Four players move into position to advance to Finalists Phase as several races coming down to wire in latest Scotts MLB All-Star Ballot update
With just under 48 hours remaining in Phase 1 voting, several races in both the American and National Leagues are coming down to the wire for the right to advance to Phase 2, where starting assignments for the 2023 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard will be determined.
The 2023 Scotts MLB All-Star Ballot, which is available exclusively online and via mobile devices at MLB.com/vote, all 30 Club web sites, the MLB App and the MLB Ballpark App, will be accessible until the voting period for Phase 1 concludes at 12:00 p.m. ET on Thursday afternoon. During the initial voting period, fans can submit up to five ballots per 24-hour period on MLB platforms. On Thursday, the top two vote-getters at each position (and the top six outfielders) in each League will be revealed on MLB Network at 6:00 p.m. (ET), and they will advance to the second phase of voting to determine who starts for each League. In addition, the leading vote-getter in each league during the first phase of voting will once again receive an automatic starting assignment at the All-Star Game and bypass the second phase of voting. (Note: if an outfielder is a league’s leading vote-getter, Phase 2 voting at the position will still take place to determine the remaining two starters among the next four outfield finalists)
In the closest race in the AL, Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (645,650) has surpassed Texas Rangers backstop Jonah Heim (643,471) for second place and the right to advance to the Finalists Phase alongside Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles (895,217). Perez, a seven-time All-Star, has earned four fan elections during his career, including three straight from 2015-17 (also 2021). Rutschman, who would become the first Orioles catcher to win a fan election since Matt Wieters in 2009, and Heim, who would be the first Rangers catcher to draw a start since Mike Napoli in 2012, are both bidding for their first All-Star selections.
Perez is one of three AL players who moved up in the standings to be on pace to advance to Phase 2, joining Toronto Blue Jays teammates Whit Merrifield and George Springer. Merrifield (715,967), a former teammate of Perez in Kansas City, overtook Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros (623,829) for second place at second base, while Springer (630,313) leapfrogged Adolis García of the Texas Rangers (594,440) to move into the sixth overall spot in the AL outfield. Merrifield, a two-time All-Star, joins positional leader Marcus Semien of the Rangers, who has received the fourth-highest vote total in the AL overall with 1,414,056.
Other highlights of the AL Ballot include:
Elsewhere in the AL outfield, Randy Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays (1,116,525) surpassed Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros (1,092,322) to move into the top three at the position alongside Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees (1,584,254) and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels (1,174,001). Toronto’s Kevin Kiermaier (712,166), who ranks fifth, rounds out the AL outfielders currently in position to advance to Phase 2.
Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani of the Angels has a commanding lead at designated hitter with 1,885,144 votes to remain the AL’s leading vote-getter. Ohtani is followed in the AL rankings by Judge in the race to receive an automatic starting bid following Phase 1 voting. Brandon Belt of the Blue Jays (497,887) ranks second at DH with a comfortable lead over Robbie Grossman of the Rangers (270,223) for the right to advance.
Toronto teammates Matt Chapman and Bo Bichette continue to lead a pair of Rangers on the left side of the infield. Chapman (929,590) is followed at third base by rookie Josh Jung (879,096) and Rafael Devers of the Boston Red Sox (444,689), while Bichette (1,561,426) ranks ahead of Corey Seager (827,499) and Tampa Bay’s Wander Franco (478,952).
Rounding out the AL leaders is another Blue Jays infielder – first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1,195,052), who is joined atop the leaderboard at the position by Tampa Bay’s Yandy Díaz (1,124,166). The duo has a comfortable advantage over third-place Anthony Rizzo of the Yankees (512,833). Guerrero is aiming to become the first AL first baseman to win three consecutive fan elections since Hall of Famer Frank Thomas (1994-96).
In the NL, Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson has surpassed Pete Alonso of the New York Mets for second place behind positional leader Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Freeman has a commanding lead with 1,649,166 total votes while Olson (638,984) leads Alonso (633,498) by just over 5,000 votes as the NL East rivals contend to advance to the Finalists Phase. Freeman’s vote total ranks second overall in the NL behind his former Braves teammate Ronald Acuña Jr., who continues to pace the Majors with 2,201,468 votes to line himself up for an automatic starting assignment following Phase 1 voting. Acuña Jr. would become the first Braves player (and third overall) to lead the Majors in voting since Dale Murphy in 1985 (also: Hall of Famer Hank Aaron in 1970 and 1971).
