Every week, we ask a selected group of our baseball writers — local and national — to rank the teams from first to worst. Here are the collective results. The All-Star Game is a moment in time, an arbitrary not-even-that-close-to-the-midpoint time to decide who’s been the best so far this season. At this point in 2025, David Peterson was an All-Star for the Mets — and Juan Soto was not. (Since then, Soto has been a top-five hitter in the sport, and Peterson a bottom-five pitcher.)There’s still plenty of season to be played, plenty of time for players to change or further the story of their own individual campaigns, whether they spent their break in Philadelphia or not. This week, we’re looking at which player each team needs to be an All-Star in the second half of the season — the guy who can take his team to loftier heights, who can rebound to show he’s still got it, or who can continue a breakout that changes the way we think about him into the future.Stats are through Monday morning unless otherwise noted.1. Los Angeles Dodgers (Average ranking: 1.0)Record: 63-38
Last Power Ranking: 1Second-half All-Star: Kyle TuckerThe Dodgers entered the second half with the best record in baseball. The offense ranks first in OPS. The pitching staff ranks third in ERA. They are the back-to-back champs and a three-peat looks within reach. They are doing all of this during a season in which Blake Snell has thrown three innings, Edwin Díaz has a 10.50 ERA and Tucker is performing like a league-average hitter. The Dodgers expected far better than a 100 OPS+ when the club splurged on him last winter. Maybe he will crank it up in time to learn a lesson about creating a legacy in Los Angeles: with the Dodgers, only October really matters. — Andy McCullough2. Milwaukee Brewers (2.0)Record: 63-37
