Ultimate MLB All-Star guide for A’s and Giants fans: Who, where and how to watch
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- All-Star Week pauses regular season Monday–Thursday; Draft kicks off Saturday.
- A’s Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz will both start the All-Star Game on Tuesday.
- The Giants also have two All-Stars on the roster: Luis Arraez and pitcher Logan Webb.
Both of Northern California’s Major League Baseball teams are below .500 and currently underdogs to make the postseason come October.
But fans of the Athletics (41-53 entering Saturday), who’ve set up in West Sacramento for the 2025 through 2027 seasons before moving to Las Vegas, and the San Francicso Giants (39-55) still have something to look forward to when the league puts its regular season on pause for All-Star Week.
The week gives most MLB players some time off just over halfway through the season and gives fans a chance to watch many of the best players and sluggers in the league, as well as the game’s future stars in action over four days of festivities.
No regular season games will be played Monday through Thursday, though All-Star Week festivities kick off Saturday in Philadelphia with the MLB draft.
The week leads up to the All-Star Game on Tuesday, which will feature two players apiece from the A’s and Giants, though there are other events that may be worth tuning in for Northern California baseball fans.
Here is a look at the All-Star Week’s schedule. (All player stats were compiled after Thursday’s games.)
Saturday: MLB draft
The A’s, in a typical game this season, start as many as seven of their draft picks including four first-rounders, proof that while the 20-round, two-day MLB draft may feel long, it is still ever-important.
The first four rounds will encompass most of Saturday, beginning with the first 10 picks from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Pacific on NBC and streaming app Peacock.
Picks 11-40 are scheduled to begin right after and end at 1:30 p.m. Pacific on MLB Network, while picks 41-135, scheduled to end about 4:45 p.m. Pacific, will get pushed off MLB Network to just MLB.com, MLB TV and MLB+.
Rounds 5 through 30 will take place from about 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pacific on the MLB affiliate services.
Recent A’s draft successes include 2025 American League Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz (2024 first-round pick), his runner-up Jacob Wilson (2023 first-round pick), and consistent starters like Henry Bolte (2022 second-round pick), Zack Gelof (2021 first-round pick), and Tyler Soderstrom (2020 first-round pick).
So, the A’s and general manager Dave Forst will look to continue their recent hot streak with their No. 8 overall pick, in particular, as well as the rest of their draft.
“I’m very proud of our scouting group and the job they’ve done in the last five, six years,” Forst told MLB.com. “Obviously, we feel like we’ve capitalized on our Draft spot very well the last couple of years.”
Both ESPN and MLB Pipeline have projected that the A’s will select Arkansas catcher Ryder Helfrick with the pick, with other college bats also in the mix at that point in the first round.
Helfrick, 21, hit at least 15 home runs, batted at least .280 and held at least a .979 on-base plus slugging percentage over his last two seasons with the Razorbacks. Even though college hitters typically make the big leagues quicker than others, it still takes multiple years most of the time, meaning the selection of Helfrick would not necessarily contrast with A’s 2026 All-Star catcher Shea Langeliers’ rise.
Here are the A’s Day 1 draft picks:
- No. 8 overall, first round
- No. 47 overall, second round
- No. 73 overall, third round
- No. 83 overall, third round
- No. 111 overall, fourth round
The Giants hold two first round picks, No. 4 and No. 29 overall.
While San Francisco is unlikely to nab either of the two consensus top picks (UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky and high school shortstop Grady Emerson), they still have a good chance to make an impact pick.
MLB Pipeline projected that the Giants would select high school shortstop Jacob Lombard out of Miami, while saying a pair of outfielders and a right-handed college arm are also in the mix as the other three best available players at the spot. Though the club’s top four prospects are all shortstops, players at the premium position are often noted for their ability to transition to playing pretty much anywhere else.
Here are the Giants’ day one draft picks:
- No. 4 overall, first round
- No. 29 overall, first round
- No. 55 overall, second round
- No. 90 overall, third round
- No. 118 overall, fourth round
Sunday: Futures Game
The A’s top two prospects and two intriguing Giants youngsters will compete in the All-Star Futures Game beginning at 9 a.m. Pacific on Sunday, broadcast on NBC.
