would all be first-time All-Star selections, but all four have the elite stuff and remaining projection to emerge as stars for their respective clubs in 2026.

-There have been a lot of good collections of relief pitchers assembled on All-Star teams over the years, but a bullpen of Mason Miller, Edwin Díaz, Jhoan Durán and Palencia, who just closed out the United States in the WBC title game, would rival any of them.

NL Team-by-Team Breakdown

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ARI (1): OF Corbin Carroll

ATL (2): OF Ronald Acuña Jr., SP Chris Sale

CHC (3): 3B Alex Bregman, OF Pete Crow-Armstrong, RP Daniel Palencia

CIN (1): SP Chase Burns

COL (1): SS Ezequiel Tovar

LAD (4): C Will Smith, DH Shohei Ohtani, SP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RP Edwin Díaz

MIA (1): SP Eury Pérez

MIL (2): 2B Brice Turang, OF Sal Frelick

NYM (4): C Francisco Alvarez, SS Francisco Lindor, OF Juan Soto, SP Nolan McLean

PHI (5): 1B Bryce Harper, SS Trea Turner, DH Kyle Schwarber, SP Cristopher Sánchez, RP Jhoan Durán

PIT (1): SP Paul Skenes

SD (3): 3B Manny Machado, OF Fernando Tatis Jr., RP Mason Miller

SF (2): 1B Rafael Devers, SP Logan Webb

STL (1): 2B JJ Wetherholt

WAS (1): OF James Wood