Good news, baseball fans: For this year's All-Star Game in Atlanta, players will return to wearing their primary home and road uniforms, the long-standing tradition that MLB went away from for the past four contests.
Which players will be competing? It's never too soon to speculate, so let's pick rosters for our annual Way-Too-Early 2025 MLB All-Stars exercise.
The National League roster was much more difficult to select this year. Consider the top four players to switch teams this offseason: Juan Soto left the New York Yankees to sign with the New York Mets; Kyle Tucker was traded from the Houston Astros to the Chicago Cubs; Corbin Burnes left the Baltimore Orioles for the Arizona Diamondbacks; and Roki Sasaki signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. That's four new stars in the NL and three fewer in the American League.
In addition to the NL's new stars, it also had an absolutely loaded rookie class from 2024: Paul Skenes, Jackson Merrill, Jackson Chourio, Masyn Winn, James Wood, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Spencer Schwellenbach and Jared Jones, not to mention the two Japanese veterans, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga.
As always, we follow the MLB All-Star rules: 32-man rosters, 20 position players (including at least two at each position) and 12 pitchers (including at least three relievers), with a representative from each team.
National League
Catcher: William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers
Contreras now has two All-Star starts in his three full seasons in the majors: at DH in 2022 with Atlanta and then last season behind the plate with Milwaukee. His bat is so valuable to the Brewers that he started 120 games at catcher and another 35 as the DH in 2024. Expect a similar heavy workload in 2025.
Backup: Will Smith, Dodgers
This could go to a defensive stalwart like Patrick Bailey or Gabriel Moreno, but All-Star nods usually favor the offense-first players, so we'll go with Smith, who has been an All-Star the past two seasons.
First base: Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
Harper's profile has changed very little through the years. As Harper, 32, enters this season, there is no sign of deterioration in his skills or production. He's on his way to 500 home runs and the Hall of Fame. All he needs is a ring.
Backup: Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves
Expect Olson to bounce back, maybe not to his MVP-caliber level of 2023 when he mashed 54 home runs, but better than this past season. What about Freddie Freeman, who hasn't missed an All-Star Game since 2017? Well, he's now 35 years old, his numbers fell off last season (first time he hit under .295 since 2015 and he declined from 90 extra-base hits to 59) and he was beat up by the World Series, playing through not only the ankle injury that required offseason surgery but also broken cartilage in his rib cage. I'll go with the younger player here.
Second base: Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks
Marte was in the MVP conversation in mid-August when he sprained his ankle and missed three weeks. It wouldn't have mattered because of Shohei Ohtani's impressive performance down the stretch anyway, but Marte still finished with 36 home runs. His transformation to an MVP-caliber player from a 21-year-old shortstop when he debuted with Seattle is one of the great success stories of the past decade. Note this as well: His walk rate in 2016 ranked in the fifth percentile; in 2024, he ranked in the 85th percentile. Marte became a stronger hitter -- but he also became a better all-around hitter.
Backup: Matt McLain, Cincinnati Reds
This is a tough call with slick fielders Nico Hoerner and Brice Turang in the mix, but McLain hit .290/.357/.507 as a rookie in 2023 before missing this past season following shoulder surgery. The Reds felt confident enough in McLain's return to trade away Jonathan India, so let's predict a nice comeback season for the second baseman.
Third base: Austin Riley, Braves
One of those Atlanta players who couldn't stay healthy in 2024, Riley got off to a bad start, missed a couple weeks with an injury and then hit .275/.339/.531 in June, July and August -- only to break his hand and miss the final six weeks. He's a two-time All-Star, but let's predict a return to his usual 30-something home runs and first All-Star start.
Backup: Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants
Since his first full season in 2018, Chapman ranks sixth in the majors in WAR among position players -- yet has made just one All-Star Game, with the A's in 2019. That's one less All-Star appearance than Whit Merrifield and the same as Joey Wendle.
