MLB announced its full All-Star Game rosters on Sunday, but as always, there were some major snubs. Here are Chris Driscoll’s picks for the American League starters — the players who’d get the nod if it were up to him, not the fan voters.
Stats are accurate as of July 4, 2025.
Catcher: Cal Raleigh
We’ll start with the easiest selection on the list. Not only has Cal Raleigh been the best catcher in MLB this year, but I’m not sure the last time I’ve seen a catcher dominate so much at the plate. Out of all catchers in the American League who have played over 40 games, Raleigh is the only one with a WRC+ above 121. Oh, and yeah, his WRC+ is 180. You can disagree with some of my selections, but I’m not this is one of them.
Cal Raleigh’s historic season continues 👀
Here are some of the records he is chasing:
Most home runs in a season in the American League: Aaron Judge (62)
Most home runs in a season by a Mariners player: Ken Griffey Jr. (56)
Most home runs in a season by a switch-hitter: Mickey… pic.twitter.com/1HmJe3wpuI— MLB (@MLB) July 5, 2025
First Base: Jonathan Aranda
Though Aranda was not on the final ballot, I feel he should have been. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the actual selection, and I have no issue with that. They are both similar in the sense that they are elite at the plate and not great fielders. This has led them to be tied for first amongst all first basemen in the American League in WAR.
With this being said, I think Aranda has been a lot better at the plate, where his WRC+ is 22 points higher. Guerrero earned it, but I would have gone with Aranda.
Second Base: Gleyber Torres
This one should not get much debate, either. Torres has been awesome this year with his new team. His WRC+ has jumped from 105 last year to 136 this year. Jackson Holiday was the runner-up, and I do not think he has a good case over Torres. The only one with a good case is Jazz Chisolm, and he missed the entire month of May. Even if you think Torres will eventually regress, he deserves his flowers for how he has played to this point.
Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr.
Jacob Wilson is an awesome story, and it is great that the A’s have something to look forward to. However, I do not believe he has been a top-two shortstop in the league this year. While Wilson has been better at the plate than Witt, Witt has been a lot better in the field and on the basepaths. And if you’re going to use hitting as the main qualifier, I would have gone with Jeremy Pena instead.
There is a great case for all three players, but Witt has been one of the best players in the league for two seasons, and he’s arguably the best five-tool player in the game. I’ll give him the edge here.
Third Base: Jose Ramirez
Another year, another opportunity to talk about how awesome Jose Ramirez is. Even though he has slightly regressed at the plate, he has been just as, if not more, effective in the field. With this being said, I think you could also make an argument for Zach McKinstry. However, similar to Witt, Ramirez has been a much better five-tool player.
José Ramírez’s power and speed combo is rare.
He’s just 32 home runs and 36 stolen bases from becoming the 9th player in MLB history to have 300 HR/300 SB! pic.twitter.com/daCQGtZSJz
— MLB (@MLB) June 29, 2025
Outfielders: Aaron Judge, Riley Greene, Byron Buxton
In most seasons, there are two locks for outfielders, and a ton remains up in the air for the third. However, this year, Judge was probably the only lock.
With that being said, I do also believe the fans made the right decision with Riley Greene starting. Though he has not been great in the field, he has been awesome at the plate.
I do not believe you can make a good case for Javier Baez starting, though. He performed well in June, but I do not think his mediocre April and May were worthy of an All-Star nod. On the other hand, Byron Buxton had a slow start, but he has been awesome since — and far more impactful than Baez, beating him out by over 1.5 WAR.
Designated Hitter: Ryan O’Hearn
I think the fans got this one right, too. O’Hearn is an awesome story; it has been such a long time coming. In 2018, he played 44 games and amassed a 153 WRC+. This excited a lot of Royal fans who thought they had a new franchise player. However, in the four seasons after that, he played over 100 games just once, and he never had a WRC+ above 70.
After leaving the Royals, he joined the Orioles and has been awesome ever since. In 2023 and 2024, he had WRC+ seasons of 117 each, but he truly exploded this year; his WRC+ mark currently sits at 143. Sometimes, all you need is a change of scenery.
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