Guardians 

All-MLB Team predictions as we enter June

Kevin
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We’re now two months — or about one-third of the way — into the 2025 season, and we’ve already seen some incredible individual performances around MLB. But when it’s all said and done, who will be honored as the best players at each position on the diamond?

In the latest vote predicting the 2025 All-MLB Team presented by MGM Rewards, which recognizes the best players at each position throughout the Majors, our panel of MLB.com experts once again weighed in on the players expected to comprise the All-MLB First and Second teams at the end of the season.

The criteria for voting included what players have done to this point in the season, as well as what voters expect to happen moving forward.

Each team features one selection at catcher, first base, second base, shortstop, third base and designated hitter, as well as three outfielders (regardless of specific outfield position), five starting pitchers and two relievers.

Here are the results of the third MLB.com All-MLB poll of the year (unless otherwise noted, all stats are through Sunday’s games):

CATCHER

First team: (SEA)
Second team: (LAD)

Raleigh hasn’t exactly been a revelation for the Mariners — he hit 27 or more homers in each year from 2022-24 — but he has taken his game to another level so far in 2025. His .948 OPS is 200 points higher than his 2024 OPS, and he’s already halfway to his 2024 home run total of 34.

After winning his first career Gold Glove Award last year, the man they call “Big Dumper” entered Monday among the Major League leaders this season in blocking (+4 blocks above average per Statcast) and framing (+3 framing runs above average).

Smith, meanwhile, continues to be the stalwart backstop the defending World Series champions have come to rely on over the years. At the plate, he has a .333/.456/.511 slash line after going 2-for-3 with a homer and a pair of walks on Monday. Behind the plate, Smith entered Monday with +2 caught stealing runs above average, placing him in the 85th percentile among qualified catchers.

FIRST BASE

First team: (LAD)
Second team: (NYM)

Although he dealt with adversity off the field when his son was diagnosed with a rare neurological illness last summer, and then was slowed by a late-season ankle injury before delivering World Series heroics in spite of it, Freeman put together a strong campaign last year. But this year, he’s off to a tremendous start, leading the National League with a .361 batting average and 1.065 OPS to go along with nine homers.

Speaking of hot starts, Alonso had a start to the season unlike any other in his career so far — the Mets slugger was hitting .349/.469/.674 with nine home runs in his first 36 games before cooling off some.

Still, the Polar Bear entered Monday ranked in the 97th percentile or better in expected slugging percentage (.620), expected weighted on-base average (.426), average exit velocity (94.8%), barrel rate (19.7%), hard-hit rate (57.8%) and average bat speed (76.3 mph).

Others receiving votes: (TOR), (ATL)

SECOND BASE

First team: (ARI)
Second team: (STL)

A hamstring injury took much of April away from Marte, but since returning to the D-backs’ lineup, he’s slugging over .600 with eight homers. An underrated player for much of his career, he’s starting to be recognized more for the superstar he has become — he posted an .849 OPS with 87 homers from 2021-24, helping Arizona make a surprise World Series run in ’23.

While we’re on the topic of underrated players, Donovan certainly fits the bill. The scrappy St. Louis second baseman leads the NL in hits (66) and doubles (18) to go along with an .853 OPS. He posted a .280/.364/.407 slash line from 2022-24.

THIRD BASE

First team: (CLE)
Second team: (BOS)

Ramírez is the very definition of consistent excellence, as evidenced by a top-six finish in American League MVP voting in six of the last eight seasons. He’s on his way to competing for that elusive MVP honor again (although, as we know, everyone is looking up at Aaron Judge, literally and figuratively).

J-Ram is hitting .313/.367/.526 with nine homers and 13 steals a season after coming up one homer and one steal shy of the second 40-homer/40-double/40-steal campaign in MLB history.

Meanwhile, Bregman is enjoying a renaissance in his first year with the Red Sox, though he recently suffered a “significant” quad strain that could sideline him for a while. The 31-year-old is leading all MLB third basemen with 2.6 fWAR while hitting .299/.385/.553 with 11 home runs for Boston. Defensively, he continues to be excellent — after winning his first Gold Glove Award last year, he ranks in the 81st percentile with +2 Outs Above Average.

Others receiving votes: ,

SHORTSTOP

First team: (KC)
Second team: (NYM)

On the heels of a runner-up finish in AL MVP voting, Witt is once again poised to give Judge a strong challenge for the honor this year. While he isn’t currently on pace to put up the eye-popping numbers he did in 2024, when he led the Majors with 211 hits and a .332 batting average, our voters have confidence that Witt will heat up at the plate.

