2026 MLB All-Star Game: Predicting the first draft of the Midsummer Classic
Voting has closed for Phase 2 of voting for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia on July 14. There were two finalists in each area (six outfielders) advanced based on the number of votes in Phase 1. Also, the top vote-getter in each league is unopposed here, so Ernie Clement of the Blue Jays is the American League’s second-place starter while Shohei Ohtani is the National League’s starting DH.
We’ll get the full starting lineup on Saturday, though we won’t know the lineup until Monday before the game. However, we can make predictions here.
Who will emerge as starters? Let’s project both starting lines before explaining each positional battle.
The American League starts the game
- Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Royals
- Mike Trout, CF, Angels
- Yordan Alvarez, DH, Astros
- Junior Caminero, 3B, Rays
- Cody Bellinger, LF, Yankees
- Byron Buxton, RF, Twins
- Shea Langeliers, C, Athletics
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Blue Jays
- Ernie Clement, 2B, Blue Jays
Aaron Judge is going to be injured right off the break. Trout may be, too, but they may also return. We’ll replace Bellinger with Judge and leave Trout there. Let’s hope he succeeds. He has not played in an All-Star Game since 2019.
Starting pitcher: Cam Schlittler, Yankees
The first team in the National League
- Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF, Cubs
- Shohei Ohtani, DH, Dodgers
- Andy Pages, RF, Dodgers
- Freddie Freeman, 1B, Dodgers
- Max Muncy, 3B, Dodgers
- Brandon Marsh, LF, Phillies
- Drake Baldwin, C, Braves
- Mookie Betts, SS, Dodgers
- Ozzie Albies, 2B, Braves
Ronald Acuña Jr. he’s out with an injury and it doesn’t look like he’ll be back in time. We need a replacement, so I went with Crow-Armstrong, who leads MLB position players in WAR and is on pace for his second straight 30-30 season.
The jar starts: Christopher Sanchez, Phillies
American League position battles
First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays) vs. Ben Rice (Yankees)
Something that hangs heavily over Phase 2 voting is the way Blue Jays fans packed the ballot box in Phase 1. Toronto players are everywhere here. That would go well, but there’s also a chance that this encourages backlash from some fans, causing them to vote non-Jays. I also wonder if enough Jays fans are frustrated with Guerrero and jumping ship? Still, Guerrero almost doubled Rice’s vote total in the 1st round.
Prediction: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Second baseman: Ernie Clement (Blue Jays)
The 30-year-old Clement surprisingly led all American League players with 3,232,932 votes in Division 1 to earn first place in his first All-Star game.
Third base: Junior Caminero (Rays) vs. Kazuma Okamoto (Blue Jays)
Caminero should win this thing easily. He has an OPS nearly 200 points better than Okamoto, for example, and is one of the brightest stars in baseball. Okamoto got the most votes in the 1st round, but it was really close, and I’ll say the Blue Jays’ backsliding in the polls carries the right pick.
Prediction: Little Caminero
Shortstop: Andrés Giménez (Blue Jays) vs. Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals)
Giménez is not in the All-Star Game and Witt is arguably the best player in the AL, if not all of baseball (the non-Ohtani division). I’m afraid the Jays will be swamped here, but I’ll say common sense prevailed, especially since Witt got nearly a million votes in Section 1.
Prediction: Bobby Witt Jr.
Catcher: Alejandro Kirk (Blue Jays) vs. Shea Langeliers (Athletics)
Similar sentiments here, but the Langeliers don’t have nearly the same name recognition, fame or talent as Witt. Kirk has only played 19 games so far and has hit pretty badly. Fortunately, Langeliers received the most votes in the 1st category.
Prediction: Shea Langeliers
The outdoor arena
- Cody Bellinger (Yankees)
- Byron Buxton (Twins)
- Aaron Judge (Yankees)
- Jesús Sánchez (Blue Jays)
- Mike Trout (Angels)
- Daulton Varsho (Blue Jays)
Judge, Trout and Buxton were the top three in Section 1 and have the most name recognition. Trout and Judge are pretty safe while Buxton has less than 200,000 votes on Bellinger, so that spot seems to be in play. I will say it sticks to the status quo, though.
