Jun 9, 2026
·Brandon Gustafson
The MLB All-Star Game is always one of the marquee attractions of the summer. This year’s Midsummer Classic is set for Tuesday, July 14 at Citizens Bank Park in the City of Brotherly Love – Philadelphia.
The All-Star Game is home to baseball’s best and brightest. We see some of the sport’s top stars take the diamond, and many of the players are guys who are no strangers to the game, stars such as Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout have helped define the event over the years. But the All-Star Game is also a time where the future of the game is on full display.
Seeing which players make the All-Star Game for the first time is always fun, and there are a ton of deserving candidates. With SeatGeek serving as the Official Ticket Marketplace of MLB, you know we’ve been keeping a close eye on all 30 teams and their best players. Here, we share 15 players – five pitchers and 10 hitters – who all deserve to make their first All-Star Game based on how they’ve been playing so far. One note: We’re focusing on non-rookies for this breakdown.
First time All-Star pitcher candidates
Several young and emerging arms have made strong cases to represent their leagues in Philadelphia. From breakout starters putting up Cy Young-caliber numbers to lockdown relievers dominating late innings, these pitchers have performed like All-Stars through the first half of the 2026 season.
Cam Schlittler, New York Yankees
Schlittler is maybe the most deserving first-time All-Star in all of baseball this year. The second-year right-hander is 7-3 with a dazzling 1.87 ERA and 0.87 WHIP with 89 strikeouts across 82 innings this year. He’s been amazing all season long, and his breakout campaign came at a perfect time for the Yankees with Gerrit Cole sidelined until just a few weeks ago and Max Fried still on the IL. Schlittler is arguably the frontrunner for AL Cy Young, and there’s a strong case to be made he should be the one getting the ball to start things off for the American League in Philadelphia next month.
Jose Soriano, Los Angeles Angels
Soriano has struggled of late after a borderline historic start to his 2026 campaign, but he’s still a very worthy All-Star candidate from the Angels. He sports a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts, but his ERA was at 0.84 at the end of April as he’s now given up three or more earned runs in four of his last seven starts. Still, Soriano has been great for the Angels, and while he may not be a top-end Cy Young contender like he was a few weeks ago, he would be an excellent member of the AL team.
Kyle Harrison, Milwaukee Brewers
Harrison was a former top pitching prospect in the Giants organization who was key to San Francisco acquiring Rafael Devers. The Red Sox flipped him this winter to Milwaukee as part of a six-player trade, and the Brewers have to be thrilled with how that’s worked out. The young lefty is among the best breakout pitchers in the game this year with a 2.72 ERA in 12 starts and 11.6 K/9 and 7.7 H/9. Some teams seem to “win” trades a lot, and the Brewers are certainly up there in that regard. Milwaukee has a great track record of pitching development, and it looks like Harrison is the latest success story. He and teammate Jacob Misiorowski are an elite and young 1-2 punch right now, and both should be in Philadelphia this July based on what they’ve done so far.
Chase Burns, Cincinnati Reds
We’ll stay in the NL Central with another elite young pitcher in Burns, who has really stepped up for the Reds with ace Hunter Greene sidelined due to surgery. Burns went No. 2 overall in the 2024 draft and rose quickly, debuting last summer and posting a 4.57 ERA in 13 games and eight starts. The talent was clearly there, as the young right-hander had a 13.9 K/9 rate. As a full-time starter this year, he’s been Cincy’s top starter with a 2.05 ERA, sub-1 WHIP, 5.9 H/9 and 10.4 K/9. He’s not only established himself as one of the top All-Star candidates, but he’s a legitimate Cy Young contender as well. He’s working deep into games, too, with 70 1/3 innings under his belt in those 12 starts.
Louis Varland, Toronto Blue Jays
Varland is the only reliever we’ll put down here, and he’s been exceptional for Toronto in an otherwise disappointing year for the Jays. The young right-hander owns a dazzling 0.26 ERA in 31 appearances with 11 saves and has truly been one of baseball’s best lockdown relievers. With many teams not wanting their starting pitchers to throw in the All-Star Game, we often see a lot of relievers make the squad and get in the game. Varland is arguably the most deserving reliever in the American League this year given how well he’s pitched to date.
First time All-Star hitter candidates
The 2026 season has produced no shortage of first-time All-Star cases on the position-player side. These hitters have forced their way into the conversation with elite averages, power production, on-base skills, defensive value or all-around breakout performances.
Ben Rice, New York Yankees 1B
Even before Aaron Judge went down with a rib injury, Rice was the Yankees’ best hitter. The third-year slugger is hitting .304 with an OPS of 1.041 (second in MLB) and 18 homers and 45 RBIs. Rice was already in the MVP conversation, but with Judge out for at least a month, you could argue he should be viewed as the frontrunner considering his production and the Yankees’ place as a playoff contender. Rice broke out in a big way last year which put himself on the map, but he’s a top-five hitter in all of MLB right now. It’d be surprising if he’s not starting for the American League next month.
