Just Baseball’s All-Star Mock Ballot No. 1

All-Star season is finally upon us! It’s time for fans to start casting their votes for who should be in Atlanta for the 2025 All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 15.

At the beginning of the season, Just Baseball launched its very own Discord channel to serve as a way for baseball fans and Just Baseball staff members to connect through all things baseball, and it’s been a roaring success.

To pay fan service to those who have signed up and been involved in what’s been the best baseball group chat in the world, Just Baseball recently carried out its first All-Star mock ballot for the upcoming Midsummer Classic by polling Just Baseball staffers and community members through the Discord chat.

A special thanks to all those who participated and casted a vote in our first All-Star mock ballot, and for those who may have missed out on the first wave of voting, there’s still time to get involved!

To join in on the fun and become a part of the Just Baseball community, you can use the following link to sign up for our Discord chat to cast your own vote when we release our second wave of All-Star voting: Just Baseball Discord Sign-Up Link

Throughout this article, we will be referencing MLB’s first wave of general fan voting as a way to compare how the Just Baseball community differed from the public. Some results aligned, but some differed in an interesting way.

So, without further delay, it’s time to dive into the results from Just Baseball’s first mock ballot for the 2025 All-Star Game.

American League

First Base: Jonathan Aranda, TBR (44.2%)

Other Top Vote Getters:

• Paul Goldschmidt, NYY (26.9%)
• Spencer Torkelson, DET (19.2%)
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR (7.7%)

Leading the way in the American League at first base is Jonathan Aranda of the Tampa Bay Rays. Aranda is experiencing a full-blown breakout this season, hitting .329 while leading AL first basemen in wOBA at .400. He has eight homers to go with 41 runs driven in, and he’s put his well-rounded offensive approach on display this season.

Aranda is the leading vote getter with 44.2% of the votes. Behind him are Paul Goldschmidt (26.9%) and Spencer Torkelson (19.2%), who are putting together impressive seasons of their own. In fact, here’s where we have our first noticeable difference between the general fan vote and the results from our Just Baseball community poll.

Goldschmidt is the leading vote getter with Aranda coming in third in MLB’s fan poll. Coming in second in MLB’s fan poll is Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is fourth in Just Baseball’s poll with 7.7% of votes.

Second Base: Gleyber Torres, DET (52.9%)

Other Top Vote Getters:

• Brandon Lowe, TBR (15.7%)
• Jazz Chisholm, NYY (15.7%)
• Willi Castro, MIN (7.8%)

What an offseason pickup it’s been for the Detroit Tigers, as Gleyber Torres has earned 52.9% of the votes at second base.

Torres has been a huge piece of Detroit’s success this season, launching seven homers while driving in 34 runs. He leads the position with a 129 wRC+, and he is walking more than he is striking out. It’s no surprise to see the general fan vote and the Just Baseball community aligned on this one.

It’s a much tighter race in MLB’s fan vote, but the Just Baseball community feels Torres is the clear-cut favorite to start at second base in the American League.

Third Base: José Ramírez, CLE (82.7%)

Other Top Vote Getters:

• Alex Bregman, BOS (13.5%)

By a landslide in both Just Baseball’s and MLB’s fan poll, José Ramírez leads the way at third base in the American League.

The six-time All-star is once again putting together one of the better seasons in baseball, hitting 13 homers, stealing 20 bases, and hitting .319 with a .532 slugging percentage. His ability to produce at a high level in so many different facets of the game has made him one of baseball’s most consistent superstars.

With Alex Bregman, who is currently sidelined by a significant quad injury, coming in second in voting, Ramírez has a comfortable lead with no real contenders behind him to start at the hot corner.

Shortstop: Jacob Wilson, ATH (65.4%)

Other Top Vote Getters:

• Bobby Witt Jr., KCR (21.2%)
• Zach Neto, LAA (5.8%)
• Jeremy Peña, HOU (5.8%)

Jacob Wilson hasn’t just been one of baseball’s best rookies this season, he’s been one of the best overall players in the sport. You have to do something special to surpass Bobby Witt Jr. in All-Star voting, and Wilson is doing just that.

Hitting .359 with eight homers, 38 RBI, and a .500 slugging percentage, it’s easy to see why Wilson earned 65.4% of votes in Just Baseball’s fan poll.

There’s some real competition behind him, too, as Jeremy Peña has quietly emerged as one of baseball’s top shortstops, and Witt continues to perform like one of the game’s brightest superstars. Still, it’s Wilson who has earned the lion’s share of votes from both the Just Baseball community and MLB’s general fan poll.

Catcher: Cal Raleigh, SEA (92.3%)

Other Top Vote Getters:

• Carlos Narváez, BOS (5.8%)

No surprises here, as Cal Raleigh is putting together one of the best seasons from a catcher in recent memory and could give Aaron Judge a run for his money as the AL MVP if he keeps this up.

Raleigh leads Major League Baseball in home runs with 27, he’s second in baseball with a 180 wRC+ and 4.4 fWAR, and he’s been one of the best all-around players in the game this season. He’s taken his game to a new level in 2025, and he deservingly received 92.3% of votes because of his outstanding performance.