Shortstop: Elly De La Cruz, Reds
Yes, we're going with De La Cruz as the starter at shortstop even though Mookie Betts falls into this category, since that's where the Dodgers have said they intend to play him. In general, we're going with the younger players here -- De La Cruz over Betts and Francisco Lindor, Riley over Matt Chapman and Manny Machado at third. De La Cruz's strikeout and whiff rates are worrisome, but he was still a five-win player in his first full season. He improved his chase rate (he was above average in that category) and his average launch angle. With further improvement in those categories, he should soar past 30 home runs this season.
Backups: Mookie Betts, Dodgers; Francisco Lindor, Mets
If he does start at shortstop, Betts would become the first player to start an All-Star Game at both shortstop and outfield. Robin Yount started twice at shortstop and won MVP awards as a shortstop and center fielder, but he never even made an All-Star team as an outfielder. Fernando Tatis Jr. started at shortstop in 2021 and was a backup outfielder in 2024, so he could match Betts in this achievement with an All-Star start as well.
As for Lindor, he, Carlos Correa, Corey Seager and Trea Turner all came up around the same time and soon became four of the top all-around players in the game. A couple years ago, they were still pretty even in career value, but it's clear Lindor has pulled ahead -- Correa and Seager have dealt with injuries while Turner's defense is starting to become an issue. As Lindor enters his age-31 season just shy of 50 career WAR, it appears he has a chance to become one of the top 10 shortstops of all time. Derek Jeter, Alan Trammell and Barry Larkin are at Nos. 9, 10 and 11, all sitting around 70 career WAR. Lindor's two-way value should allow his career WAR total to climb into that range.
Outfield: Juan Soto, Mets; Kyle Tucker, Cubs; Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks
Soto had his best slash line since 2021 last season (.288/.419/.569) and set a career high with 41 home runs. How much did Aaron Judge and Yankee Stadium help? The latter part of the question is easy: It didn't. Soto had a higher OPS and more home runs on the road. Batting in front of Judge probably wasn't much of a factor either. Soto's in-zone pitch rate was the same as the previous two seasons: 47.4% in 2024, 47.5% in 2023, 47.6% in 2022. His biggest change was getting the ball in the air a little more often -- 31.3% of his balls in play were in the optimal range of 10 to 30 degrees compared to 25% the previous two seasons. If he does that again, he'll have another great offensive season.
Tucker is right there alongside Soto in terms of WAR per 162 games since 2022: Both have 6.5. Tucker was having his best season yet in 2024 when he fractured his shin in June and didn't return until September. He won't get the caliber of contract Soto got when he hits free agency next season -- Tucker is three years older -- but Soto's deal will certainly help Tucker land more money. If Ohtani falls back to Earth or Soto's power drops back, Tucker could emerge as an MVP candidate this season.
Carroll made some tweaks to his swing mechanics before the 2024 season, hoping to improve against up-and-in pitches and better handle high-end velocity. It led to a slow start -- he was hitting under .200 in early June -- but everything eventually clicked and he hit .259/.351/.568 in the second half. If he does that again, Carroll will return to the All-Star status he had as a rookie in 2023.
Backups: Jackson Merrill, San Diego Padres; Jackson Chourio, Brewers; Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres; Brenton Doyle, Colorado Rockies
The Jacksons will always be linked together due to their first names and their coming up together the same season. Both had astonishing rookie seasons given their lack of experience in the upper minors and both got better as the season progressed: Merrill hit .326/.353/.535 in the second half, Chourio hit .310/.363/.552. Who's better? The debate will continue in 2025. Tatis battled through a stress reaction in his leg last season, so expect better numbers in 2025, especially on defense. Doyle is our Rockies representative, a supremely gifted center fielder (Gold Gloves his first two seasons) whose offense took a huge -- and surprising -- leap forward.
Designated hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
With his historic 50/50 season, Ohtani became the 11th member of the three-time MVP club -- only Barry Bonds, with seven, has more -- and did it in a year he didn't pitch. For now, the Dodgers are planning on Ohtani returning to the mound sometime in May. He's not likely to approach 59 stolen bases again as he pulls double duty (especially after injuring his non-throwing shoulder in the World Series), but if he makes 15 to 20 starts on the mound at his previous level, that only enhances his MVP odds.
