Phase 1 of the 2025 MLB All-Star vote is complete, and the list of potential starting position players has narrowed, with two superstar sluggers officially punching their tickets.
Nearly 11 million ballots were cast before the polls closed Thursday at noon ET, and results were announced Thursday night on MLB Network. With all the votes tabulated, the Yankees’ Aaron Judge and the Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani stood as the leading vote-getters in their respective leagues on the 2025 PRO SPIRIT MLB All-Star Ballot. That gives them automatic spots in their leagues’ starting lineups for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 15.
TOP OVERALL VOTE-GETTERS
AL: Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees -- 4,012,983 votes
NL: Shohei Ohtani, DH, Dodgers -- 3,967,668 votes
They are the reigning MVPs in their respective leagues. They are the marquee players on their pennant-defending teams, both of which are loaded with star power. One is the game's best hitter and its most feared slugger. The other is the game's biggest global superstar and quite possibly the most talented player to grace the sport. So, yeah, it makes perfect sense as to why Judge and Ohtani were the most popular players on the ballot.
This is the third time that Judge has been MLB's top vote-getter and the fourth time he has paced the American League in the voting. Even though his bat has been relatively quiet in June, he still has an outrageous .361/.461/.719 slash line with 28 homers in 80 games. Ohtani's homer total is even with Judge's and is tops in the NL. He also leads the NL with a 1.025 OPS. Ohtani is his league's top vote-getter for a second time; he was atop AL voting totals in 2023 with the Angels.
The other players to top 2.5 million votes in Phase 1 were Dodgers catcher Will Smith (3,428,856), Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (3,392,751), Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (3,040,594), Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (3,021,265), Guardians third baseman José Ramírez (2,777,085) and D-backs second baseman Ketel Marte (2,534,002).
Now the voting will move into Phase 2, which will begin Monday at noon ET. The top two Phase 1 finishers at each position (except NL designated hitter) and the top six outfielders advance to Phase 2. However, because Judge already locked up one AL outfield spot, only the next four finishers at that position will compete for the final two spots alongside him.
Phase 2 of voting will run from noon ET on Monday (June 30) until noon ET on Wednesday (July 2). The All-Star Ballot will continue to be available exclusively online and via mobile devices at MLB.com/vote, all 30 Club websites, the MLB App and the MLB Ballpark App. Fans may vote once per day during Phase 2, with the daily voting limit resetting each day at midnight ET.
Phase 2 winners will be announced on Wednesday live on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET.
Here are the players who advanced to Phase 2 at each position, listed in order of Phase 1 vote total. It’s important to note that vote totals from Phase 1 do not carry over, so everybody starts with a clean slate. (Stats below are through Wednesday’s games.)
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Catcher: Cal Raleigh (Mariners), Alejandro Kirk (Blue Jays)
No Mariners catcher has ever received the most All-Star votes at the position in a given year. And if it wasn't for Judge, Raleigh would have already secured a starting spot. The AL's second-most popular player on the ballot, Raleigh is putting together a historic season. His MLB-leading 32 homers are already the most by a catcher and a switch-hitter before the All-Star break, and he is on pace to smash the single-season home runs records for each.
Kirk is one of two Blue Jays who will have an entire country supporting them during Phase 2 voting. However, that may not be enough after Kirk finished about 1.8 million votes behind Raleigh during Phase 1. Still, Kirk is tied for sixth in the AL with a .310 average and is tied for fifth in the Majors with a 56.5% hard-hit rate. He has also been the most valuable defensive player, regardless of position, by fielding run value.
First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays), Paul Goldschmidt (Yankees)
Guerrero has not let the 14-year, $500 million contract extension he signed in April affect his play in any way. He is still punishing baseballs regularly and has posted a solid .282/.387/.450 slash line with 11 home runs. His .327 expected batting average is tops among qualified hitters. A win in Phase 2 would give Guerrero his fourth All-Star start in five years.
A former perennial All-Star, Goldschmidt has made it to the Midsummer Classic only once since 2019. Even though his bat has cooled after a scorching start, his production -- .288 average, .778 OPS -- has been a huge lift for the division-leading Yankees, who received an MLB-worst .653 OPS from their first basemen over the past two seasons.
Second base: Gleyber Torres (Tigers), Jackson Holliday (Orioles)
Tigers fans rocked the vote in Phase 1 as three of their hometown favorites advanced to Phase 2, tying the Yankees for the most players from any AL club. Torres has enjoyed a resurgent season in Detroit, highlighted by a career-high .280 average, and an .803 OPS that would be his highest since 2019, when he last made the All-Star team. Torres' success can also be seen in his expected stats. His .520 expected slugging percentage is a massive leap from his .368 mark with the Yankees last season.
