Just a few words before we begin.

This is not supposed to be an All-Time baseball team.

That’s why you won’t find some iconic names such as Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson or Honus Wagner.

This team was selected based on performance in the All-Star Game itself.

Who were the All-Stars among the All-Stars? That was the exercise here.

The first All-Star Game wasn’t played until 1933. And many of the sport’s greatest heroes never played in an All-Star Game. Others, like The Babe, played in an All-Star Game at the end of their careers.

But Ruth had only six at-bats in the game, so obviously there were better choices.

Also, our selections aren’t based on a singular moment. Bo Jackson hit a memorable, monster home run and put on a superb all-around show in the 1989 All-Star Game, but that was his lone appearance. He never played in another one.

In 1971, Reggie Jackson hit a titanic homer off the light tower above the upper deck at the old Tiger Stadium, but that blast was his only homer in the All-Star Game. He batted .269 and struck out nine times in 26 at-bats.

I made the selections based on track record. There were many tough calls to make, and extra consideration was given to a more extensive body of work rather than one or two games.

I could have picked about 50 players. There were that many outstanding candidates. But I narrowed the list to a 25-man roster.

A special thanks to consultants Derrick Goold, Joe Strauss and Rick Hummel.

Now let’s meet the team, with the starters listed first at each position:

Catchers

Johnny Bench — In 12 games, the Reds’ Hall of Famer batted .357 with three homers and a slugging percentage of .679.

Gary Carter — In 10 games, Carter batted .300 with three homers and a .750 slugging percentage and won two MVP awards.

You might be wondering about Yogi Berra. He played in 15 games but batted only .195. It’s interesting to note how many of the big-name catchers struggled in All-Star Games. Carlton Fisk hit .150, Roy Campanella batted .100, and Mike Piazza hit .240.

First base

Stan Musial — I put The Man here to ease the logjam of outfielders. And this is no gimmick; Musial did start four All-Star Games at first base. In 24 games, he batted .317 with six homers, 10 RBI and 11 runs. He ranks high on the career All-Star charts in homers (1st), total bases (1st), extra-base hits (1st), RBI (2nd), hits (2nd) and runs (2nd).

Steve Garvey — He was quite the All-Star force; in 10 games, Garvey batted .393 with a .433 onbase percentage, .821 slugging percentage and seven RBI. The Dodgers and Padres star was a two-time game MVP.

Second base

Nellie Fox — An impressive number of second basemen were worthy of inclusion here. I feel bad about leaving off Billy Herman, who batted .433 in 10 games. But Fox (White Sox) gets the edge because he sustained his very good play over 13 games, batting .368 and scoring seven runs, with five RBI. Only Mays (23) and Musial (20) had more All-Star Game hits than Fox (14).

Charlie Gehringer — In 29 All-Star plate appearances, the Tigers’ Hall of Famer reached base 19 times, on 10 hits and nine walks, for a preposterous onbase percentage of .655.

Shortstop

Derek Jeter — In nine games (five starts), the Yankees captain is batting .474 with a .684 slugging percentage. He was the MVP in 2000.

Cal Ripken — He started 13 games and twice was named MVP. The batting average wasn’t great (.265), but the Orioles’ iron man had eight RBI, which is tied for fifth. And he hit two homers, including a memorable shot in his final appearance.

Third base

Brooks Robinson — The Orioles’ Hall of Famer started 11 games and batted .289. His 13 hits are tied for fifth, his total bases rank sixth, and he is tied for the most career triples (three) in All-Star history. And we don’t have to mention his glove work, do we?

Utility

Jackie Robinson — He can play second, third, first, corner outfield and even a little shortstop in a pinch. He can also steal a base for you if it’s a close game in the late innings. In six All-Star Games, the Dodgers’ icon batted .333, slugged .611 and scored seven runs.

Also considered — Alfonso Soriano, who has three homers and a .357 average in only 14 All-Star at-bats. You might be searching for Pete Rose here, but he hit only .212 in 16 games.

