2026 MLB All-Star Game Best Bets, MVP Predictions: National League Favored in Midsummer Classic

The 2026 MLB All-Star Game is here, and it feels like there hasn't been a bigger gap between the two leagues for the Midsummer Classic in quite some time.

The National League enters Tuesday night's All-Star Game having dominated interleague play throughout the 2026 season, posting a 162-129 record against American League opponents. While the All-Star Game is ultimately an exhibition, that disparity speaks to the overall depth the National League brings into Citizens Bank Park.

(Photo by Melina Pizano/Getty Images)

Unfortunate for entertainment purposes, both sides will be missing their biggest stars.

AL superstar Aaron Judge has been sidelined due to injury for months, while NL leading vote-getter Shohei Ohtani will also miss the game because of a lingering left knee issue he picked up recently. Losing two of the sport's biggest power threats naturally changes the complexion of the game, but the National League still enters with the deeper lineup from top to bottom.

All odds via FanDuel and DraftKings.

Starting pitching favors the National League

Hometown ace Cristopher Sanchez will get the nod for the NL, becoming the first Phillies pitcher since Roy Halladay in 2011 and the seventh pitcher in franchise history to start an MLB All-Star Game.

Sanchez has had an incredible season and is well deserving of the honor to start, posting a 2.62 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP across 127.1 innings. And all of the All-Star Phillies should benefit from playing at their home ballpark, but in my opinion, nobody stands to gain more than Sanchez.

Throughout his career, Sanchez has consistently pitched better at Citizens Bank Park, and this season has been no different. The 29-year-old southpaw owns a remarkable 0.86 ERA across 11 home starts, making Philadelphia the perfect setting for his first All-Star start.

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The American League will counter with Dylan Cease, who becomes just the third pitcher in Blue Jays history to start an All-Star Game, joining Halladay and Dave Stieb.

Cease is enjoying an outstanding first season in Toronto and enters the break in dominant form, posting a 2.56 ERA with an absurd 148 strikeouts. Over his last two starts, he's thrown 15 consecutive scoreless innings while allowing just four hits and striking out 20 hitters. However, Cease has historically performed significantly better when playing in a domed ballpark and it makes sense why he's been so dominant at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

In open stadiums, Cease historically allows higher slugging percentages and a greater rate of home runs. For instance, on days with strong winds blowing out, his home run metrics noticeably spike compared to calm or indoor environments.

According to Baseball Savant, when pitching outdoors in stadiums experiencing winds of 10+ mph blowing out, Cease's career ERA climbs to 5.14 and his HR/9 jumps to 1.65.

My MLB All-Star Game Pick

• Best Bet: National League First 3 Innings ML (-150 via FanDuel)

Handicapping the starting pitchers in the All-Star Game only goes so far because managers are focused on getting everyone into the game.

That's exactly why I prefer the first three innings instead of the full-game moneyline.

By targeting the opening three frames, I get Sanchez pitching in front of a home crowd while avoiding the randomness that comes once bullpens empty and every available reliever gets into the game.

The National League has simply been the better league throughout the season, and I trust its starting lineup more during the first trip through the batting order than I do a full nine innings of substitutions.

Why I'm playing the Over early

Citizens Bank Park is one of baseball's better offensive environments. StatCast rates it among the top five parks for run scoring over the last three seasons, and the weather forecast should only enhance those conditions with double-digit winds expected to blow toward right field.

The park has already produced 121 home runs this season, ranking ninth in Major League Baseball.

Normally, the All-Star Game profile screams under.

The under has cashed in 14 of the last 19 Midsummer Classics because hitters rarely receive more than one or two plate appearances, never get comfortable against a pitcher and spend the night facing elite arms throwing max effort.

There's also almost no opportunity for lineup rhythm. Every inning features another All-Star reliever with a different arsenal, making sustained rallies difficult.

Still, this year's environment feels different.

Even without Judge and Ohtani, both lineups remain stacked with MVP-caliber hitters, and favorable hitting conditions could turn a couple of well-struck balls into early runs.

• My Total Bet: Over 5.5 First 7 Innings ALT (-140 via DraftKings)

Rather than play the full-game over, I'll isolate the first seven innings and take an alternate line that I think has better value.

Late in the game, managers typically hand the ball to flame-throwing relievers, and that's expected again this year with arms like Mason Miller and Jhoan Duran likely available to close things out.

Both relievers possess triple-digit fastballs capable of completely shutting down offenses for an inning.

Instead of hoping somebody scores against elite bullpen arms in the eighth or ninth, I'd rather cash the ticket before they even enter.

Long-shot All-Star Game MVP worth a look

• My All-Star MVP prediction: Freddie Freeman (+4000 via FanDuel)

Picking an All-Star MVP is always difficult because no position player is guaranteed more than two trips to the plate.

That's exactly why I'll take a chance on Freddie Freeman (.290 AVG, 15 HRs) at 40-to-1.

The veteran first baseman will be making his 10th All-Star appearance and is expected to hit third in the National League lineup, giving him one of the best opportunities to come up with runners on base early in the game.

He also has a track record of success against Cease, going 8-for-21 in his career against the right-hander.

Combine that with favorable hitting conditions and a left-handed swing built for Citizens Bank Park's right-field dimensions, and Freeman becomes one of the more intriguing value plays on the board.

His odds currently rank outside the top 20 despite being in the starting lineup, while several players listed ahead of him may only get one plate appearance or won't even start.