The 21-year-old Holliday secured the second finalist spot at second base by about 120,000 votes over Astros star Jose Altuve. After a rough 2024 debut as MLB’s No. 1 prospect, Holliday has found his footing in the big leagues this year with nine homers and a .721 OPS through 73 games.
Third base: José Ramírez (Guardians), Alex Bregman (Red Sox)
The face of the Guardians' franchise just continues to hit in his age-32 season. Ramírez, vying for his fourth All-Star Game start, is slashing .318/.378/.516. He already has 20 stolen bases, and with just seven more homers, he will notch his fifth straight 20-20 campaign.
Bregman had a stellar beginning to his career in Boston, bashing 11 homers and logging a .938 OPS through his first 51 games. But he suffered a right quad strain in late May and will likely be sidelined through the All-Star break.
Shortstop: Jacob Wilson (Athletics), Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals)
In one of the surprises from Phrase 1, Wilson was the clear leader at AL shortstop, topping Witt -- last season's AL MVP runner-up -- by about 500,000 votes. The 23-year-old Wilson (.347) trails only Judge in batting average and is ahead of all qualified rookies in numerous categories, including OPS (.875), runs (41) and total bases (146). The A’s have not had a fan-elected starter in the All-Star Game since third baseman Josh Donaldson in 2014.
Although Witt's year at the plate has been a step down from his 2024 heights, he still has 21 steals and 40 extra-base hits in 80 games. Plus, his defense remains elite as he leads all players with 15 outs above average.
Outfield: Riley Greene (Tigers), Javier Báez (Tigers), Mike Trout (Angels), Steven Kwan (Guardians)
With Judge automatically receiving a spot in the AL’s starting lineup after leading all players in votes during Phase 1, these four will compete to nab the two remaining starting outfield spots for the AL. If Greene can maintain his voting strength from Phase 1 through Phase 2, he will lock up one of those spots easily. Although he was a distant second to Judge in the outfield, Greene's 2,332,378 votes were fourth most in the Junior Circuit. He has hammered baseballs this year to the tune of an 18.6% barrel rate -- third in the AL behind only Judge and Raleigh -- and is on pace for 34 home runs in his age-24 season.
But the better story in the Motor City in Báez, who has staged a massive turnaround after three subpar seasons with Detroit. From 2022-24, Báez registered a 70 wRC+, which tied for the fourth-lowest among 230 qualified hitters. This year, he's got a 123 wRC+ while providing plus defense during his first year as a center fielder.
Although a left knee contusion interrupted Trout's season for a month, he has launched 12 dingers in 54 games. A virtual lock to join the Hall of Fame someday, Trout is vying for his 12th All-Star Game, the most selections among active players.
Kwan entered last year's All-Star break with a .352 average and was the AL's leadoff hitter for the Midsummer Classic. He is hitting "only" .307 this season, but he also owns a .372 on-base percentage, an .800 OPS and the most valuable outfield arm in baseball.
Designated hitter: Ryan O’Hearn (Orioles), Ben Rice (Yankees)
The shocking Rafael Devers trade cleared the way for O'Hearn to be the top vote-getter at AL designated hitter. But with that said, O'Hearn fully deserves to be a finalist. Designated for assignment by the Royals in 2023, O'Hearn has thrived during his three seasons in Baltimore. He was a finalist to start last year's All-Star Game at DH but lost out to Yordan Alvarez. This year, he's batting .301 with an .869 OPS and has possibly made himself one of the more sought-after hitters at this year's Trade Deadline.
In his first full Major League season, Rice's .489 slugging percentage is the highest among qualified DHs. His 14 homers are two shy of the lead of the position, held by the A's Brent Rooker. But Rice edged out Rooker for a finalist spot here by about 25,000 votes.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Catcher: Will Smith (Dodgers), Carson Kelly (Cubs)
Smith made the All-Star team in 2023 and '24, but this may be the year he gets a starting nod. More than just a good offensive catcher, Smith is pacing the NL with a .330 average and a .425 on-base percentage. The last time a qualified primary catcher finished a year with an OBP that high? You have to go back to Joe Mauer's MVP season in 2009, when he had a .444 clip. Smith received the most votes of any player not named Judge or Ohtani. (3,428,856)
Kelly, a Chicago native, opened the season on an absurd power surge, bopping eight homers through his first 20 games. It was an out-of-nowhere hot streak for a 10-year vet who hasn't reached double-digit homers since 2021. Although he has just one homer in his previous 30 games, Kelly's current .823 OPS is just a few points shy of his career high. (.826 in 2019).