Andy Pages, Los Angeles Dodgers OF
The Dodgers have such an embarrassment of riches and big names that it feels like everyone on the roster has been to at least one Midsummer Classic. Pages, who had a nice 2025 campaign but put himself on the map with a web gem in Game 7 of the World Series, has been one of baseball’s most well-rounded players this year. Pages leads MLB with 53 RBIs while swatting 14 homers and hitting .283. He also leads all non-pitchers (and non-Shohei Ohtanis) in bWAR with 3.8. In a year we thought Kyle Tucker would be the newest cheat code in L.A., it’s actually the 25-year-old outfielder Pages.
Brandon Marsh, Philadelphia Phillies OF
The Phillies have three clear All-Star representatives in Cristopher Sanchez, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, but Marsh should be suiting up in his home ballpark next month as well. The 28-year-old outfielder has enjoyed a nice career between his time with the Angels and Phillies, but did you know he's near the top of MLB in batting average? Yes, the lefty-swinging Marsh is hitting .333, tied for second in the bigs. He’s also slugging over .500, so Marsh is doing a bit of everything for Philly. He should be in the game for his elite hair and beard alone, but considering he leads the league in batting average at this point in time, Marsh has a strong case to make his first All-Star Game.
Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards, Miami Marlins IF
We’ll write up Miami’s elite middle infield duo together here, and both have been incredible for an otherwise poor Marlins team. Lopez is leading the batting title race at .336 after the weekend, and he leads baseball in hits with 86. As for Edwards, he’s tied for fifth in hits and is also hitting over .300 at .302. With each team having one representative at minimum, you’d figure Lopez will for sure be in Philadelphia in July. I just hope Edwards gets some love, too, as he’s also been stellar for Miami in 2026.
Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers, Athletics 1B and C
We’ll do another tandem here with the A’s elite duo of Kurtz and Langeliers. Kurtz has followed up on an amazing rookie year by leading MLB in on-base percentage (.434) and walks (61) while swatting 14 home runs and driving in 48 runs. Not only should he be in the All-Star Game, it’d be fun to see him take part in the Home Run Derby given his unreal raw power. But he doesn’t lead the A’s in homers. That instead is Langeliers, who has mashed 17, the most by an AL catcher to date. He’s also hitting .285 while flirting with a .900 OPS. Langeliers has gone under the radar as far as elite AL catchers over the last few years due to names like Cal Raleigh, Alejandro Kirk, Adley Rutschman and Salvador Perez, but he’s quietly hit 99 homers since the start of 2023 and deserves more love on a national scale. Hopefully that begins with a trip to Philly next month.
Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers 2B
Turang has always been a wizard with the glove as evidenced by his Platinum Glove Award in 2024, but he broke out with the bat last year in a .794 OPS campaign, buoyed by 18 homers and 81 RBIs. He’s been even better with the stick this season and has 10 homers, 42 RBIs, 11 steals and an .883 OPS on the year. The Brewers’ offensive numbers are a bit all over the place as they don’t slug a ton and rarely leave the yard, yet they rank near the top of baseball in runs, walks, steals and on-base percentage. Turang has been the key engine for Milwaukee offensively, though, and should find himself in Philly.
Jordan Walker, St. Louis Cardinals OF
It takes some guys longer than others to sort out MLB pitching, and that was the case with Walker. A former top prospect, Walker was good his rookie year in 2023 at just 21 years old but struggled mightily in 2024 and 2025. He’s been one of baseball’s best hitters in 2026, however, with 16 homers, 47 RBIs, a .303 average and a .922 OPS for the Cardinals, who have been one baseball’s best surprises this year. Walker is their best hitter by far in 2026, and were it not for a guy by the name of Shohei Ohtani, we may very well be talking about Walker as an MVP candidate. He’s at least playing like someone who will finish in the top 10 of voting, and Walker should take part in his first All-Star Game next month.
Jung Hoo Lee, San Francisco Giants OF
Lee missed most of his debut MLB season in 2024 and was just alright in 2025 with a .266 average and .735 OPS, but he’s been a rare bright spot offensively for the Giants in 2026. Lee is one of the best overall hitters in the National League with a .333 batting average and .820 OPS, and he’s one of baseball’s toughest outs with just 24 strikeouts this season. As mentioned above, every team has to have one All-Star representative, and with so many big-name Giants hitters struggling, Logan Webb missing considerable time and Robbie Ray taking a step back after an All-Star campaign, Lee is a strong contender to make the team this year. I’d also say that Casey Schmitt, who has 15 homers, 38 RBIs and an .849 OPS, is another strong contender from San Francisco.