The 5 toughest choices on the All-MLB ballot

Voting for the 2023 All-MLB team has begun, and you can help decide which players will be honored as the best of the regular season at each position.

Finalists at each position have been settled -- but who was the best of the best in 2023? Fans will be tasked with selecting one top performer at first base, second base, shortstop, third base, catcher and DH, plus two relievers, three outfielders and five starting pitchers. All-MLB fan votes will count for 50% of the tally, with the other 50% coming from a panel of experts.

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Fans can vote once every 24 hours between now and 8 p.m. ET on Sunday at mlb.com/allmlb. (The ballot is also available in Spanish at lasmayores.com/todomlb.) The selections for the All-MLB Team will be announced on Saturday, Dec. 16, during MLB Network’s All-MLB Team Show presented by MGM Rewards.

Sounds simple enough, but it won't be easy. Here's a look at five of the toughest decisions you'll be making this weekend.

1. First base
The top of your ballot at first base is going to depend heavily on personal preference. Of the three likely frontrunners -- Yandy Díaz, Freddie Freeman and Matt Olson -- there's no clear winner. Díaz and Freeman each posted batting averages of .330 or higher, with Díaz taking home the first American League batting title in Rays franchise history. Olson hit 54 home runs, setting the Braves' single-season franchise record. Freeman and Olson both scored over 125 runs and each surpassed 7 WAR (per Baseball-Reference). Freeman, too, led all first basemen with 23 stolen bases. There's clearly an argument to be made for all three.

That's not all, though -- there are seven finalists at first base, and the rest had impressive seasons of their own. Pete Alonso had 46 homers and 118 RBIs. Christian Walker hit 33 home runs with 103 RBIs and led all first basemen with +11 Outs Above Average. Reigning NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt hit 25 homers and the Guardians' Josh Naylor hit .308. You might be stuck here for a while.

2. Starting pitcher
There are likely going to be two fixtures on your 2023 ballot, Cy Young Award winners Gerrit Cole and Blake Snell. Possibly a third in the form of AL runner-up Sonny Gray, who in any other season would garner his fair share of first-place votes.

That leaves you with at least two open spots -- and 23 more starters to choose from.

Among those 23 are 10 hurlers who struck out at least 200 batters in 2023 -- Corbin Burnes, Luis Castillo, Zac Gallen, Kevin Gausman, Pablo López, Freddy Peralta, Kodai Senga, Framber Valdez and Zack Wheeler, plus Spencer Strider, who led all of baseball with 281 (or 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings).

Then there's George Kirby, whose 9.1 K/BB ratio was the fifth highest in the Modern Era (minimum 150 innings), Logan Webb, who led baseball in innings pitched (216) and we haven't even mentioned Shohei Ohtani yet. Also on the ballot are Chris Bassitt, Kyle Bradish, Zach Eflin, Nathan Eovaldi, Merrill Kelly, Clayton Kershaw, Jordan Montgomery, Eduardo Rodriguez, Justin Steele and Justin Verlander, all deserving of consideration for one reason or another. We'll leave you to it.

3. Second base
Buckle up, this one's going to be controversial, because this is where you'll find MLB's batting champ. Luis Arraez hit .354 in 2023, winning his second consecutive batting title and becoming the second player in the Modern Era to earn that honor in both leagues. The first player to do so, DJ LeMahieu, was a first-team All-MLB second baseman the year he did it in 2020. Makes sense -- who could vote against that kind of performance?

Well … you, potentially. Marcus Semien is at the top of the list of challengers here, having hit .276 with 29 home runs, 100 RBIs, 122 runs scored and +15 OAA at second base. Then there's Ozzie Albies (.280 AVG, 33 HR, 109 RBIs), Jose Altuve (.311 AVG, .915 OPS), Nolan Gorman (27 HR, .805 OPS), Nico Hoerner (.283 AVG, 43 SB, +15 OAA), Ha-Seong Kim (.260 AVG, 38 SB) and Ketel Marte (.276 AVG, 25 HR, 82 RBIs). Good luck!

4. Shortstop
The battle at shortstop isn't quite as heated as it was in 2022, but it's still going to require some attention to detail.

World Series MVP Corey Seager hit .327 with 33 home runs and a 1.013 OPS -- a runaway performance in any year -- but played just 119 games due to a left hamstring strain and a sprained right thumb, leaving room for other contenders to join the conversation. And there are a lot of them.

At or near the top of your list are likely to be Bo Bichette (.306 AVG, 20 HR, 73 RBIs) and AL Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson (28 HR, 100 runs scored). Francisco Lindor and Bobby Witt Jr. each had 30-30 seasons (Witt's 49 stolen bases lead all candidates at short). Defensively, Dansby Swanson gets a massive boost from his MLB-best +20 OAA. Also on the ballot are Orlando Arcia, J.P. Crawford and Trea Turner, so there is an awful lot of talent here.

5. Reliever
An often-overlooked group come awards season, relievers are going to take up a good chunk of your time here. There are 24 of them on the All-MLB ballot this year -- and you get to pick only two.

A clear frontrunner for such an honor for most of the season was Orioles powerhouse closer Félix Bautista. Though his season was cut off by an elbow injury (for which he underwent Tommy John surgery in October), he still managed to rack up 33 saves and 110 strikeouts (16.2 K/9) for the AL's best club, pitching to a 1.48 ERA with a 0.92 WHIP.

But even if Bautista remains a fixture on your ballot… who's next? If it's run prevention you're after, you could prioritize the likes of Chris Martin (1.05 ERA), Josh Hader (1.28), Shawn Armstrong (1.38), Devin Williams (1.53), Héctor Neris (1.71), or Bryan Abreu (1.75). If closers get the upper hand, someone like Emmanuel Clase (44 saves), David Bednar (39), Camilo Doval (39), Alexis Díaz (37), Jordan Romano (36) or Paul Sewald (34) could force their way to the top of your list. Into strikeouts? Consider Aroldis Chapman (15.9 K/9) or Pete Fairbanks (13.5).

Also on the ballot: Adbert Alzolay, Matt Brash, Yennier Cano, Jhoan Duran, Clay Holmes, Raisel Iglesias, Evan Phillips, Ryan Pressly and Tanner Scott.