Witt remains stellar defensively, entering Monday tied for the MLB lead among shortstops with 16 defensive runs saved and tied for third among all players with +8 OAA.

Lindor made an MVP push of his own in the NL last year with a late-season run to help the Mets reach the playoffs and finish runner-up to Shohei Ohtani. So far in 2025, he’s picked up where he left off with an .802 OPS, 10 homers and 10 steals.

Others receiving votes: ,

OUTFIELD

What can you say about Judge to appropriately describe what he’s doing at the plate? He’s continuing to flirt with a .400 batting average while leading the American League with 18 home runs. But that’s what Judge does — he leaves us speechless.

Carroll has bounced back from a tough season in 2024, continuing a turnaround we began to see in the second half last year. He’s vaulted himself into the NL MVP conversation thanks to a fast start — he entered play Monday with a .904 OPS, 15 home runs and nine steals. He was also tied for the MLB lead with six triples.

Tatis, meanwhile, continues to make big strides toward regaining the form he had in his first two years in the Majors — he went into Monday’s game against the Marlins with an .863 OPS, 12 homers and eight steals while continuing to play stellar defense in right field.

The Cubs duo of Tucker and Crow-Armstrong is a big reason for Chicago’s early-season success. Tucker is doing what we know he is capable of, but the emergence of Crow-Armstrong has been one of the biggest storylines so far in 2025. Soto, in his first season with the Mets, hasn’t gotten off to the start he’d like, but he’s still one of the game’s most elite hitters.

DESIGNATED HITTER

First team: (LAD)
Second team: (PHI)

Much like Judge, there is seemingly no limit to how much Ohtani can achieve on the field. As he prepares to make his Dodgers debut on the mound, the reigning NL MVP continues to be a force at the plate. With his MLB-leading 19th homer on Monday, he’s slugging an NL-best .648 and also has 11 steals.

Schwarber has typically started slow and then heated up with the weather, particularly in June. But this season, he’s been hot at the plate from out of the gate. He’s tied for second in the Majors with 18 home runs and his OPS is .974.

Others receiving votes:

STARTING PITCHER

First team: (DET), (LAD), (NYY), (PHI), (PIT)
Second team: (BOS), (HOU), (SF), (TEX), (PHI)/ (TEX)

Skubal, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, continues to dazzle in 2025, particularly with his latest performance. On Sunday in Detroit, the left-hander threw a shutout on fewer than 100 pitches (known colloquially as a “Maddux”). His 94th and final pitch of the game was clocked at 102.6 mph, the fastest pitch thrown by a starting pitcher in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008).

Oh, and he also struck out 13. Talk about impressive.

Yamamoto got off to a spectacular start this season and owns a 1.97 ERA through his first 11 games. Fried has been utterly dominant in his first season with the Yankees, pitching to a 7-0 record with a miniscule 1.29 ERA.

Wheeler is as steady as ever — the veteran right-hander has a 2.42 ERA over an NL-best 70 2/3 innings. And Skenes remains the most electric starter in the game, with a 2.36 ERA and 70 strikeouts to just 18 walks.

Crochet, with his 2.04 ERA and 89 strikeouts, looks every bit as good as advertised in his first year with the Red Sox. Brown (2.04) is enjoying a breakout campaign with the Astros. Webb (2.67) continues to be a workhorse for the Giants. deGrom (2.42) is finally healthy and looks it for Texas.

Luzardo (2.15) and Eovaldi (1.60) tied for fifth in our second team balloting. The former has always had tremendous stuff but he’s putting it all together in 2025. The latter has proven his mettle as one of the best starters in baseball over the past several years.

RELIEF PITCHER

First team: (SEA), (HOU)
Second team: (SD), (ATH)

Muñoz has been on a sensational run to begin the season — through 23 appearances, he has a pristine 0.00 ERA and 17 saves for the Mariners. In Houston, Hader seems to be back to the dominant closer he was before signing with the Astros — after a subpar performance in 2024, he’s been overpowering in ’25, with a 1.57 ERA and 13 saves.

Suarez entered Monday tied with Muñoz for the Major League lead in saves, with 17, to go along with a 2.45 ERA. And while he’s gotten off to a rough start in 2025 (5.79 ERA), our voters feel that Miller — an All-Star in his rookie season last year — is too good to not turn things around with his blazing fastball and devastating slider.