Read our story on the balloting format, which includes two phases of fan voting to determine the All-Star starters.
The All-Star ballot is out! There are many fun ways to fill out a ballot. You can just pick your favorite players, you can pick all your favorite team’s players, you can pick the guys just off to hot starts, you can pick the guys whose careers you most want to honor or just want to see play at Truist Park next month. You can just pick the players whose names you like the most. That’s the fun of the ballot: You can do whatever you want.
Some picks, on the whole, would seem pretty simple: Shohei Ohtani at NL DH, Cal Raleigh at AL catcher, Aaron Judge at AL outfield. But then again: You do you! But, if you are like me, and you sit down and really pore over your ballot and try to figure out the best pick at every position, there are some real challenges this year -- much harder challenges than “pick Ohtani.”
Here’s a look at the toughest calls on the ballot.
American League First Base
The knee-jerk call here is just to pick Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and get on with your day, and it’s not an unreasonable decision. Vlad Jr. has made four ASGs already, has won the fan vote three of the last four years and is off to an excellent start, with a 33-game on-base streak. But there are all sorts of solid contenders this year, including three guys who all have a higher OPS than he does: the Tigers’ Spencer Torkelson, who leads all first basemen in homers (14); the Rays’ Jonathan Aranda, who has a .414 OBP; and, perhaps most intriguingly, former NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt, who has been a revelation for the Yankees (and has already made seven All-Star Games himself). Vlad Jr. is still probably the favorite, but this is absolutely not a rubber-stamp-Vlad-and-move-on situation.
American League Second Base
Speaking of rubber stamps, it has generally been safe to just go with Jose Altuve here; he has already made nine All-Star Games. But, well, not only is Altuve having his worst offensive season in about 12 years, he’s, uh, not really a second baseman anymore, even if the ballot has him listed there. He has only played 12 games at his signature spot. (And hasn’t exactly set the world on fire in left field, all told.) He could still get your vote, though, for the simple reason that no one is really standing out at second base here.
Gleyber Torres leads all qualifying players with a .783 OPS, which is fine but also the sort of number that will get you batting ninth in the All-Star Game. Three-time All-Star Marcus Semien is off to a miserable start, as is fellow former All-Star Andrés Giménez, just back from injury. Is it possible we see some votes for the Orioles’ Jackson Holliday, who has been one of the few bright spots for that team this year? Or, you know, you can just vote for Altuve again.
American League Outfield (after Judge)
Obviously, Judge gets one of those slots. All told, if you could vote for him three times, no one would blame you for doing so. But you can’t. You gotta fill two more slots. And … good luck. Do you know who has the third-highest OBP in the American League among qualified outfielders? Would you believe … George Springer? It’s true! Springer is having an excellent year and has made some All-Star Games, but not since 2022, and his numbers aren’t quite your usual All-Star caliber. But then again, who is? You can make a case for the consistent (and throwback) excellence of Steven Kwan -- and he might get my vote -- but it’s a bit of a muddle. The Tigers’ Riley Greene or Zach McKinstry? Jake Meyers? Randy Arozarena? Cedric Mullins? Make it a whole Yankees outfield with Trent Grisham or Cody Bellinger? Your guess is as good as mine. But, again, sorry: You can’t just vote for Judge three times.
National League First Base
This one is so stacked that Bryce Harper, who’s having another good year and has made eight All-Star Games, is maybe third? That speaks to the incredible starts that both the Mets’ Pete Alonso and the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman are having. Freeman is leading in most statistical categories, but Alonso is leading in homers, RBIs and, let’s face it, vibes: Alonso’s torrid start is one of the main reasons the Mets are in first place right now. And there isn’t a fan in baseball who wouldn’t want to see either of those guys jogging out to first base in Atlanta for first pitch. The question might be who Braves fans want: Alonso or Harper, two longtime antagonists, or Freeman, the beloved former star who got away.
National League Shortstop
I am not sure I can come up with a crazier factoid than this: Francisco Lindor has not made an All-Star Game since 2019. 2019! He has finished in the top 10 in MVP voting three times -- including second place last year -- since he last made an All-Star Game. He has never made it as a Met! That’s absurd! One would think this would be the year, and not just because he’s putting up great numbers again, his best numbers as a Met: He’s also the unquestioned leader of one of the most exciting, and best, teams in baseball. But also don’t forget the real reason he hasn’t made an All-Star Game as a Met: The intense competition. Namely, Mookie Betts, Elly De La Cruz, Trea Turner (who was last year’s starter) and even upstarts CJ Abrams and Geraldo Perdomo. My vote would be Lindor. But my vote would have been Lindor last year too, and he didn’t make the All-Star Game then either. This position, as ever, is stacked.
National League Outfield
So, so many different ways you can go here. Want to go big established name? Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto and Ronald Acuña Jr. are right there for you. Want to go super young up-and-comer? Pete-Crow Armstrong, James Wood. Oneil Cruz and even Heliot Ramos, hello there. You want star players who haven’t quite crossed over to brand name status? Kyle Tucker, meet Corbin Carroll. There is no wrong answer here. Good luck figuring it out anyway.