The game gives top prospects the chance to get their name out there and establish themselves as future stars of the league. Many future All-Stars and impact players have participated in the game, including Langeliers winning the game’s MVP award in 2022, just weeks before his MLB debut.
“It’s a great opportunity,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said last week.
Here are the A’s and Giants players competing in the game:
- Leo De Vries: The A’s No. 1 prospect and No. 2 prospect in all of baseball, was acquired during last year’s trade deadline blockbuster with the San Diego Padres that shipped off All-Star Mason Miller. At just 19-years-old, De Vries is already in Double-A, slashing .281/.373/.425 with 31 stolen bases, 10 home runs and 12 doubles, while playing shortstop. De Vries also appeared in last season’s Futures Game, striking out to current A’s starter Gage Jump.
- Jamie Arnold: The A’s No. 2 prospect, was the club’s first-round selection last season out of Florida State and has already become the No. 25 prospect the league. The 22-year-old lefty has had ups and downs in Double-A during his first professional season, posting a 4.15 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 80 ⅓ innings.
- Gavin Kilen: The Giants’ No. 4 prospect, a 22-year-old shortstop, is in the middle of his first full professional season in High-A ball after a hip injury ended his 2025 campaign. He holds an .808 OPS with 26 doubles in 77 games this season.
- Dakota Jordan: The Giants’ No. 5 and top non-shortstop prospect, plays with Kilen for the Eugene Emeralds, where he has displayed his power in full force this season. The 23-year-old outfielder has mashed 15 homers and 21 doubles alongside 15 stolen bases and an .837 OPS in 80 games this season.
Monday: Home Run Derby
No A’s or Giants players will compete in the Home Run Derby this season, though the fan-favorite event can still be streamed by fans beginning at 5 p.m. Pacific on Netflix.
Langeliers and star A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz both told the Bee that they were not interested in the event this season, though Kurtz said it was on his “bucket list.” The pair both have 20 home runs, tied for 15th in the MLB.
For those looking to root for a crowd-pleaser in Philadelphia to win the derby, Phillies sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper have been announced as two of eight participants.
Tuesday: All-Star Game
The main event will kick off at 5 p.m. Pacific live on FOX, preceded by a red-carpet-style lead-in that will be shown on MLB Network and MLB.com.
While both Langeliers and Kurtz were pretty obvious All-Stars, whether either or both would start was unclear until recently, when the duo were announced on Saturday as the first pair of A’s stars to start the same All-Star Game since Rickey Henderson and Dave Henderson in 1991. It is also both of their first All-Star appearances.
Langeliers, who handily won his spot during the fan-voting process that typically decides starters, will be the first Athletics catcher to start an All-Star Game since Terry Steinbach in 1989. His selection also marked the second consecutive year the A’s had a fan-elected starter after a 10-year drought from 2015-2024.
In 83 games this season, Langeliers, 28, has 36 extra-base hits and a .818 OPS despite a recent slump. With his 20th home run last week, Langeliers became the second Athletic to hit 20 homers in four consecutive seasons since 2004.
After widely being considered a snub when he did not advance to Phase 2 of the fan voting process, Kurtz received the starting spot at first base when fan-elected starter Vladimir Guerrero Jr. opted out of the game to rest his lower back. Kurtz got the starting role due to receiving the most votes in the players’ ballot.
Kurtz, 23, is one of the most prominent examples of successful three-true-outcomes hitting, leading the AL in walks (77) and in strikeouts (130) while also having his 20 home runs. Thanks to his .405 on-base percentage that ranks third-best in MLB, Kurtz has among the best OPS in the league at .902, though he, like Langeliers, is also on a slump heading into the break.
The two Giants All-Stars have been to the game before, but have been among the only bright spots in a tough season for the club. Neither will start the game, likely entering after the starters get two at-bats or in a relief appearance.
Luis Arraez, a three-time All-Star and batting champion, is hitting .326 this season, third-best in the league, with 21 doubles.
Giants ace Logan Webb, a Rocklin native, made his third All-Star Game roster after a stellar June that saw him lower his ERA significantly and win National League Pitcher of the Month.
Despite a tough start and rough, and back-to-back tough appearance to start July, Webb still holds a solid 3.83 ERA with 80 strikeouts across 100 1/3 innings this season.
