Picking April MLB All-Star teams for the American League and National League

Weve played about one-sixth of the six-month MLB season and flipped the calendar to May, so lets look at the best performers at each position in both leagues.

Based on performance alone, here are my picks for the April All-Star teams for the American League and National League.

Let me know what you think I got right and wrong in the comments.

American League Its taken Soderstrom time to develop, but the 2020 first-round pick looks ready for a breakout season.

He has slashed .284/.349/560 with five doubles, nine home runs and 24 RBIs.

He edged out the Tigers Spencer Torkelson, the No.

1 pick in 2020, who has shined this season with an .896 OPS, eight homers and 24 RBIs.

Campbell signed an eight-year, $60 million contract in early April and is already delivering as one of the top rookies in the game.

He has slashed .301/.407/.495 (164 OPS+) with 17 runs and 12 RBIs.

Campbell, 22, edged out Jazz Chisholm Jr., who leads all AL second basemen with seven homers and 17 RBIs but is hitting just .181 with a .304 on-base percentage.

Advertisement Theres no debate at shortstop in the AL as Witt is batting .322/.388/.475 (144 OPS+) with 19 runs and nine stolen bases.

He ranks in the 95th percentile in outs above average (defensive range) and the 100th percentile in sprint speed.

A star on both sides of the ball, Witt is in the 92nd percentile in both batting run value and fielding run value.

Bregman has been one of the best free-agent signings of the offseason as hes posted a 172 OPS+ with seven homers and 24 RBIs.

He ranks in the 96th percentile in batting run value, the 98th percentile in chase rate and the 94th percentile in whiff rate.

Hes worthy of this pick because of his numbers alone but his leadership has been an immediate difference-maker for the Red Sox.

This is the easiest pick of them all.

There can be no debate: Judge is the best hitter in MLB.

He leads the majors in average (.427), on-base percentage (.521) and slugging percentage (.761), RBIs (32) and hits (50).

The two-time AL MVP is the early season favorite to win the award again this year.

Mullins is in his free-agent walk year and could not have picked a better time for the best start of his career.

Hes reaching base at a .412 clip and has six homers, five doubles, five steals and 27 runs all while playing standout defense (elite range but a below-average arm) in center field.

He was an All-Star and Silver Slugger winner in 2021 and could repeat those accomplishments this year if he can keep it up.

The three-time Gold Glove winner looks like a shoo-in for a fourth consecutive AL defensive award in left field and hes equally impressive at the plate, batting .322/.370/.466 with five doubles and four homers along with four steals in as many attempts.

His high energy and enthusiasm are contagious.

Advertisement Since the start of the 2023 season, no catcher has more homers than Raleigh and hes off to a strong start in that department this year with 10 long balls, tied for the most in the majors.

Hes also getting on base at a .341 clip, well above his career high.

Raleigh, who signed a six-year, $105 million extension before the season, continues to be one of the games best pitch framers, ranking in the 92nd percentile among all catchers.

Rice ranks in the 97th to 99th percentile in batting run value, xwOBA, xSLG, barrel percentage, average exit velocity and hard-hit rate.

He is in the 91st percentile in chase rate and the 88th percentile in bat speed.

Hes reached base at a .373 clip, slugged eight homers and posted a 181 OPS+.

Rice looks like hell be the Yankees first baseman of the future starting in 2026, but in the meantime, he will give Giancarlo Stanton competition at DH once the veteran returns from his multiple elbow injuries.

The 26-year-old has been the best DH in the AL so far and is making a strong case that he needs to remain in the lineup.

Brown has arrived as the Astros ace.

The 26-year-old will give Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet, Max Fried and others strong competition for this years AL Cy Young Award.

Brown is 4-1 with a 1.22 ERA in six starts.

Hes struck out 40 and walked only seven in 37 innings.

He ranks in the 99th percentile in pitching run value and fastball run value.

Batters are hitting just .075 against his four-seam fastball and .167 against his changeup.

I also considered Tyler Mahle (1.14 ERA over six starts), who has been terrific for Texas.

Munoz has been the ALs best closer, converting all 11 of his save opportunities and allowing no runs over his first 15 appearances.

Hes struck out 19 and walked six in 15 innings.

Batters are hitting just .036 against his nasty slider.

National League After signing a short-term contract with the Mets last winter that includes two opt-outs, Alonso looks primed to re-enter free agency and capitalize in the fall.