Prediction: Byron Buxton, Aaron Judge, Mike Trout
DH: Yordan Alvarez (Astros) vs. George Springer (Blue Jays)
Alvarez is the youngest Springer in Division 1 voting and is having his best year yet. You will catch it.
Prediction: Jordan Alvarez
Starting pitcher: Cam Schlittler (Yankees)
The kid was great in the second half last season, had a historic playoff game and now leads the AL with a 2.08 ERA in 18 starts. He was the favorite in a trade that started the year with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon in the IL and then sent Max Fried there later.
National League position battles
First base: Freddie Freeman (Dodgers) vs. Matt Olson (Braves)
Olson is having a great year, but Freeman is absolutely miserable at the plate for the two-time defending champion Dodgers, a team with a huge following. The future Hall of Famer led by a respectable margin in Division 1 and gets the nod here.
Prediction: Freddie Freeman
Second base: Ozzie Albies (Braves) vs. Bryson Stott (Phillies)
This was very close to Phase 1 and there is no total vote count. Albies is a good choice, but I wonder about the level of motivation the right fans have here with the Braves’ recent poor play and the Phillies’ surge. I’m going to say Stott is suspended, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins.
Prediction: Ozzie Albies
Third base: Max Muncy (Dodgers) vs. Alec Bohm (Phillies)
Muncy had more than double the votes of Bohm in the 1st round and I’m not sure why things would change this time.
Prediction: Max Muncy
Shortstop: CJ Abrams (Nationals) vs. Mookie Betts (Dodgers)
Abrams is having the better year overall, but Betts has the MVP, the rings and the Hall of Fame pedigree, not to mention the Dodgers’ fan base behind him. Abrams received the most votes in the first round, but Betts is hot on the heels and may see an increase in votes. I will take him.
Prediction: Mookie Betts
Player: Drake Baldwin (Braves) vs. Will Smith (Dodgers)
First of all, it’s crazy to me that MLB puts the catcher below the infielders on the ball. It even goes by “scoring” order with the shortstop (6 on the scorecard) coming after third base (5), so why is the catcher (2) behind? Which is funny.
Anyway, sorry for the tangent. Baldwin led Smith by a fairly large margin in the first round. Right now he’s in a big funk at the plate, but I feel like he’ll take this round again. Maybe I only say this because of the three Dodgers predictions so far. I’m not sure. It will be close here.
Prediction: Drake Baldwin
The outdoor arena
- Ronald Acuña Jr. (Braves)
- Michael Harris II (Braves)
- Teoscar Hernández (Dodgers)
- Brandon Marsh (Phillies)
- Andy Pages (Dodgers)
- Juan Soto (Mets)
Believe it or not, Soto — one of MLB’s most popular and recognizable stars and who plays in a megamarket — is ranked fifth here in Division 1. As the Mets’ season seems to be losing more and more each day, it seems likely that he will be released. The pages are led in category 1 and should be easy to get into, given who you’re playing for and how good you’ve been. The same sentiment applies to Marsh (second) and Acuña (third).
Prediction: Ronald Acuña Jr., Brandon Marsh, Andy Pages
Designated hitter: Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)
As the NL’s leading vote getter with 3,341,257 votes, Ohtani has earned his place in the starting lineup as he makes his sixth consecutive All-Star Game appearance.
Starting pitcher: Christopher Sanchez, Phillies
There are two things working for Sanchez. First, the game is in Philadelphia and it appears that NL manager Dave Roberts will award bonus points for selecting the starter to hit a home run. Second, another tippy-top candidate (in a loaded field, mind you) is Jacob Misiorowski and he’s currently scheduled to play the Sunday before the All-Star game, knocking him out of the mix. Sanchez is a worthy choice without these two things. They simply thumbed their noses at the difficult decision.