Backup: Marcell Ozuna, Braves
Ozuna ranked second to Ohtani among NL hitters in wRC+ this past season and has clubbed 79 home runs the past two seasons. Ozuna, 34, shows no signs of slowing down.
Starting pitcher: Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates
Last year, Skenes became just the fifth rookie pitcher to start an All-Star Game -- the first since Hideo Nomo in 1995 and the first real rookie since Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 (Nomo was 26 and had pitched in Japan for five seasons). Skenes had made just 11 starts at the time, but it was no fluke: He finished 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA, 170 strikeouts in 133 innings and 5.9 WAR. On a per-inning basis, he was the best pitcher in the majors, probably the first time you could say that about a rookie starter since Dwight Gooden in 1984. There's no reason not to expect more of the same, just with a bump in innings.
Others: Zack Wheeler, Phillies; Corbin Burnes, Diamondbacks; Dylan Cease, Padres; Justin Steele, Cubs; Hunter Greene, Reds; Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins; Spencer Schwellenbach, Braves; MacKenzie Gore, Washington Nationals
The first three guys are established stars. Steele has a 3.07 ERA over the past two seasons. Greene had his breakout season in 2024 and actually led NL pitchers in Baseball-Reference WAR. Let's hope Alcantara is back to form after missing 2024 with Tommy John surgery -- although, if he gets off to a strong start, there's a chance he gets traded before the All-Star break. Gore represents the Nationals while Schwellenbach is my sleeper pick, even over teammate and Cy Young winner Chris Sale (an injury risk). Schwellenbach is a strike-throwing machine who had a 3.37 ERA as a rookie and excelled at getting batters to chase out of the zone. The stuff is there as well, including a fastball that averaged 95.9 mph.
Note that this group includes no Dodgers, not due to lack of talent, of course, as Ohtani, Yamamoto, Sasaki, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell all have obvious All-Star ability. Snell might be my first choice, but he's been a notorious second-half pitcher throughout his career. Mostly, however, the Dodgers are going to use a six-man rotation -- plus they're going to be extremely cautious on the innings for this group, all of whom were injured at some point last season. The per-inning value of the Dodgers rotation is high, but none of them might pitch enough innings to become an All-Star.
Relievers: Tanner Scott, Dodgers; Ryan Helsley, St. Louis Cardinals; Trevor Megill, Brewers
Scott might not be the every-day closer -- it's possible Dodgers manager Dave Roberts deploys him in the most critical moments of games -- but he's emerged as one of the best relievers in the game. Helsley is our only Cardinals player, although he makes it on merit after saving 49 games in 2024 with a 2.04 ERA. He's also a potential trade piece if St. Louis falls off early. Megill takes over as Milwaukee's full-time closer following the Devin Williams trade -- and proved he can handle the job after recording 21 saves with a 2.72 ERA last season when Williams was out with an injury.
American League
Catcher: Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners
Raleigh easily led AL catchers in both Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs WAR, won the Platinum Glove as the top overall defender in the AL, hit 34 home runs, drove in 100 runs and led all catchers in innings caught. The only thing he doesn't do is hit for a high average. He's unlikely to be voted in as the starter -- the Mariners haven't had an All-Star starter since Nelson Cruz started at DH in 2015 -- but he has a strong case as the No. 1 catcher in the AL.
Backup: Adley Rutschman, Orioles
Rutschman was hitting .300/.351/.479 on June 27 when he got hit on the hand by a foul ball. After missing a game, he was back in the lineup -- and while he later said there were no lingering effects, he hit .189 with just four home runs the rest of the season. Something happened. He should be back in 2025.
First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
After a slow start in April, Guerrero blitzed through the final five months, hitting .345/.412/.590 the rest of the way and finishing sixth in the MVP voting. He doesn't have much competition at first base so he should earn his fourth starting nod in the past five seasons.
Backup: Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City Royals
Assuming there are no residual effects from the broken thumb, I think Pasquantino has a big year in him. He combines elite contact ability with power (80th percentile hard-hit rate) and he's in his age-27 season -- the most common age for a player to have a career season. You could go with Yandy Diaz, the 2023 batting champ, or new Astros first baseman Christian Walker, but we'll go with the younger player.
