Ohtani, Alvarez leading vote-getters in first KONAMI eBaseball MLB All-Star Balloting update for 2026 Midsummer Classic in Philadelphia
Four-time unanimous Most Valuable Player and five-time All-Star Shohei Ohtani of the reigning World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers leads all Major League players in the first balloting update for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, while fellow designated hitter Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros paces all American League players.
The 2026 KONAMI eBaseballTM MLB All-Star Ballot, which is available exclusively online 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, June 25th. During the initial voting period, fans can submit up to five ballots each day on MLB platforms. Each day, after submitting a fifth vote on the ballot, fans will be given the option to be redirected to KONAMI’s mobile game eBaseballTM: MLB PRO SPIRIT for an exclusive opportunity to vote for a sixth time. On Thursday, June 25th, 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 makes the All-Star teams and starts for each league. Once again, the leading vote-getter in each league during the first phase of voting will 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)
Ohtani, who paced all NL players and ranked second overall in balloting in 2025, has received 1,165,133 total votes. The two-way superstar is aiming for his sixth career All-Star selection and sixth consecutive fan-elected start as a designated hitter (2021-23 in the AL; 2024-25 in the NL). The 31-year-old was already the first player ever to win as many as four straight fan elections as his position. Ohtani, who is batting .302 with 14 homers and 41 RBI on the season is followed in the voting by Kyle Schwarber of the host Philadelphia Phillies (820,009) and Dominic Smith of the Atlanta Braves (371,508).
Other highlights of the NL Ballot include:
The Atlanta Braves, who own the best record in MLB at 46-25, have three players among the NL leaders. Reigning NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin, seeking his first All-Star assignment, ranks second among all NL players and is leading NL catchers with 972,813 votes. He is followed by three-time All-Stars Will Smith of the Dodgers (662,883) and J.T. Realmuto of the Phillies (446,915). Baldwin would become the fourth Braves backstop to win a fan election and the first since Sean Murphy in 2023, while Smith attempts to claim a second straight fan election and Realmuto tries to become Philadelphia’s first fan-elected starting catcher since Darren Daulton in 1993.
Baldwin is joined by second baseman Ozzie Albies and outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Braves. Albies (517,147), who is bidding for his fourth All-Star selection and first fan-elected starting assignment, is trailed by a pair of potential first-time All-Stars in Philadelphia’s Bryson Stott (399,729) and Brice Turang of the Milwaukee Brewers (373,656). Albies would become Atlanta’s first second baseman to win a fan election since Dan Uggla in 2012, while Stott would be the first Phillies second baseman to do so since Chase Utley in 2014, and Turang would accomplish the feat for Milwaukee for the first time since Rickie Weeks in 2011.
Acuña Jr. (693,472) ranks second among NL outfielder behind positional leader Andy Pages of the Dodgers (800,496). The duo is joined by Philadelphia’s Brandon Marsh (668,191), while Atlanta’s Michael Harris II (635,473), two-time All-Star Teoscar Hernández of the Dodgers (507,625) and Jordan Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals (437,071) are currently in position to advance to Phase 2. In the NL’s tightest race to advance, Walker is followed very closely by James Wood of the Washington Nationals (431,607), Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks (425,814), Juan Soto of the New York Mets (421,513), Kyle Tucker of the Dodgers (400,903) and Mauricio Dubón of the Braves (397,044). Pages, Marsh, Harris II and Walker are all bidding for their first All-Star assignments, while Acuña Jr. is bidding for a sixth All-Star selection and sixth fan election, which would surpass Hall of Famer Hank Aaron and Dale Murphy for the most in Braves history.
Dodgers teammates Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy are currently leading at the corner infield positions, joining Ohtani and Pages among Los Angeles positional leaders. The nine-time All-Star Freeman (870,606) is narrowly edging out three-time All-Star Matt Olson of the Braves (802,848) while eight-time All-Star Bryce Harper of the Phillies (651,792) ranks third. Freeman, who has won five of the last seven fan elections, is aiming for his sixth fan-elected start, while Olson seeks his first and Harper his eighth. Muncy (941,218), a two-time All-Star, is looking for his first fan election and to become the first Dodgers third baseman to win a fan-elected starting assignment since Ron Cey in 1977. A close race is developing behind Muncy for the right to advance to Phase 2 with 2024 All-Star Alec Bohm of the Phillies (386,425) holding a slight advantage over eight-time All-Star and five-time fan-elected starter Nolan Arenado of the D-backs (363,091) and two-time All-Star Austin Riley of the Braves (353,394).
Rounding out the NL leaders in a tightly-contested race at shortstop is 2024 All-Star CJ Abrams of the Nationals (579,796), who ranks ahead of eight-time All-Star Mookie Betts of the Dodgers (567,566) and two-time All-Star Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds (473,485). Abrams would become just the fifth different player in Nationals history (since 2005) to win a fan election joining Harper (2013, 2015-18); Daniel Murphy (2017); Alfonso Soriano (2006); and Ryan Zimmerman (2017). Betts is seeking his fifth fan election and his first at shortstop with his previous four coming in the outfield while De La Cruz bids for his first fan election.
