Read our story on the balloting format, which includes two phases of fan voting to determine the All-Star starters.
The clock’s ticking on Phase 1 of 2025 PRO SPIRIT MLB All-Star Ballot, and some of MLB’s tightest races are poised to go down to the wire.
One to watch: The battle to be the top overall vote-getter between the Yankees’ Aaron Judge (2,699,483) and the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani (2,521,718), who are separated by fewer than 178,000 votes as of the latest ballot update. If Judge maintains his lead through the end of Phase 1 on Thursday at noon ET, he’ll become the first player to repeat as the leading vote-getter since Alex Rodriguez in 2007-08.
No matter how that race shakes out, though, both Judge and Ohtani are on track to receive automatic starting spots by virtue of being the leading vote-getters in the American League and National League, respectively. The stakes are higher elsewhere on the ballot, where a number of close position battles will determine which players move on to Phase 2, which begins at noon ET on Monday, June 30, and continues until noon ET on Wednesday, July 2. (Phase 1 vote totals will not carry over to Phase 2 voting.)
Of course, the margin between the No. 1 and No. 2 players at each spot doesn’t matter here, it’s the cutoff to advance that’s worth watching. The top two vote-getters at every position other than outfield will move on to Phase 2, while the top six outfielders advance in each league, unless an outfielder is that league’s overall vote leader. In that case -- as is expected with Judge in the AL -- only the next four outfielders move on. Those advancing will be competing to start the 2025 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard on July 15 at Truist Park in Atlanta.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the closest races as we near the end of Phase 1.
(All stats as of Sunday, June 22)
AL second base: Jackson Holliday (BAL) vs. Jose Altuve (HOU)
806,133 votes vs. 795,123 votes
Talk about a stark contrast. Only 11,010 votes -- plus 2,204 hits, nine All-Star selections, three batting titles and two World Series titles -- separate Holliday (second) and Altuve (third).
Not much has gone right for the Orioles this season, but the club can at least take solace in the strides Holliday has made at the plate following a difficult rookie year in 2024. The 2022 No. 1 overall Draft pick has recorded eight homers, a .259/.308/.404 slash line and a 103 OPS+ in ’25, up from a 64 OPS+ last season.
Altuve, meanwhile, is no stranger to the All-Star stage. He’s vying for his 10th nod and seventh fan-vote win. The Astros moved the longtime second baseman to left field during Spring Training, but he has continued to see playing time at the keystone as well. Altuve got off to a slow start at the plate this season but has heated up lately, hitting .324 with eight homers and a .972 OPS over his past 28 games.
Leading AL 2B: Gleyber Torres (DET)
AL DH: Ben Rice (NYY) vs. Brent Rooker (ATH) vs. Colt Keith (DET)
409,336 votes vs. 396,290 votes vs. 363,723 votes
Boston's shocking decision to trade Rafael Devers to the Giants -- and, thus, out of the AL -- on June 15 swung the door wide open for a number of fresh faces to join the mix for the All-Star starting spot at DH. Baltimore's Ryan O’Hearn has a safe lead in first place as he vies for his first All-Star selection, but fewer than 14,000 votes separate Rice and Rooker.
Rice’s breakout (13 HR, 123 OPS+) has helped the Yankees compensate for the absence of regular DH Giancarlo Stanton, who missed the first 70 games of 2025 with injuries in both elbows before returning on June 16. Rooker made the All-Star team two years ago but was snubbed in 2024 despite ranking among MLB’s most productive hitters. He’s having another strong year for the A’s in 2025 (15 HR, 131 OPS+).
Keith can’t be counted out, either. The 23-year-old has hit .280 with six homers and an .848 OPS over his past 42 games, increasing his OPS+ to 108 on the year.
Leading AL DH: Ryan O’Hearn (BAL)
AL outfield: Steven Kwan (CLE) vs. Cody Bellinger (NYY) vs. Kerry Carpenter (DET)
810,746 votes vs. 712,153 votes vs. 664,318
With Judge on track to receive an automatic berth in the AL’s starting lineup, four other AL outfielders will compete for the league’s final two starting spots in Phase 2. The Tigers’ Riley Greene and Javier Báez and the Angels’ Mike Trout are likely to advance, but the competition to be the fourth member of that group is still up for grabs.
After earning his first All-Star selection and starting nod last season, Kwan has an edge of more than 98,000 votes over Bellinger, who hasn’t made an All-Star team since his 2019 NL MVP Award-winning campaign for the Dodgers. Carpenter could give Detroit three outfielders in Phase 2, but he has a lot of ground to make up and might not have the support amid a significant slump over his past 17 games (.341 OPS). The 27-year-old Carpenter has recorded 0.3 WAR (per FanGraphs) in 2025, compared with 2.3 for Kwan and 1.6 for Bellinger.
Leading AL OF: Aaron Judge (NYY), Riley Greene (DET), Javier Báez (DET), Mike Trout (LAA)
NL outfield: Juan Soto (NYM) vs. Corbin Carroll (AZ) vs. Andy Pages (LAD)
1,048,781 votes vs. 1,019,472 votes vs. 962,219 votes
In a field this stacked, it was inevitable that some deserving names would be left on the outside looking in. The Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. ranks fourth in the NL in fWAR (3.4), tied with Kyle Tucker, but sits eighth in the league’s outfield voting. The Nationals’ James Wood (3.3 fWAR) is ninth. Neither has a realistic path to advance. Meanwhile, the unheralded Pages is trying to bump either Soto or Carroll (who is headed to the IL with a wrist fracture) from the top six.
Leading NL OF: Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC), Teoscar Hernández (LAD), Kyle Tucker (CHC), Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL)
AL third base: Alex Bregman (BOS) vs. Zach McKinstry (DET)
654,377 votes vs. 502,516 votes
Bregman was among the AL’s best players before going on the IL with a right quad strain on May 24, producing a .299 average with 11 homers, a .938 OPS and 2.4 fWAR in his first 51 games for the Red Sox. Despite the injury, he has continued to garner enough support to maintain his hold over second place going into the last few days of Phase 1.
McKinstry, though, has a chance to surpass Bregman with a late charge. Handling a utility role for the first-place Tigers, McKinstry ranks second among Detroit position players, behind Greene, with 2.1 fWAR.
Leading AL 3B: José Ramírez (CLE)