Outfield: Aaron Judge, NYY (100%); Riley Greene, DET (48.1%); Byron Buxton, MIN (38.5%)

Other Top Vote Getters:

• Steven Kwan, CLE (30.8%)
• Lawrence Butler, ATH (25%)
• Trent Grisham, NYY (15.4%)
• George Springer, TOR (15.4%)

Beyond Aaron Judge, who received 100% of votes on Just Baseball ballots and was the leading vote getter in the American League, it was a tight race for the other two outfield spots.

Joining Judge as the lead vote getters are Riley Greene of the Tigers, who received a vote on nearly half the ballots, and Byron Buxton, who edged out Steven Kwan by a narrow margin.

Both Judge and Greene were the top two vote getters on MLB’s fan poll, so the two communities were aligned there. However, Buxton didn’t even crack the top nine in MLB’s general poll while being named a starter in the eyes of the Just Baseball community.

Buxton doesn’t have as many games played as the names around him (56), yet he still is second among AL outfielders in fWAR at 2.5. He has 13 bombs with 43 runs driven in and 12 steals this season, making a strong case to be a participant in this year’s All-Star Game.

Buxton not being near the top among general fan voting is an interesting diversion from Just Baseball’s poll to say the least.

Designated Hitter: Ryan O’Hearn, BAL (26.9%)

Other Top Vote Getters:

• Ben Rice, NYY (9.6%)
• Brent Rooker, ATH (7.7%)

When the poll was sent out to the Just Baseball Discord, Rafael Devers was still a member of the Boston Red Sox. Of course, after being recently traded to the San Francisco Giants, Devers has since moved to the National League portion of the ballot, leaving Ryan O’Hearn as the AL starter at DH.

But don’t get it mistaken, O’Hearn’s numbers were right up there with Devers’ in some cases, which is why he still earned over a quarter of the votes from the Just Baseball community.

O’Hearn leads AL designated hitters with a 149 wRC+. He’s batting over .300 with a .379 wOBA, all while walking over 10% of the time and striking out less than 17% of the time. He’s making a strong case to be named as the AL representative at DH.

Starting Pitcher: Tarik Skubal, DET (61.5%)

Other Top Vote Getters:

• Max Fried, NYY (13.5%)
• Kris Bubic, KCR (11.5%)
• Hunter Brown, HOU (7.7%)

Fresh off his AL Cy Young campaign a season ago, Tarik Skubal continues to dominate opposing hitters. He earned far and away the most votes among AL starters at 61.5% of votes, and it’s easy to see why.

Pitching to a 1.99 ERA across 14 starts, Skubal’s 30.1% K-BB% is far and away the best in the AL, and his 1.87 FIP is in a league of its own when compared to other arms around him on the leaderboard.

Behind him in voting are a cluster of names who earned a similar number of votes, including Max Fried of the Yankees, Royals southpaw Kris Bubic, and Hunter Brown of the Astros. However, Skubal is still the runaway favorite in voting.

National League

First Base: Pete Alonso, NYM (50%)

Other Top Vote Getters:

• Freddie Freeman, LAD (42.3%)

Switching gears and heading to the National League, no position in MLB was closer in voting than first base in the National League.

While Pete Alonso has the edge with 50% of the votes, Freddie Freeman isn’t too far behind at 42.3%. An argument could be made for either player, but the Just Baseball community gave the slight edge to Alonso.

This is a divergence from MLB’s fan vote, though, which has Freeman leading the way with Alonso trailing him slightly. The numbers back up how tight of a race this will be. Alonso has the advantage in home runs (17) and RBI (63, which leads MLB) but Freeman is hitting .332 while getting on base at a slightly higher clip while also hitting nine homers and driving in 41.

This will be one of the more fascinating races to watch leading up to the Midsummer Classic.

Second Base: Ketel Marte, ARI (59.6%)

Other Top Vote Getters:

• Brendan Donovan, STL (23.1%)
• Tommy Edman, LAD (9.6%)
• Jake Cronenworth, SDP (5.8%)

Ketel Marte missed nearly a month with a hamstring injury to open the year, but he’s been sensational upon his return to the diamond.

In just 47 games, he has 12 homers while slashing .288/.401/.530 to go with a .400 wOBA. He’s walking more than he’s striking out, and he’s been one of the most efficient hitters in the National League when he’s been on the field.

After earning his second All-Star bid of his career in 2024, Marte is on pace to make it back-to-back All-Star nods with the way he is swinging the bat.

Brendan Donovan of the Cardinals is Marte’s biggest competition, as he leads NL second basemen in fWAR (2.4) while hitting .323 with a 139 wRC+. He earned 23.1% of votes from the Just Baseball community as a result of his strong play thus far.

Third Base: Manny Machado, SDP (66.7%)

Other Top Vote Getters:

• Eugenio Suárez, ARI (13.7%)
• Matt Chapman, SFG (13.7%)

In his 14th MLB season, Manny Machado continues to post some stellar results. The six-time All-Star is slashing .312/.373/.500 with 11 homers, 45 RBI, and eight stolen bases. He leads NL third basemen in wOBA (.378), wRC+ (147), and fWAR (2.7), earning himself 66.7% of votes from the Just Baseball community.

