Predicting this year's All-MLB Teams

The amount of talent across MLB this season is immense. It seems that every night we see something amazing, perhaps even something we've not seen before, or at least not seen in a long time. A crazy-fast pitch. An incredible offensive game. An insane defensive play.

That makes it a real challenge to pick an All-MLB Team. Just when you think you know who to choose at a position, you're reminded of another player who's just as deserving, maybe even more so. But that's also what makes it fun.

In the latest vote predicting the 2026 All-MLB Team presented by MGM Rewards, our panel of MLB.com experts tried to assemble the All-MLB First and Second teams at the end of the year.

Ballots are based on results so far this season, as well as what voters expect to happen the rest of the way. 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 MLB.com’s latest All-MLB poll.

All stats are through Sunday.

Catcher

First team: Dillon Dingler (DET)
Second team: Hunter Goodman (COL)

Dingler continues to be one of the game's elite catchers on both sides of the ball. His 26 homers and .862 OPS entering Monday were both tops among AL backstops, while his 51 extra-base hits and 139 wRC+ were the highest among all MLB catchers. Meanwhile, his 10 blocks above average and seven catcher framing runs through Sunday were both among the best in baseball.

Goodman led all catchers with 34 homers, an .867 OPS and 221 total bases entering Monday, while his homer total was just one off the MLB lead. His 16.5 percent barrel rate ranks in MLB's 96th percentile.

Others receiving votes: Drake Baldwin (ATL)

First Base

First team: Matt Olson (ATL)
Second team: Willson Contreras (BOS)

Olson, who played in his 900th consecutive game on Sunday, has hit his way into the NL MVP conversation. His 34 homers entering Monday led all first basemen and were one off the MLB lead, while his 63 extra-base hits were the most in baseball and his 253 total bases ranked second. Entering Monday, he also ranked third among all first basemen with five Outs Above Average.

Contreras is on track to have the best season of his career. His 23 homers through Sunday were one off his career high (set in 2019), while his .927 OPS would easily be a career best.

Others receiving votes: Ben Rice (NYY); Munetaka Murakami (CWS)

Second Base

First team: Luis Arraez (PHI)
Second team: Brice Turang (MIL)

Arraez just keeps hitting. The three-time batting champ is in line for a fourth crown (with a fourth team!) with his NL-leading .320 average through Sunday. His 143 hits entering Monday led all second basemen and were second-most in baseball. On defense, his 11 Outs Above Average through Sunday ranked second among all second sackers.

Turang's .823 OPS entering Monday was tops among all second basemen, while his 74 RBIs were tied for the most. Meanwhile, his 10 Outs Above Average ranked fourth among his positional peers.

Others receiving votes: JJ Wetherholt (STL); Brandon Lowe (PIT)

Third Base

First team: Junior Caminero (TB)
Second team: Max Muncy (LAD)

Caminero's not just the best third baseman in the game, he's one of the best players, period. His 33 homers, .916 OPS, 242 total bases and 151 wRC+ entering Monday were all easily the best at the position and have made him an AL MVP contender. He's becoming a better all-around hitter, too: His .370 on-base percentage through Sunday would easily be a career high.

Muncy's .827 OPS entering Monday was second among third basemen behind Caminero. Meanwhile, he's passed the 20-homer mark for the sixth time after back-to-back injury-riddled seasons kept him below that threshold.

Others receiving votes: Miguel Vargas (CWS); Kevin McGonigle (DET)

Shortstop

First team: CJ Abrams (WSH)
Second team: Bobby Witt Jr. (KC)

Abrams is having a career year and has been a big reason why the Nats have stayed within shouting distance of an NL Wild Card spot. His 89 RBIs entering Monday were the most in baseball, while his 28 homers, .903 OPS, 239 total bases and 144 wRC+ led all MLB shortstops. He's also hitting .330 with a 1.059 OPS since the All-Star break.

Witt is still one of the best all-around players in the game. He entered Monday with an .805 OPS, 13 homers and an AL-best 31 stolen bases, while his 19 Outs Above Average were the most of any shortstop and third most at any position.

Others receiving votes: Otto Lopez (MIA); Elly De La Cruz (CIN); Kevin McGonigle (DET)

Outfield

First team: Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC); James Wood (WSH); Corbin Carroll (AZ)
Second team: Ceddanne Rafaela (BOS); Jordan Walker (STL); Randy Arozarena (SEA)

PCA has made the NL MVP race quite interesting. His .932 OPS entering Monday led all MLB outfielders, while his 26 homers and 30 stolen bases have him on track for a second straight 30-30 season. Not to mention that his 22 Outs Above Average and 7.5 bWAR both lead all MLB players.

