The best time in all of sports has officially arrived: the summer of baseball. What does that mean exactly? Every other league takes a backseat while Major League Baseball drives through the warm months as the only professional sport with competitive games. And with that comes one of the game’s most beloved traditions: the MLB All-Star Game.
Each year, fans vote for who they think deserves to start—and often, that includes names from their favorite teams or simply the biggest stars in the sport. But as we’ve seen in years past, fan voting can be… complicated. Just ask 2021 Bryce Harper, who posted a .282 average with 15 homers and a .899 OPS by midseason and still didn’t make the cut.
In this series, we’ll go position by position, breaking down the players most deserving of MLB All-Star nods—along with a few dark horse names who might sneak in if the stars align. Next up we have the position of first base.
MLB All-Star Frontrunners: First Base
National League
NL Starter: Pete Alonso
The first base competition in the National League has been a true back-and-forth battle. If you asked two weeks ago, New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso might’ve been behind Freddie Freeman for the starting spot. After one of the strongest weeks in the entire league, he’s taken the lead.
Alonso spent the past week batting .400, while launching five home runs (three of them against Freeman’s Los Angeles Dodgers) and driving in 14 runs. And that’s not just a hot stretch—he’s been producing all year. He’s batting .301 with a league-high 57 RBI and 17 home runs.
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Congrats to Pete Alonso on being named the National League Player of the Week! ? pic.twitter.com/mVh2WPNSiL
— New York Mets (@Mets) June 9, 2025
Alonso is a lock to make his fourth straight MLB All-Star Game, but the big question: will this be the year he finally earns his first-ever start?
Backup: Freddie Freeman
This race is closer than people think. Freeman actually has Alonso beat in several key categories, especially batting average, where he ranks third in the NL at .351, a full 50 points higher than Pete.
Freddie was a big question mark entering 2025. With multiple injuries lingering from last season, the 35-year-old missed the team’s opening series in Japan due to the ankle injury he suffered back in September. That same ankle flared up again after a slip in the shower, forcing him to miss two more weeks in April. At that point, he was batting just .250—a slow start by his standards.
But since returning? Freeman’s batting .412 and showing everyone why he’s still one of the best hitters in baseball.
This is shaping up to be a heavyweight battle: two of the league’s biggest stars, both more than deserving. No matter who gets the nod, the NL is in great hands at first base.
American League
AL Starter: Jonathan Aranda
There are really three guys in the American League with resumés strong enough to earn a starting nod in Atlanta. But Jonathan Aranda is the most deserving.
The Tampa Bay Rays have something special in their 27-year-old first baseman. The former No. 6 prospect back in 2023 has stepped up in a significant way this season, leading AL first basemen in just about every major offensive category—including a .323 average and .409 on-base percentage.
SEND JONATHAN ARANDA TO THE ALL-STAR GAME
HE’S TOO CLUTCH
— Rays The Roof (@RaysTheRoofTB) June 10, 2025
Will Aranda actually get voted in? That’s hard to say. His biggest competition is New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who plays in a massive market and will absolutely rack up fan votes. This is exactly why this series exists—to shine a light on guys like Aranda who might not get the national love they deserve.
Backup: Paul Goldschmidt
Did anyone see this coming? Goldschmidt has been on a tear this season, but in a completely different way than we’re used to. The former MVP has taken a more contact-heavy approach at the plate, and it’s working.
The 37-year-old is batting .312 with 74 hits, the second-most among all AL first basemen. Just a few weeks ago, he looked like the clear frontrunner for the starting job. But since June started? He’s been ice-cold, hitting just .111 through seven games.
Goldy still has a legit shot at the All-Star Game—and probably will make it—but with how Aranda’s been swinging it, the starting spot shouldn’t be his.
Dark Horse: Spencer Torkelson
One of the best teams in baseball right now? The Detroit Tigers. And a big part of that success has been Spencer Torkelson.
Just a few months ago, there were rumors the Tigers were shopping him around the league, seeing what kind of return they could get. But Torkelson came out of the gates swinging, proving he belongs in Detroit.
He’s not your typical high-average guy like Aranda or Goldschmidt, but he brings what a first baseman traditionally should: power. So far, he’s got 15 home runs, 45 RBIs, and leads all AL first basemen in slugging at .500.
Torkelson absolutely has a case. But as the subhead says, he’s a true dark horse in the running.
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