Matt Chapman and Eugenio Suárez have put together strong seasons of their own and are tied for second with 13.7% of the votes, but it hasn’t been quite enough to contest Machado at the top.

Shortstop: Francisco Lindor, NYM (55.8%)

Other Top Vote Getters:

• Elly De La Cruz, CIN (15.4%)
• Trea Turner, PHI (9.6%)
• Geraldo Perdomo, ARI (9.6%)
• Mookie Betts, LAD (7.7%)

The National League shortstop position is littered with some of the game’s most talented players, but so far this season it’s been Francisco Lindor who has separated himself from the pack in terms of voting.

Somehow, Lindor has never started an All-Star game, and he hasn’t earned a nod to the Midsummer Classic since 2019 despite finishing top 10 in MVP voting in each of the last three seasons. Long overdue, his time could finally be coming.

Lindor continues to be one of the game’s most well-rounded players. He has 14 homers with 13 stolen bases this season while hitting .271 with a .350 wOBA, all while playing strong defense at shortstop. He’s also the leading vote getter in MLB’s fan poll by a decently wide margin.

Behind Lindor are some deserving candidates as well. Trea Turner leads NL shorstops in fWAR (3.2), and Elly De La Cruz has 16 homers to go with 50 runs driven in a 21 stolen bases on the year. Still, it appears to be Lindor’s race to lose at this point.

Catcher: Will Smith, LAD (76.5%)

Other Top Vote Getters:

• William Contreras, MIL (9.8%)
• Hunter Goodman, COL (5.9%)
• Carson Kelly, CHC (5.9%)

There’s very little doubt about who has been the best catcher in the National League this season. Will Smith is putting together his best season yet and is the clear leader at the catcher position with over 75% of the votes.

Smith’s 2.9 fWAR is nearly double the next closest mark. Slashing .333/.428/.538, Smith is walking nearly 15% of the time to go with eight homers and a 172 wRC+. Needless to say, those numbers put him on a fast track to being the NL starter at catcher in this year’s All-Star Game.

Outfield: Pete Crow-Armstrong, CHC (75%); Corbin Carroll, ARI (71.2%); Kyle Tucker, CHC (53.8%)

Other Top Vote Getters:

• James Wood, WSH (46.2%)
• Fernando Tatis Jr., SDP (17.3%)
• Jackson Merrill, SDP (7.7%)
• Jung-Hoo Lee, SFG (5.8%)
• Heliot Ramos, SFG (5.8%)

Leading the way in outfield voting is a trio of MVP candidates in Pete Crow-Armstrong, Corbin Carroll, and Kyle Tucker.

PCA is third in MLB with a 4.0 fWAR, so it’s no surprise to see him be on 75% of ballots. His teammate, Tucker, is showing out with Chicago and already has 13 homers with 18 stolen bases. The Cubs duo were the two leading vote getters in MLB’s general fan poll.

Despite launching 20 home runs with 10 stolen bases and posting a 3.5 fWAR, MLB’s fan poll had Carroll on the outside looking in behind Teoscar Hernández and Juan Soto, neither of which received more than four percent of votes in Just Baseball’s poll.

Earning the second-most votes among NL outfielders from the Just Baseball community, Carroll is certainly deserving of starting in the 2025 All-Star Game.

The Nationals’ budding superstar, James Wood, nearly missed the cut, appearing on 46.2% of Just Baseball ballots. Coming in ninth in MLB’s fan poll, the second-year outfielder has taken a leap forward in 2025 and just missed cracking the top three.

Designated Hitter: Shohei Ohtani, LAD (92.3%)

Other Top Vote Getters:

• Kyle Schwarber, PHI (3.8%)

To little surprise, the leading vote getter in the National League is none other than Shohei Ohtani, and how could he not be? Already launching 25 homers with 11 stolen bases, Ohtani is slashing .292/.388/.625 with a 3.7 fWAR mark that is fourth in MLB among position players.

Neither Just Baseball’s nor MLB’s fan polls think it’s particularly close, either. Making an All-Star game in each of his previous four seasons, Ohtani is well on his way of making another start in this year’s All-Star Game.

Starting Pitcher: Paul Skenes, PIT (75%)

Other Top Vote Getters:

• Zack Wheeler, PHI (9.6%)
• Yoshinobu Yamamoto, LAD (7.7%)
• Logan Webb, SFG (5.8%)

The National League is loaded with some of the most talented starting pitchers in the game, but Paul Skenes is on another level when compared to the rest of the bunch.

Across nearly 100 innings, Skenes is throwing to a dazzling 1.78 ERA and has picked up right where he left off from a season ago. Earning 75% of votes from the Just Baseball community, it’s a testament to what he’s done on the mound given the other names vying for a start in this year’s All-Star Game.

Zach Wheeler, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Logan Webb have all been terrific this season and are posting All-Star-caliber results, but none of those arms received over a 10% share of the votes from our community.

In just his second big-league season, Skenes is in good shape to start his second straight All-Star Game next month.