Outfield

Ted Williams, LF — The Red Sox Hall of Famer batted .304 with a .439 onbase percentage and a .652 slugging percentage in 18 games. His 12 RBI are the most in All-Star history and he’s tied for second with four homers. He ranks first in walks (11), third in runs (10), and third in total bases (30).

Willie Mays, CF — The Giants’ Say Hey Kid, arguably the greatest CF in baseball history. In 75 All-Star at-bats, the most of any player, Mays hit .307 with a .533 slugging percentage. He has the most hits (23), the most stolen bases (six) and most runs (20) of any All-Star. He also homered three times, drove in nine runs and is tied with Musial for the most extra-base hits (8). Mays had two or more hits in six All-Star Games.

Curious minds might want to know about a few superstars who didn’t make it. Well, Hank Aaron batted .194 in 24 games, Mickey Mantle hit .233 with 17 strikeouts in 16 games, and Barry Bonds was a .194 hitter in 13 games.

Fred Lynn, OF — This name may surprise you a bit, but the Red Sox, Angel and Oriole was a terrific All-Star performer, batting .300 with four homers, 10 RBI and a .900 slugging percentage in nine games. The four homers and 10 RBI are tied for second in All-Star history. He was the MVP of the 1983 game.

Dave Winfield, OF — In 12 games (eight starts) representing the Padres and Yankees, Winfield batted .361 with a .556 slugging percentage, five RBI and six runs scored. No All-Star has more doubles (7).

Ken Griffey Jr., RF — Make room for one of the modern-day stars. In nine All-Star Games the Mariner and Red batted .444 in 25 at-bats with seven RBI and a .640 slugging percentage. Griffey was named MVP in 1992 after getting three hits including a homer. Will Junior, at age 39, get a chance to play in one more All-Star Game, this summer in St. Louis?

Starting pitchers

Juan Marichal — We’ll give him the start. The Giants Hall of Famer was 2-0 in the big game, allowing one earned run in 18 innings for an ERA of 0.50. He was the MVP of the 1965 classic.

Randy Johnson — Started four games, pitched 12 innings, struck out 12, with an ERA of 0.75. Fearsome.

Don Drysdale — The Dodgers Hall of Famer had two wins and a save with 19 Ks in 19.1 innings pitched, with an ERA of 1.40.

Jim Bunning — In 18 innings, the Phillies Hall of Famer allowed seven hits with 13 Ks and an ERA of 1.00.

Bob Feller — The fireballing Indians Hall of Famer struck out 13 in 12.1 innings with an ERA of 0.73.

Just missed — Lefty Gomez (3-1, 2.50 ERA). What about Bob Gibson? He was good (3.27 ERA), but the starters did better. Same with Dizzy Dean (2.70 ERA).

Notable — Some of the best pitchers of the modern era got roughed up in All-Star Games. The list includes Jim Palmer (5.68 ERA), Tom Seaver (4.85 ERA), Steve Carlton (5.63 ERA) and Tom Glavine (10.13 ERA).

Relievers

Ewell Blackwell — In six games, the Red was 1-0 with a save. He struck out 12 in 13.2 IP and had an ERA of 1.32.

Carl Hubbell — Our late-inning lefty hammer. In five games, the Giants Hall of Famer had a save and 11 Ks in 9.2 innings with an ERA of 2.79. In the 1934 game, he struck out five consecutive Hall of Famers: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmy Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin.

Mel Harder — The historically underrated Indians righthander had two saves and a win and didn’t allow a run in 13 IP.

Bruce Sutter — The Cardinal (and Cub) Hall of Famer had two wins and two saves, didn’t allow a run in four appearances, and struck out seven in 6.2 IP.

Mariano Rivera –The Yankee is perhaps the greatest closer ever, and that’s also true of the All-Star Game. He has three saves and hasn’t permitted a run in seven appearances.

Some Hall of Fame or future Hall of Fame closers have taken their licks in the All-Star Game, including Rollie Fingers (6.75 ERA), Trevor Hoffman (10.13 ERA) and Goose Gossage (10.50 ERA).