The 30-year-old appears to be in great shape and is off to a scorching start, slashing .343/.474/.657 (219 OPS+) with seven homers and 28 RBIs.

Hes benefitting from having Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto hitting in front of him; they provide significant traffic when he comes to the plate.

Turang won a Gold Glove Award (and a Platinum Glove) last year, and based on his early leatherwork, hell likely win it again this year.

Hes slashing .317/.368/.408 while ranking second in the NL in hits and runs scored and stealing eight bases in 11 attempts.

I also considered Brendan Donovan of the Cardinals, Bryson Stott of the Phillies and Tommy Edman of the Dodgers.

Advertisement Soto is the highest-paid Met and Alonso has the most power on the team, but Lindor is the face of the franchise and its most important leader.

Hes off to a strong start, hitting .308 with a 143 OPS+.

He continues to mash fastballs, batting .343 against them with four of his six home runs coming versus the pitch.

On Saturday, Suarez became the 19th player in MLB history to hit four homers in a game , although the Diamondbacks still somehow lost to the Braves .

He has 10 homers on the season along with 20 RBIs and a 127 OPS+.

He ranks in the the 98th percentile in hard-hit rate, the 94th percentile in barrel rate and the 94th percentile in average exit velocity.

I seriously considered Austin Riley, who is a better hitter and defender than Suarez.

However, Suarezs early power numbers deserve recognition.

I expect Tatis to be in the NL MVP conversation all season long.

Hes well on his way, slashing .345/.409/.602 with eight homers, 25 runs, 18 RBIs and seven stolen bases while playing Platinum defense in right field.

Corbin Carroll and Kyle Tucker are both deserving as well.

Carroll is batting .289 with nine homers and 23 RBIs while Tucker has a .279 average with seven homers and 27 RBIs.

The NL is loaded with right-field talent.

Lee is living up to the six-year, $113 million contract he signed before last season; hes slashed .319/.375/.526 (162 OPS+) with 23 runs, three homers, three steals and a league-leading 11 doubles.

Hes played above-average defense in center field, ranking in the 79th percentile in outs above average and the 94th percentile in arm strength.

He is in the 95th percentile in xBA, the 96th percentile in whiff rate and the 96th percentile in baserunning run value.

I gave serious consideration to Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs and Oneil Cruz of the Pirates, but Lee edged them out.

James Wood looks like hell develop into a star, following in the footsteps of elite former Nationals outfielders like Bryce Harper and Soto.

Hes off to a great start this year with a .903 OPS, nine homers, 19 runs, 21 RBIs and three stolen bases.

Wood, whom the Nationals acquired in their blockbuster trade of Soto to the Padres in 2022, is under team control through the 2030 season.

The quiet, lead-by-example left fielder shows remarkable poise and composure.

He ranks in the 92nd to 95th percentile in xwOBA, xSLG, average exit velocity, barrel rate, hard-hit percentage and bat speed.

Washington has itself another tremendously talented outfielder.

Advertisement Yes, youre reading this right.

The best catcher in the NL so far this season is not William Contreras, nor J.T.

Realmuto, nor Will Smith, not even Sean Murphy.

Its Kelly, who has slashed .360/.507/.840 with seven homers and 21 RBIs.

Best known as a backup catcher with above-average blocking and caught-stealing skills, hes put up gaudy offensive numbers in a small sample (67 plate appearances).

Kellys hot start is not sustainable, but lets give him his due for a phenomenal April.

Schwarber, who has nine homers, 23 RBIs and a .936 OPS, gets the nod at DH, but this position was a tough call.

One could make an argument for Marcell Ozuna, Seiya Suzuki, Shohei Ohtani, Christian Yelich and Wilmer Flores.

But Ill go with Schwarber, who is off to a good start in his free-agent walk year.

Yamamoto leads all NL pitchers with a 1.06 ERA over six starts and has 43 strikeouts in 34 innings.

He ranks in the 95th to 96th percentile in pitching run value, fastball run value and offspeed run value, and in the 95th percentile in ground-ball rate.

Batters are hitting .189 against his four-seamer and .111 against his split-finger.

Suarez has been the best closer in the NL, converting all 12 of his save opportunities.

Hes allowed just one run and five hits over 14 innings while striking out 16 and walking three.

All of his pitches are working for him; batters are hitting .111 against his four-seamer, .111 against his changeup and .125 against his sinker.

(Top photos of Fernando Tatis Jr.

and Aaron Judge: Brandon Sloter / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.