Read our story on the balloting format, which includes two phases of fan voting to determine the All-Star starters.
The first All-Star balloting update is out, and it must be said: You, the fans, are doing a pretty good job.
Writers like me used to always complain about fan voting, that it was just a popularity contest, that only bold-faced names won, that it wasn’t really about quality. That is no longer an issue: Fans, particularly in the online voting age, have gotten pretty good at this. There are no obvious, glaring snubs. Good job!
That said: I have a few notes. More to the point, there are some players who are having pretty terrific years so far whom you might be overlooking a bit. Phase 1 of voting is still open until June 26 at noon ET, so think of this as a little tipsheet to consider some players who might deserve more consideration.
Here are eight players who have been excellent so far who didn’t make the top five at their respective positions (or top 15 for outfielders) … but hopefully will next time around.
CJ Abrams, Nationals (NL SS)
Current standing: 7th
Look, shortstop in the National League is packed: I have a difficult time blaming anyone for any decision they make at this particular position. But Abrams actually made the All-Star team last year, which makes his low standing here of note, considering he’s having a much better season in 2025.
You name it, and Abrams’ numbers are up: He’s hitting for more power, he’s getting on base more, he’s striking out less. He’s also starting to look almost like the elder statesman on a roster that is filling up with exciting young players. It’s tough to elbow your way to a spot at this position, when players like Francisco Lindor and Mookie Betts are there. But Abrams makes his case more and more with each passing year.
Drake Baldwin, Braves (NL C)
Current standing: Outside the top 10
OK, so I can hardly blame anyone for not voting for Baldwin: He’s not even listed on the ballot. The Braves, understandably, went with veteran Sean Murphy as their catcher representative, but it should be said that Baldwin has put together an objectively better season. It seems like he has a big hit every time he plays, and his numbers match up with just about any catcher in baseball, outside of Cal Raleigh or Will Smith. He’s also almost certainly your NL Rookie of the Year Award favorite right now.
Again, it's fine that you didn’t vote for him: You would have had to write him in! But he has been one of the best-hitting catchers in baseball, even if the ballot currently does not show it.
Lawrence Butler, A’s (AL OF)
Current standing: Outside the top 20
Butler isn’t quite matching the numbers he put up in the second half of last season, when he legitimately looked like he would be an MVP candidate this year. But that shouldn’t obscure the fact that he has the appearance of a guy who will end up making multiple All-Star Games and, until this year, had never appeared on a ballot.
Butler has a chance to reach 30-30 this season (he would have made it easily last year had he not spent part of it in the Minors), and he has warmed up of late, slugging .500 in June entering play on Monday. He’s also an absolute blast to watch: He’s the sort of guy who can light up an All-Star Game and introduce himself to the more casual fans.
Junior Caminero, Rays (AL 3B)
Current standing: 6th
Speaking of players who are an absolute blast to watch, the highlight of Father’s Day might have been the 21-year-old Caminero launching a three-run homer and pointing to his father in the stands. Good stuff.
Caminero is an electric player, with so much raw talent in such a young, thrilling package. He’s also the centerpiece of a team that’s white-hot right now, specifically because of an offense that will be built around him for years to come. Plus: He’s already an all-timer of a bat flipper.
Iván Herrera, Cardinals (NL DH)
Current standing: 7th
Herrera was the Opening Day catcher for the Cardinals, and had he remained at the position, he could have made himself a compelling case to be the pick there. But the Cardinals decided to move him to DH (though he still plays behind the plate occasionally) because they wanted to make sure his bat was in the lineup every day. It has paid off for them and Herrera, who has made himself into a .312 hitter and the team’s cleanup guy.
Now, DH is obviously a far more crowded position, and it’s not just Shohei Ohtani. You’ve got Kyle Schwarber, Marcell Ozuna and Seiya Suzuki here, too. Oh, and some guy named Rafael Devers is now on the NL side as well. But Herrera should absolutely be in the top five. And if he had stayed on the ballot at catcher, he might be winning.
Matt Olson, Braves (NL 1B)
Current standing: 6th
Sure, Olson is a two-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner. He’s hardly unheralded. But we’ve also thought that the success Freddie Freeman has enjoyed in Los Angeles -- in the wake of leaving Atlanta -- has obscured just how good Olson continues to be. This is a guy who hit 54 homers two years ago!
He took a small step back last year (though he was hardly bad), and he’s close to back to his normal self; he’s on pace to approach a 40-homer season. He also plays every single day, reliably, for a team that needs all the certainty it can get right now. Sixth is way too low for a guy who seems destined to be a little underappreciated.
Heliot Ramos, Giants (NL OF)
Current standing: 18th
Who says the Giants didn’t have a star until they traded for Devers? Ramos is the ultimate Giants player: Quiet, unheralded, sneaky good and relentlessly productive. He was a key player for the Giants last year, with real power, but he wasn’t quite getting on base at the rate the Giants would have liked.
That has been rectified this year: He has raised his OBP a full 30 points without losing any of that power. He’ll make an All-Star Game at some point, no question, and 18th is certainly too low.
Brent Rooker, A’s (AL DH)
Current standing: 7th
It’s perhaps not surprising to see two A’s on this list, even the two A’s we were all briefly calling the new Bash Brothers last season. But Rooker, who is now locked up with this team through 2029 (and potentially 2030), is the perpetual overlooked A’s player, the guy who just rakes and rakes every season without people much noticing.
Like Butler, he has heated up as the season has gone on, but the impressive thing about Rooker really is his consistency. He never gets too high or too low, with his numbers down slightly from last year but up slightly from the year before. He's just a player who puts up All-Star numbers all the time.