Second base: Jose Altuve, Astros
Altuve, turning 35 in May, hasn't slowed much at the plate and remains the best-hitting second baseman in the AL -- although it was a weak group in 2024. AL second basemen had a .664 OPS while NL second basemen had a .704 OPS. Indeed, AL second basemen had the lowest OPS of any position group -- worse than both AL and NL catchers.
Backup: Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees
This could be Marcus Semien, who was still a four-win player in 2024, but that was due more to volume and defense, as his hitting fell off significantly. Chisholm will move over to second in his first full season with the Yankees and his pull-hitting approach will benefit from Yankee Stadium.
Third base: Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians
Ramirez keeps rolling along and is finally no longer underrated (even though everyone still tries to call him underrated). In 2024, he matched his career high with 39 home runs, set a career high with 41 stolen bases and finished fifth in the MVP voting. As with his former teammate Lindor, he has a strong chance of approaching all-time top-10 status at his position. The No. 8 and 9 players in career WAR are Ron Santo (70.5) and Scott Rolen (70.1). Ramirez is at 52.4 entering his age-32 season, coming off a 6.8-WAR season. His game should continue to age well: He's never struck out 100 times in a season, which bodes well for more long-term success.
Backup: Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox
The three-time All-Star remains a consistent run producer -- between 20 and 31 runs created above average each full season since 2019 -- and is still just 28 years old. His whiff and strikeout rates did go up last season, so keep an eye on that.
Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr., Royals
One way to put Witt's season in perspective: He created an estimated 56 runs more than an average hitter, which is the highest total for a shortstop since Alex Rodriguez in 2001 and the ninth highest ever for a shortstop (A-Rod has three of those eight seasons). It's going be difficult for Witt to top this past year's numbers -- .332/.389/.588, 9.4 WAR -- but if he improves his chase rate (25th percentile) and attacks fewer pitches off the plate, we can dream of even more damage on pitches in the zone.
Backups: Gunnar Henderson, Orioles; Corey Seager, Texas Rangers
Henderson and Witt were both drafted in 2019, but Henderson is a year younger. Witt improved dramatically from his age-23 to his age-24 season, so if there's more growth yet to come from Henderson -- like matching his first-half numbers over an entire season -- he could still surpass Witt as the top shortstop in the majors.
Seager has made the All-Star team all three seasons since signing with the Rangers, including starting in 2023. He might have peaked offensively that year when he hit .327 with 33 home runs and 42 doubles -- en route to a World Series title -- but he still popped 30 home runs in 123 games in 2024 and his defensive metrics remain surprisingly good despite his lack of foot speed.
Outfield: Aaron Judge, Yankees; Jarren Duran, Red Sox; Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
Can Judge do it again? As with Witt, it feels unfair to expect this level of production again, but we said that about Judge's 2022 season and he was even better in 2024. Judge has now averaged 52 home runs per 162 games in his career. Babe Ruth, from 1920 to the end of his career, averaged 51 home runs per 162 games. Judge has been much more durable over the past four seasons, missing time only with that toe injury in 2023. With two MVP awards now, he'll be looking to join that exclusive three-time club. I wouldn't bet against him.
Duran being here is confirmation that I'm buying his 2024 season: .285, 83 extra-base hits, 8.7 WAR. OK, maybe not that 8.7 WAR, but the all-around game was impressive, from his bat-to-ball metrics to his defense to his top-of-the-line speed. His swing decisions were much improved as he jumped from the ninth percentile in barrel rate to the 87th, which helps explain all those extra-base hits.
Now, for our last starting outfielder. For the most part, I've stayed away from injury-prone players and older players, let alone injury-prone older players. However, Trout is entering his age-33 season and has averaged just 67 games the past four seasons. Last year was also the first time in his career he wasn't an All-Star. So, yes, maybe there's some wishful thinking here, but we need an Angels player anyway and Trout can still hit (he slugged .541 in his 29 games in 2024). So, if he's healthy, there's a good chance the fans will vote him in as a starter.
