NL has advantage entering All-Star Game after MLB reveals starters

From MVPs and Silver Sluggers to fresh faces and fascinating stories, the 2025 MLB All-Star Game starters have a little bit of everything.

Reigning Most Valuable Players Aaron Judge (American League) and Shohei Ohtani (National League) may have outpaced their colleagues in terms of votes, but both will be surrounded with talent when this year’s MLB All-Star Game takes place on July 15 in Atlanta.

On the American League side, Judge is the only member of the AL East-leading Yankees to be named as a starter, with the two-time AL MVP earning one of the outfield spots thanks in part to an MLB-leading OPS+ of 229.

He will be joined in the outfield by a pair of Detroit Tigers in Javier Baez and Riley Greene. The duo has been a key contributor to Detroit’s rise to the top of the division this season.

Another Tiger in the starting lineup will be very familiar to Judge as well, with Gleyber Torres leading all vote-getters at second base. Torres is in his first season in the Motor City after spending eight seasons with the Yankees.

The American League infield fills out with Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first, Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson at shortstop and Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez at third base. Additionally, Seattle’s Cal Raleigh, who will also participate in the Home Run Derby, will be behind the plate and Ryan O’Hearn will represent Baltimore as the designated hitter.

On the National League side, Ohtani will serve as the team’s designated hitter and is expected to be at the top of the batting order, as well as NL and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts alluded to recently. 

Roberts will have other Dodgers in the starting lineup as well, with Freddie Freeman at first base and Will Smith catching.

Elsewhere in the infield, Arizona’s Ketel Marte will be at second base, Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets gets the nod at shortstop and San Diego’s Manny Machado will be at third base.

The NL outfield has a pair of Chicago Cubs as its anchor, with Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker earning starting assignments. Ronald Acuna Jr. is the third outfielder and should be a fan favorite playing in his home park (as well as in the Home Run Derby).

So, which team has the edge? Let’s look at the positions in terms of Wins Above Replacement per Baseball Reference heading into Wednesday’s action.

Infield

American League — Ramirez (2.9), Guerrero Jr. (2.5), Torres (2.2), Wilson (2.1) — 9.7

National League — Marte (2.9), Lindor (2.8), Machado (2.5), Freeman (1.9) — 10.1

Outfield

American League — Judge (6.1), Greene (2.7), Baez (2.2) — 11.0

National League — Crow-Armstrong (4.5), Tucker (4.1), Acuna (2.1) — 10.7

Catcher and designated hitter

American League — Raleigh (4.5) and O’Hearn (1.8) — 6.3

National League — Smith (3.4) and Ohtani (4.0) — 7.4

Total

American League — 27.0

National League — 28.2

On paper, the NL appears to have a slight advantage over its AL counterparts, with Ohtani’s 2.2 bWAR advantage over O’Hearn standing out.

The National League may need every advantage it can get if past All-Star Game results are any indication of what is to come in Atlanta. The American League has won 10 of the last 11 Midsummer Classics, with the NL’s 3-2 win in 2023 in Seattle representing the only anomaly.