Padres’ Manny Machado named All-Star Game starter, earns seventh selection
Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images
Manny Machado won the fan vote to become the National League third base starter at the 2025 All-Star Game in Atlanta.
The votes have been tallied for the 2025 PRO SPIRIT MLB All-Star Ballot to determine the starters for the 2025 All-Star Game in Atlanta, and Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres won his election over the Dodgers’ Max Muncy. Machado will make his second start and third All-Star game as a Padre and seventh selection overall in his career.
Even with the Padres struggling offensively for much of the season, Machado has put up numbers similar to the lofty standards he sets for himself. He leads the team with 94 hits, which is tied for the second-most in the National League with Shohei Ohtani. Notably, Machado approaches the coveted 2,000-hit milestone, as he is just six hits away.
His .831 OPS and 129 OPS+ also lead the club. He has been clearly the best hitter on the Padres this season and one of the better hitters in all the National League. His .293 average ranks 9th in the NL.
Among National League third basemen, he ranks first in batting average, first in fWAR, second in home runs, third in wRC+, and third in OPS.
Machado becomes just the fourth Padre ever to start multiple All-Star Games in a Padres uniform. Of course, Tony Gwynn is chief among them. Benito Santiago and Steve Garvey also make the list.
The Padres’ star third baseman is quickly rising on the board of the greatest Padres hitters of all time. At this point, it’s hard not to call him the best Padres position player not named Gwynn or Dave Winfield.
He is the Padres’ all-time home run king with 180. He is third, behind Gwynn and Winfield, in career WAR with the club. With a couple more good seasons, he should pass Winfield for second behind Gwynn.
Machado will likely finish his Padres career as the best hitter the Padres have outside of Gwynn, once he surpasses Winfield in a few more categories.
Now, Machado has his ticket punched for Atlanta. The 2025 MLB All-Star Game is Tuesday, July 15.
Due to the growing outcry from baseball fans, Major League Baseball announced that beginning this season, the All-Stars will wear their team jerseys during the actual game. This was after MLB displayed several All-Star Game-only uniforms for the players that many fans despised.
Machado will be wearing the home white pinstripes with brown and gold shining in the Atlanta sun when the starters are announced for the Midsummer Classic.
Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.