Backups: Julio Rodriguez, Mariners; Wyatt Langford, Rangers; Cody Bellinger, Yankees; Luis Robert Jr., Chicago White Sox
J-Rod is still just 24 years old, but it's hard to ignore the trend line: 6.2 WAR as a rookie in 2022 to 5.3 to 4.3; an OPS+ of 147 as a rookie to 130 to 116. A young player should be improving, but Rodriguez hasn't due to his high chase rate. He did finish strong, hitting .328 with seven home runs in September, so the Mariners can only hope that carries over. Langford had a solid rookie campaign, showed more power in the second half and looks poised for a breakout season, especially since he was just drafted in 2023. Like Chisholm, Bellinger has a swing made for Yankee Stadium, and like Rodriguez and Langford, adds defensive value as well. We need somebody from the White Sox and Robert certainly has the highest ceiling of any player on the roster, so we'll go with him -- assuming he doesn't get traded.
Designated hitter: Yordan Alvarez, Astros
There's always worry about those knees, but he has a strong argument for being the second-best hitter in baseball: Over the past three seasons, only Judge has a higher wRC+, with Ohtani third behind Alvarez.
Backup: Brent Rooker, Athletics
Rooker bashed 39 home runs in 2024 -- including 24 on the road. Sacramento is going to be much more of an offensive-minded park than Oakland, so that makes Rooker a sleeper pick to lead the majors in home runs.
Starting pitcher: Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers
The unanimous Cy Young winner after leading the AL in ERA, wins, strikeouts and WAR, Skubal is an easy call as the top AL starter entering the season. The only question is if he can carry the same workload in back-to-back seasons and maintain his dominance. We just don't know, given his innings totals since 2021: 149, 117, 80, 192.
Others: Cole Ragans, Royals; Hunter Brown, Astros; Framber Valdez, Astros; Bryce Miller, Mariners; Logan Gilbert, Mariners; Garrett Crochet, Red Sox; Pablo Lopez, Minnesota Twins; Ryan Pepiot, Tampa Bay Rays
Ragans was fourth in the Cy Young voting and, similar to Skubal, must now prove he can handle 185 innings or so in back-to-back seasons. Brown was one of the best pitchers in baseball from late May on (2.27 ERA over his final 21 starts) while teammate Valdez was likewise dominant in the second half (1.96 ERA). The Mariners have five starters who have All-Star potential, but Gilbert was an All-Star this past season and I see Miller getting there in 2025 after going 12-8 with a 2.94 ERA in 2024. Crochet was a revelation as a starter and could be even better now that he's switched teams and has a better defense behind him. Lopez is the Twins' only rep but a worthy candidate regardless. The Rays? Shane McClanahan was the All-Star starter in 2022 and an All-Star again in 2023 before missing all of 2024 with Tommy John surgery. He's back but on limited innings to start the season, so let's go with Pepiot, who can improve on his 3.60 ERA from 2024 if he cuts down the walks just a bit.
Key omissions: Max Fried, Gerrit Cole and Jacob deGrom. Maybe we're underestimating Fried, as he went 5-1 with a 1.96 ERA in nine interleague starts (and now has made the jump from the NL to the AL) and won't have to face the Phillies as often after going 0-2 with a 5.66 ERA against them in four starts. With Cole and deGrom, the injury risk keeps them out of my top tier heading into the season. DeGrom returned at the end of 2024 to make three starts and his fastball averaged 97.3 mph, so there's a chance -- even as he turns 37 in June -- that the old version of him resurfaces.
Relievers: Emmanuel Clase, Guardians; Devin Williams, Yankees; Mason Miller, Athletics
His shocking postseason meltdowns notwithstanding, Clase remains the best closer in the majors ... unless it's Williams, who had his own postseason collapse. So maybe it will be Miller, who struck out 104 batters in 65 innings as a rookie All-Star in 2024. Left off: Josh Hader, who had some gopher ball issues with the Astros and surrendered 12 home runs.