Batting Around: Which pitchers should start the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, fresh faces or veteran aces?
Throughout the season, the CBS Sports MLB experts will bring you a weekly Batting Around roundtable breaking down pretty much anything. The latest news, a historical question, thoughts about the future of baseball, all sorts of stuff. Last week we debated whether Cal Raleigh will become the rare catcher to lead MLB in home runs. This week we’re going to tackle the guys who deserve to take the mound in the All-Star Game.
Who should be the All-Star Game starting pitchers?
Matt Snyder: I think this is a really easy one. I realize there are other pitchers in the mix who feel deserving, but Tarik Skubal on the American League side needs to have his coronation as the top pitcher in the sport and on the National League side, we need a repeat of Paul Skenes getting the ball on the national stage. Skubal is probably nationally underappreciated among casual fans — not to mention the Tigers are running away with the AL Central — while the league needs to continue to embrace Skenes’ stardom from a small market. The stats for both pitchers are there, too.
Dayn Perry: My All-Star criteria is probably two-thirds “is he a true star” and one-third “how’s he doing in the current season.” In other words, I’m going to operate with a bias toward established stars — it’s the All-STAR Game, after all — but I’m not going to pick a star who’s endured a poor first half. In the NL, I’ll go with Paul Skenes by a nose over Zack Wheeler. The AL, though, is tougher. Part of me wants to pay homage to the Jacob DeGrom renaissance going on in Texas right now, and Max Fried certainly merits consideration. There’s simply no ignoring Tarik Skubal’s dominance, though. He’s the reigning Cy Young winner in the AL, and he’s putting together a generational season in 2025. There’s also no other pitcher I’d rather watch right now. So Skenes-Skubal it is.
2025 MLB All-Star Game starters: Francisco Lindor, Cal Raleigh and more join Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani
R.J. Anderson
R.J. Anderson: While I like the deGrom shout, I think Skubal-Skenes right matchup for the reasons Dayn laid out above. I mean no disrespect to Wheeler, Garrett Grochet, Hunter Brown, and Max Fried, but that’s the starting pitcher combination I’d most want to see — and I don’t find it to be a reach to land on those players, even if you base the assignment purely on performance.
Mike Axisa: Skenes and Skubal is just too obvious. The All-Star Game is a showcase, so showcase the best pitcher in the world (Skubal) and arguably the most talked about pitcher in the sport (Skenes). Lots of people who don’t usually watch baseball will watch the All-Star Game and Skubal vs. Skenes is a chance to hook them on the sport. Something like, say, Max Fried vs. Chris Sale in Atlanta would be a neat storyline, and I think you could easily argue in favor of Garrett Crochet vs. Zack Wheeler or Hunter Brown vs. Logan Webb, but I think it has to be Skubal vs. Skenes. Unless Shohei Ohtani agrees to pitch in the All-Star Game (there is no indication he will), put Skenes on the mound against Skubal, and wow everyone.
