Learn our story on the balloting format, which incorporates two phases of fan voting to find out the All-Star starters.
Section 1 of the balloting for the 2025 MLB All-Star Recreation introduced by Mastercard at Truist Park in Atlanta is underway, permitting followers to vote for the beginning place gamers in each leagues.
Listed here are among the most attention-grabbing storylines we’ll be following because the voting progresses.
(All stats under are by means of Tuesday.)
1. Will Decide repeat as main vote-getter?
A participant hasn’t repeated because the main All-Star Recreation vote-getter since Alex Rodriguez did it as a member of the Yankees in 2007-08, however there’s a superb likelihood that drought will come to an finish in 2025.
Yankees slugger Aaron Decide earned that distinction final yr — marking the second time in three years that he was the main vote-getter — en path to his second American League MVP Award. Decide is having an excellent higher season in 2025, so he ought to obtain overwhelming assist from All-Star voters.
After all, we will’t rely out reigning Nationwide League MVP Shohei Ohtani. Coming off the primary 50-50 season in baseball historical past, the Dodgers famous person is tied for the MLB lead with 23 homers and ranks third within the Majors with a 1.039 OPS. Considerably surprisingly, Ohtani has by no means been MLB’s main vote-getter.
2. The NL outfield is loaded
Deciding on the NL’s beginning outfield might be going to be the hardest name for followers, as a result of, boy, is that this group ever filled with star energy.
We’ve to start out with the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong, a budding famous person and potential NL MVP candidate within the midst of his first full MLB season. We already knew Crow-Armstrong was going to be a stellar defender and baserunner, however his bat additionally has damaged out in 2025. The 23-year-old leads the NL with 3.6 WAR (per FanGraphs), having recorded a 143 wRC+ with 15 homers and 21 steals whereas enjoying elite protection in heart subject.
However Crow-Armstrong isn’t even the one robust beginning candidate on the Cubs. There’s additionally Kyle Tucker, who has recorded 12 homers, 16 steals, a 155 wRC+ and a pair of.5 WAR for Chicago after coming over from the Astros in an offseason commerce.
Elsewhere, the Nationals’ James Wooden has the best wRC+ (162) amongst NL outfielders to associate with his 16 dingers, so the 22-year-old must be within the combine as nicely. The D-backs’ Corbin Carroll additionally has a case. Amongst NL outfielders, Carroll leads everybody with 18 homers and ranks second behind Crow-Armstrong in WAR (3.0).
And we will’t overlook about 2023 NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr., who has seemed unbelievable in his return from a torn left ACL on Could 23. Acuña has performed solely 10 video games in 2025, however primarily based on his total physique of labor and dynamic talent set, he might earn critical consideration from the followers.
3. Will Witt get his first beginning nod, or will an upstart crash the celebration?
Given he went on to complete second behind Decide within the AL MVP voting, it’s straightforward to overlook that Bobby Witt Jr. didn’t begin the All-Star Recreation for the AL in 2024. Moderately, the Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson gained the vote.
However whereas Witt is having one other great yr — and totally outperforming Henderson — that doesn’t imply he’s a lock to earn his first All-Star begin. Witt’s hitting stats are down some from 2025, leaving the door open for one more AL shortstop to win the fan vote.
The Athletics’ Jacob Wilson? He’s batting .355 with the best wRC+ (156) amongst qualifying shortstops — and as a rookie, no much less. The Astros’ Jeremy Peña? He has extra homers (9) and a greater wRC+ (143) than Witt and is correct behind the Royals famous person in WAR, 3.0 to 2.9. The Angels’ Zach Neto? He leads all AL shortstops with 10 homers regardless of lacking the primary few weeks of the marketing campaign whereas recovering from shoulder surgical procedure. Every of them presents a authentic menace to Witt’s bid for his first All-Star begin.
4. The Tigers have MLB’s finest file — however how will they fare within the voting?
Will probably be attention-grabbing to see how a lot assist the Tigers’ place gamers obtain as balloting will get underway. Detroit has raced out to the perfect file in baseball, however it has executed so with out the type of star energy that often dominates All-Star ballots, counting on a well-rounded lineup missing headline-grabbing names.
You must return to Miguel Cabrera in 2014 to seek out the final Tigers participant who began the All-Star Recreation. (Cabrera additionally gained the fan vote in 2015 however missed the sport attributable to an damage.) Whereas first baseman Spencer Torkelson, second baseman Gleyber Torres and outfielders Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter ought to all be in competition to win the fan vote, the Tigers’ finest likelihood to finish that drought may very well come from reigning AL Cy Younger Award winner Tarik Skubal, who’s a robust candidate to get the beginning nod on the mound from AL supervisor Aaron Boone.
5. Raleigh might make Mariners historical past
On observe to put up one of many best seasons by a catcher in MLB historical past, Cal Raleigh is prone to earn his first All-Star choice in 2025. He’s tied with Ohtani for the MLB lead with 23 homers and ranks second behind Decide with 3.8 WAR, whereas slashing .259/.374/.625 with a 183 wRC+.
If he wins the fan vote, Raleigh would additionally finish a franchise-long drought, turning into the primary Seattle catcher to start out the All-Star Recreation. Thus far, Dan Wilson — now the membership’s supervisor — is the one Seattle catcher to be an All-Star, doing so in 1996.
6. The Cardinals might finish a 39-year drought
Very like the Mariners, the Playing cards could possibly be positioned to finish a prolonged All-Star drought. A St. Louis second baseman hasn’t began the All-Star Recreation since 1985, when Tom Herr did it, however Brendan Donovan has a superb likelihood to win the fan vote this yr.
The 28-year-old leads all second basemen in WAR (2.2) whereas slashing .321/.384/.462 over 57 video games, and his 140 wRC+ is 34 factors greater than that of the next-closest certified NL second baseman, the Cubs’ Nico Hoerner.
That stated, Donovan might face a robust problem from the D-backs’ Ketel Marte, who missed a lot of April with a left hamstring pressure however has put up 10 homers and a 177 wRC+ over 34 video games in 2025.
7. Can Lindor get some love?
For as nice of a profession as he’s having, you’d suppose Francisco Lindor would have began the All-Star Recreation earlier than, however every of his 4 All-Star choices have come as a reserve. Furthermore, he hasn’t made the All-Star workforce in any respect since 2019, when he was nonetheless with Cleveland. Which signifies that, throughout his time with the Mets, Lindor has obtained MVP votes in three seasons (ending second in 2024) with out incomes a single All-Star choice.
Granted, a part of the issue is that Lindor has been a notoriously sluggish starter in recent times, so he hasn’t had a compelling All-Star case in most of them. That isn’t a difficulty in 2025 — he’s hitting .284 with 14 homers, 11 steals and an .854 OPS for a first-place Mets workforce.
If Lindor wins the fan vote, he’d turn out to be the third Mets shortstop to take action, becoming a member of José Reyes (3 times) and Bud Harrelson (1971). The membership hasn’t had an All-Star starter at quick since Reyes in 2007.