In the closest race across the Majors, Acuña’s outfield teammate Michael Harris II (493,282) is less than 2,000 votes behind Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres (495,231) for the sixth and final outfield spot, however if Acuña receives the automatic start as the Phase 1 leader, the remaining two starting outfield spots will be determined between the next four outfielders in the standings following Acuña. Those positions are currently held by Mookie Betts of the Dodgers (1,411,557), Corbin Carroll (673,880) and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (672,779) of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Juan Soto of the Padres (600,962).
Other highlights of the NL Ballot include:
St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (936,057), bidding for his eighth All-Star selection and fifth fan election, has begun to slightly separate himself from Atlanta’s Austin Riley (832,996) and Max Muncy of the Dodgers (629,180) after the trio was separated by just over 50,000 votes a week ago.
Up the middle of the infield, second baseman Luis Arraez of the Miami Marlins (1,056,439) and shortstop Orlando Arcia of the Braves (1,060,559) continue to lead at their respective positions. Arraez ranks ahead of Atlanta’s Ozzie Albies (884,328), while Nolan Gorman of the Cardinals is third with 382,285 votes. Arcia is pacing Francisco Lindor of the Mets (508,168) and San Diego’s Xander Bogaerts (422,702).
J.D. Martinez of the Dodgers (879,474) remains atop the leaderboard at designated hitter as Bryce Harper of the Phillies (722,285) is close behind with Atlanta’s Travis d’Arnaud still in striking distance with 568,343 votes.
Braves catcher Sean Murphy (1,320,838) and Dodgers backstop Will Smith (836,754) continue to have a comfortable advantage behind the plate ahead of Philadelphia’s J.T. Realmuto (352,806), rookie Francisco Alvarez of the Mets (335,043) and Elias Díaz of the Colorado Rockies (305,304).
Overall, 11 different Major League Clubs are represented among the 18 positional leaders, while 16 of the 30 Major League Clubs are represented among the players on pace to advance to the Finalist Phase of 2023 Scotts MLB All-Star Balloting. Six of the 18 positional leaders (33.3%) are internationally-born, while 11 of the 18 leaders (61.1%) come from diverse backgrounds.
Phase 2 will begin at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on Monday, June 26th, with fans voting among the finalists at each position during a four-day window that concludes at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, June 29th. Later that night, the winners will be announced on ESPN at 7:00 p.m. (ET). Fans have the opportunity to vote once per day during this second phase of voting, with daily voting limits resetting each day at 12:00 a.m. (ET). During Phase 2, vote totals will reset (i.e., vote totals from Phase 1 do not carry over) and the winner at each position (including three outfielders per League) will be named a starting position player for the 2023 Midsummer Classic.
The AL All-Star Team, which will be managed by Dusty Baker of the defending World Series Champion Houston Astros, and the NL All-Star Team, led by Rob Thomson of the defending NL Champion Philadelphia Phillies, will have nine elected starters via the fan balloting program. The pitchers and reserves for both squads – totaling 23 for each side – will be determined through a combination of “Player Ballot” choices and selections made by the Commissioner’s Office. The balance of the All-Star rosters will be announced on Sunday, July 2nd at 5:30 p.m. (ET) on ESPN.
During each phase of voting, the 2023 Scotts MLB All-Star Ballot will offer audio CAPTCHA functionality for visually impaired fans. Spanish-language ballots will also be available to fans via LasMayores.com/vota on the official Spanish-language web site of Major League Baseball.
Fans will once again have the opportunity to participate in the official voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans can vote exclusively at MLB.com and the 30 Club sites – online or via their mobile devices – with the 2023 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote, and their collective voice will represent 20 percent of the official vote determining this year’s recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.
MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard (July 11th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 10th), All-Star Saturday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game presented by Corona (July 8th), the MLB Draft (July 9th-11th), the HBCU Swingman Classic presented by T-Mobile (July 7th), and Capital One All-Star Village, which includes Capital One PLAY BALL PARK (July 8th-11th). The 93rd Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and TVA Sports; and worldwide by partners in 209 countries. FOX Deportes will provide Spanish language coverage in the United States. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game, while Univision will provide Spanish language coverage on radio. MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week, please visit All-StarGame.com and follow @MLB on social media.