First base: Freddie Freeman (Dodgers), Pete Alonso (Mets)
Freeman, who is riding a streak of six consecutive All-Star selections, has slashed .310/.382/.504 this season. And that's despite being mired in a prolonged cold snap at the plate. Even with a .155 average and just two extra-base hits in his previous 71 at-bats, Freeman's wRC+ (145) is poised to be better than 130 for the 13 straight year.
Alonso may not reach 40 homers this season (he's on pace for 36), but in just about every other way, this has been his best season as a hitter. He's making more contact and doing so with authority. His 20.1% barrel rate and 54.9% hard-hit rate are surpassed by few others in the game. He is batting .286 -- which would be a career high -- while his expected batting average is .300. Alonso's xBA has never been higher than .271 for a season and was below .250 the past two years.
Second base: Ketel Marte (D-backs), Tommy Edman (Dodgers)
The D-backs have taken on a lot of injuries in recent weeks (and the loss of Corbin Carroll is an especially tough blow), but Marte is doing what he can to keep Arizona in the playoff hunt. Since May 2, when he returned from his own stint on the injured list due to a strained left hamstring, Marte has pieced together a .308/.408/.616 slash line. His 15 homers and 1.024 OPS from that point trail only Raleigh, Judge and Ohtani.
The 30-year-old Edman is trying to get to the All-Star Game for the first time in his career. He continues to bring value with his versatility, providing average-to-plus defense at second base and center field. Offensively, he's only three homers shy of his single-season high of 13, achieved in 2022 and '23.
Third base: Manny Machado (Padres), Max Muncy (Dodgers)
A six-time All-Star, Machado is on pace for 184 hits, which would be his most since 2018. With just nine more knocks, he'll become the fifth active player with 2,000 hits, joining, Freeman, Altuve, Goldschmidt and Andrew McCutchen. The last player to reach that number while with the Padres was Mike Piazza in 2006.
Muncy is looking to make it to his third All-Star Game. It would be a first for his glasses. Since sporting his specs in a game for the first time on April 30, Muncy has socked 12 homers in 48 games, has raised his OPS from .531 to .829, and has more walks (34) than strikeouts (31).
Shortstop: Francisco Lindor (Mets), Mookie Betts (Dodgers)
Is Lindor's long wait about to come to an end? By FanGraphs WAR (28.4), he has been the best shortstop in MLB and its fifth-best player since the start of 2020. But he hasn't been chosen for the Midsummer Classic during that span. He's having another good year at the plate, with a .795 OPS, 16 homers and 13 steals through 79 games. He has a shot to reach 30-30 for the second time in three seasons.
Betts is not putting up the numbers that we've come to expect from him; his slash line -- .253/.333/.388 -- has career lows across the board. But what he's doing this season is pretty remarkable. A premier right fielder for the bulk of his career, Betts has made the move to full-time shortstop at 32 years old and proven that he can handle it. His five outs above average are tied for fifth among shortstops.
Outfield: Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs), Teoscar Hernández (Dodgers), Ronald Acuña Jr. (Braves), Kyle Tucker (Cubs), Andy Pages (Dodgers), Juan Soto (Mets)
One of the league's most entertaining players, Crow-Armstrong can hit 450-foot homers and make incredible catches in center field. Sometimes, he does both in the same game. The 23-year-old was one of six players on the ballot to exceed 3 million votes. With 21 home runs and 24 stolen bases, he is the only one on pace to join the 40-40 club.
Hernández, the 2024 T-Mobile Home Run Derby champion, has crushed 14 homers and has an .800 OPS this season. Speaking of the Derby, Acuña confirmed on Wednesday that he will be participating in this year's event in front of his home fans in Truist Park on July 14. With the way he's been hitting, it looks like Acuña has been prepping for the Derby since making his season debut on May 23. He has nine dingers to go with a .383 average and 1.182 OPS in just 30 games.
Tucker's first season on Chicago's North Side following an offseason trade from Houston has gone extremely well for him and the NL Central leaders. Aiming for his fourth consecutive All-Star selection, Tucker ranks fifth in the Majors in OPS (.933) and seventh in fWAR (3.7).
PCA isn't the only National League center fielder in the middle of a breakout campaign; you can put Pages in that group, too. He has followed up his 13 homers in 403 at-bats as a rookie with 16 homers across 290 at-bats this season. He has boosted his OPS 135 points from last year, up to .847, and ranks in the National League's top 10 with 54 RBIs.
Safe to say Soto's relatively slow start to the season is officially old news. The four-time All-Star has a .333/.486/.774 slash line with 11 home runs and 20 RBIs over his previous 25 games. That 1.260 OPS is the best in MLB among qualified hitters since May 30.