Wood, though on the IL at the moment, leads all MLB outfielders with 30 homers and a .393 OBP, and leads all hitters with 100 runs and 90 walks. Carroll continues to be King of Triples, with an MLB-best 13 entering Monday, putting him on track to lead all hitters for a third straight season (he also led the NL in 2023).

The second team isn't too shabby, either. Rafaela is having his best season to date, with a .284 average, 15 homers (one off his career high), an AL-best 28 doubles and 14 Outs Above Average, which ranks fifth among all position players. Walker is also having his best season so far, with a career-high 23 homers, .834 OPS and 130 wRC+. Then there's Arozarena, whose .812 OPS and 138 wRC+ would both be his best full-season marks since 2021.

Others receiving votes: Michael Harris II (ATL); Andy Pages (LAD); Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD); Seiya Suzuki, (CHC); Byron Buxton (MIN); Mike Trout (LAA)

Designated hitter

First team: Yordan Alvarez (HOU)
Second team: Shohei Ohtani (LAD)

Alvarez is well on his way to the AL Triple Crown, with an MLB-best .322 average and 35 homers, and an AL-leading 86 RBIs entering Monday. He also leads the league (or MLB) in a bunch of other categories: hits (137, AL), runs (79, AL), OPS (1.059, MLB), total bases (266, MLB), wRC+ (188, MLB) and bWAR (5.4, AL) among them. He's the clear AL MVP favorite.

Ohtani the hitter is doing what Ohtani the hitter does: He's mashing. Though not at his absolute best, he still has 26 homers, an NL-leading .937 OPS, and 225 total bases, which leads NL designated hitters.

Starting pitchers

First team: Jacob Misiorowski (MIL); Dylan Cease (TOR); Cam Schlittler (NYY); Chris Sale (ATL); Cristopher Sánchez (PHI)
Second team: Tarik Skubal (LAD); Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD); Drew Rasmussen (TB); Zack Wheeler (PHI); Chase Burns (CIN)

The Miz just became the second-fastest pitcher to reach 200 strikeouts in a season and has an MLB-leading 1.76 ERA and 0.74 WHIP. He's the NL Cy Young frontrunner. Meanwhile, Cease's .179 opponents' average is the second-best mark in baseball, while his 184 strikeouts rank third.

Schlittler's 2.21 ERA leads the AL, and he's allowed three runs or fewer in 12 of his past 14 starts. Sale's 2.20 ERA ranks second in baseball, and the 37-year-old has made 14 quality starts this season. Sánchez's 15 wins are the most of any MLB starter, and his 6.2 bWAR leads all pitchers.

Leading the second team is Skubal (7-6, 2.81 ERA), who probably won't win a third straight Cy Young Award but could be a major factor down the stretch and in the playoffs. Yamamoto, Skubal's new teammate, has held teams to two runs or fewer in 10 of his past 14 starts and has a 0.89 WHIP, the second-lowest mark in baseball.

Rasmussen has the lowest WHIP (0.91) in the AL and has held opponents to a .200 average. Though Wheeler doesn't yet have enough innings to qualify, his 2.69 ERA would rank ninth among qualified starters. Burns is tied for third in MLB in wins (13), ranks sixth in ERA (2.61) and has a 10.38 K/9 ratio.

Others receiving votes: Jesus Luzardo (PHI); Gavin Williams (CLE); Parker Messick (CLE); Sonny Gray (BOS); Nick Martinez (TB)

Relief pitchers

First team: Mason Miller (SD); Bryan Baker (TB)
Second team: Jhoan Duran (PHI); Louis Varland (TOR)

The flame-throwing Miller has a 0.91 ERA and 91 strikeouts, both of which lead all relievers who've pitched at least 45 innings, along with 29 saves, which is tied for the NL lead. Baker, meanwhile, leads baseball with 34 saves and carries a 1.55 ERA, which ranks fourth among MLB relievers with at least 45 innings pitched.

Duran has a 1.74 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP to go with 59 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings, recording 25 saves through Sunday. Varland's 1.34 ERA is second only to Miller among qualified relievers, while his 75 strikeouts are tied for fifth.

Others receiving votes: Aroldis Chapman (BOS); Cade Smith (CLE); Grant Taylor (CWS)