Tonight, the 96th annual MLB All-Star Game will take place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 8:00 p.m. EDT. The National League won last season's Midsummer Classic, but the American League leads the series all-time 48-45. With many changes to both rosters since we analyzed the AL and the NL, let's see who has the advantage heading into this evening.
Catcher
AL: Dillon Dingler (Tigers), Shea Langeliers (Athletics), Adley Rutschman (Orioles)
NL: Drake Baldwin (Braves), William Contreras (Brewers), Hunter Goodman (Rockies)
The best all-around catcher in baseball - from an offensive, defensive, and intelligence perspective - is William Contreras. At the same time, Hunter Goodman is the best power-hitting catcher in the All-Star Game, since he has the most homers (27) and the highest slugging percentage (.538) at the position. The National League also has a leg up in the hits and runs categories, meaning the NL leads the charge in every important statistic.
Advantage: National League
First Base
AL: Willson Contreras (Red Sox), Munetaka Murakami (White Sox), Ben Rice (Yankees)
NL: Freddie Freeman (Dodgers), Bryce Harper (Phillies), Matt Olson (Braves)
Not only does the American League have better power-hitting first basemen in Ben Rice and Munetaka Murakami, but it also righted a wrong by adding Willson Contreras to the roster. AL first basemen have more homers (69 vs. 60) and RBIs (171 vs. 164) than NL first basemen. Lastly, Contreras has the highest WAR of any first baseman playing in the game (3.5). This round goes to the AL.
Advantage: American League
Second Base
AL: Travis Bazzana (Guardians), Ernie Clement (Blue Jays)
NL: Ozzie Albies (Braves), Luis Arraez (Giants)
This is the weakest position group of the 2026 All-Star Game. How can you have four different second basemen playing in this game, yet none of them rank in the top three in WAR at the position? Regardless, the NL has the better duo than the AL. Clement and Bazzana have an average WAR of 1.1 on offense and a negative WAR defensively. Meanwhile, Arraez is tied for fourth in WAR amongst second basemen (3.0), and Albies ranks seventh in that position group (2.0).
Advantage: National League
Shortstop
AL: Kevin McGonigle (Tigers), Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals)
NL: CJ Abrams (Nationals), Otto Lopez (Marlins)
Unlike the second baseman spot, the All-Star Game is loaded with shortstop talent. The four guys playing shortstop in this game all rank in the top five at the position in WAR. The NL has the power-hitting advantage with a better slugging percentage and OPS than the AL. Otto Lopez also has the most hits (127) and the highest batting average (.334) at the position. The NL just barely edges out the AL.
Advantage: National League
Third Base
AL: Junior Caminero (Rays), Miguel Vargas (White Sox)
NL: Max Muncy (Dodgers), Sal Stewart (Reds)
Junior Caminero is undoubtedly the best third baseman in the MLB right now. Amongst players manning third base, he leads the league in WAR (3.7), home runs (28), total bases (197), on-base percentage (.372), slugging percentage (.555), and OPS (.927). Considering Miguel Vargas has the same WAR as Max Muncy (3.2) but more homers (21), total bases (169), and RBIs (59), the AL takes this positional group. Sal Stewart is a good player, and Max Muncy is one of the best third basemen in the league, but the AL is just better here.
Advantage: American League
Outfield
AL: Randy Arozarena (Mariners), Cody Bellinger (Yankees), Riley Greene (Tigers), Tristan Peters (White Sox), Ceddanne Rafaela (Red Sox), Mike Trout (Angels)
NL: Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs), Brandon Marsh (Phillies), Andy Pages (Dodgers), Juan Soto (Mets), Jordan Walker (Cardinals), James Wood (Nationals)
This is another easy decision. Five outfielders rank in the top 11 in WAR amongst all players in the Majors. Four of those guys play for the National League. Hell, the Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong leads the MLB in Wins Above Replacement (5.8). On top of that, two of the top three American League outfielders will not be playing in the game! Byron Buxton has been ruled out of the contest with an injury. Plus, Aaron Judge was named an All-Star Game starter even though he hasn't played since the end of May. The only blemish on the NL's outfielding roster is Brandon Marsh, who has still been good with the eighth-best batting average in baseball (.301) as well as the 14th-most hits (102).
Advantage: National League
Designated Hitter
AL: Yordan Alvarez (Astros), Yandy Diaz (Rays)
NL: Ivan Herrera (Cardinals), Kyle Schwarber (Phillies)
Oooof, this is a tough one. Had Shohei Ohtani not bowed out of the All-Star Game, this would be a no-brainer. Now, though, we have a tougher decision to make. With Ohtani out of the lineup, however, the American League has a slight advantage because its duo is more prolific than the NL's. Diaz and Alvarez have more combined hits (222), home runs (44), and RBIs (125). Before, I would've chosen the NL. Today, I'm going with the AL.
Advantage: American League
Pitching Staff
AL: Bryan Baker (Rays), Dylan Cease (Blue Jays), Aroldis Chapman (Red Sox), Jacob Latz (Rangers), Nick Martinez (Rays), Parker Messick (Guardians), Drew Rasmussen (Rays), Joe Ryan (Twins), Cam Schlittler (Yankees), Cade Smith (Guardians), Louis Varland (Blue Jays), Justin Verlander (Tigers), Michael Wacha (Royals)
NL: Jhoan Duran (Nationals), Foster Griffin (Nationals), Raisel Iglesias (Braves), Jesus Luzardo (Phillies), Mason Miller (Padres), Riley O'Brien (Cardinals), Eduardo Rodriguez (Diamondbacks), Chris Sale (Braves), Cristopher Sanchez (Phillies), Logan Webb (Giants), Justin Wrobleski (Dodgers), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers)
This is a pretty even matchup. Jacob Misiorowski and Paul Skenes were already ruled out for the game. On top of that, Braxton Ashcraft, Max Meyer, and Chase Burns are expected to miss the 2026 ASG, too. What's wild is the NL didn't even figure out a way to get Zack Wheeler into the game, even though he has the second-best WAR amongst pitchers in the Majors this season (4.8). The National League has the upper hand when it comes to the bullpen because Mason Miller is the best closer in baseball. Cristopher Sanchez is a fantastic starting pitcher, but the AL has more balance in its pitching rotation as you go down the line. The same cannot be said for the NL, which has guys with 3.00+ ERAs. The starters look better for the AL than they do for the NL.
Advantage: American League
Complete Roster
With stacked rosters on both sides, this will most likely be a close game. After all, the American League has outscored the National League 21-17 in the last five All-Star Games. Tonight, the score will probably be something like 6-5.
The pitching advantage is negligible, so this will come down to which team is sporting the better hitters. In that case, we have to lean towards the National League. Juan Soto, CJ Abrams, Max Muncy, and Freddie Freeman are all elite batters. More importantly, the AL is already down three starters with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Byron Buxton, and Aaron Judge all missing from the lineup. The NL will only be missing Shohei Ohtani, and he is being replaced by Kyle Schwarber, who currently leads the MLB in home runs. With even pitching but better hitting, the NL has the edge over the AL.