Alvarez, a three-time All-Star, leads the AL and trails only Ohtani across the Majors with 1,015,768 total votes. The 2019 AL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year would become the second Astros player to pace the AL in All-Star Balloting, joining his teammate Jose Altuve, who led all of Baseball in 2018. The 2022 World Series Champion is seeking his second career fan election following his 2024 starting assignment in Texas. Alvarez is followed in the standings by his former teammate and four-time All-Star George Springer of the Toronto Blue Jays (323,112) and 2023 All-Star Yandy Díaz of the Tampa Bay Rays (267,585). Springer is bidding for his third fan election, including his first with Toronto and his first at designated hitter, while Díaz attempts to claim a second fan election after winning the AL first base election in 2023.
Other highlights of the AL Ballot include:
A pair of three-time AL MVP Award winners in seven-time All-Star Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and 11-time All-Star Mike Troutof the Los Angeles Angels rank second and third, respectively, in the AL behind Alvarez while pacing the AL outfield. Judge (977,460) and Trout (926,601) are joined by two-time All-Star Cody Bellinger of the Yankees (533,842); two-time All-Star Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins (497,562); two-time All-Star Riley Greene of the Detroit Tigers (422,835); and three-time All-Star Julio Rodríguez of the Seattle Mariners (421,205) among the players in position to advance to Phase 2. Rodríguez’s teammate and two-time All-Star Randy Arozarena sits close behind with 412,273 votes. Judge, who is currently on the Injured List with a stress fracture in his rib, led all of Baseball in All-Star Balloting in 2025 for the third time in his career and is seeking an eighth fan election. Trout is bidding for an 11thcareer fan election and would become just the 12th player to accomplish the feat, joining Cal Ripken Jr. (17); Rod Carew (15); Ken Griffey Jr. (13); Barry Bonds (12); Alex Rodriguez (12); Iván Rodríguez (12); Ozzie Smith (12); George Brett (11); Tony Gwynn (11); Reggie Jackson (11); and Mike Piazza (11). Bellinger is aiming for his second fan election, first with New York and first in the AL after earning a starting outfield assignment in 2019 with the Dodgers. Buxton and Rodríguez would earn a first fan-elected start while Greene attempts for a second straight fan election.
Blue Jays teammates Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Ernie Clement are currently leading on the right side of the infield with Guerrero Jr. aiming for his sixth All-Star selection, his third straight fan election, and his fifth fan-elected starting assignment in six years. Guerrero Jr. (603,014) is trailed by a pair of potential first-time All-Stars in Ben Rice of the Yankees (509,830) and Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox (437,107). Clement (904,702), who is bidding for his first All-Star selection, would become Toronto’s first fan-elected second baseman since Marcus Semien in 2021. He currently holds a comfortable advantage atop the position while the AL’s closest race to advance to Phase 2 develops between Ezequiel Duran of the Texas Rangers (287,996); rookie Travis Bazzana of the Cleveland Guardians (279,862); nine-time All-Star Jose Altuve of the Astros (244,131) and two-time All-Star Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the Yankees (230,846).
Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers has received 715,625 votes to pace AL backstops ahead of two-time All-Star Alejandro Kirk of the Blue Jays (298,401); two-time All-Star Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles (261,607); and Dillon Dingler of the Detroit Tigers (261,084). Langeliers, trying for his first All-Star selection, would become the first A’s catcher to win a fan-elected starting assignment since Terry Steinbach won consecutive fan elections in 1988-89. In addition, a fan election by Langeliers would give the AL its eighth straight different fan-elected catcher.
Two-time All-Star Bobby Witt Jr. paces AL shortstops with 890,575 votes. A fan election by Witt would mark the ninth consecutive different fan-elected starting shortstop in the AL, and he would join Fred Patek (1978) and Alcides Escobar (2015) as the only Royals to win fan elections at shortstop. Witt Jr. is followed in the standings by Andrés Giménez of the Blue Jays (354,651) and rookie Kevin McGonigle of the Tigers (266,239), who are each bidding for their first All-Star selections.
Rounding out the AL leaders is 2025 All-Star third baseman Junior Caminero of the Rays (625,520), who ranks ahead of potential first-time All-Stars Kazuma Okamoto of the Blue Jays (556,172) and Miguel Vargas of the Chicago White Sox (329,208). Caminero is attempting to join Evan Longoria (2009-10) as Tampa Bay’s only fan-elected third basemen, while Okamoto seeks to join Josh Donaldson (2015) in accomplishing the same feat for Toronto at third base, and Vargas bids to become the first-ever White Sox third baseman to win a fan election.