Read our story on the balloting format, which includes two phases of fan voting to determine the All-Star starters.
Once again, MLB All-Star voters, you have done good work.
In the past, back when ballots were filled out using punchcards at the stadium, some voting decisions were pretty suspect: It was basically, “What names do the most casual fans recognize most immediately?” That is no longer the case. When the results from the first Phase 1 ballot update were released on Monday, you could make a strong case for pretty much all the leaders. As usual, good job. Fans are smart.
If you’ll forgive me, though … I have some notes. It’s not that any major choices are wrong, exactly. But I think certain players are maybe being a little overlooked, players who deserve a bit more love. Here are 10.
Dillon Dingler, Tigers
4th among AL catchers
Dingler has always been known as a terrific defensive catcher. Most defensive metrics put him at or near the top of his position, as anyone who watches him regularly already knows. His bat has come around this season. Very much so, actually: Dingler has been an absolute monster in June, putting up a .358/.390/.774 slash line through Tuesday and launching five homers.
Dingler’s 16 homers are already a career high, and when you combine that with these defensive numbers, he is, in fact, according to FanGraphs WAR, roughly a Top 10 player in the sport so far this season. Sure, the Tigers have been a disappointment. But Dingler sure hasn’t.
Nick Kurtz, Athletics
4th among AL first basemen
Kurtz was the unanimous choice for AL Rookie of the Year last season, and he has become, in many ways, the face of this very fun, sometimes irresistible A’s team. But while his (just as fun, and also having a great year) teammate Shea Langeliers is in first place among catchers, Kurtz is stuck at fourth among first basemen. You can make an argument for the Yankees’ Ben Rice -- second place, too low -- above him, but I don’t think you can make the argument for anybody else. (At least not with White Sox rookie Munetaka Murakami out with a hamstring injury.)
Kurtz's 48-game on-base streak that ended in May was tied for the longest in A’s history, but Kurtz has actually gotten better in June and July since, culminating in the 1.243 June OPS that he carried into play Wednesday. (To be fair, it’s hard for your OPS not to go up while playing six games in that Las Vegas ballpark.) Kurtz came up too late to make the All-Star team last season. He’s got to make it this year. And for what it’s worth: FanGraphs WAR has him above Rice and eighth in the Majors.
Yandy Díaz, Rays
3rd among AL designated hitters
Junior Caminero is currently the leader at third base, and for good reason: The Rays’ surprising season certainly deserves at least one representative. But in many ways, Díaz has been the avatar of this team for more than half a decade, a player who just keeps coming at you, consistently, every season. He’s not the flashiest, most well-known player, but he still finds ways to beat you.
Díaz has been a Ray for longer than you think (since 2019), and he’s climbing the all-time franchise leaderboards. He’s fourth in hits (and about to pass Ben Zobrist for third), seventh in homers and fifth in runs. He’s having one of the best seasons of his illustrious career, behind only 2023 (when he finished sixth in AL MVP voting), and he has only made the All-Star Game once. This might be the most fun Rays team he has been a part of -- and he has been on a few.
Colson Montgomery, White Sox
4th among AL shortstops
The Rays have been surprising, but no one has been more surprising than the White Sox, a team that lost more than 100 games for three consecutive seasons but now finds itself, amazingly, battling for first place in the AL Central. This has not helped them much in the All-Star voting; they’ve got no one in the top two of any category.
But Montgomery has an excellent case. The guy who finished fifth in AL Rookie of the Year voting last season has gotten better this year, particularly on defense. He’s among the top 30 players in fWAR and is hitting for just as much power as he did in 2025. (He’s got a chance at 40 homers.)
Murakami has gotten most of the headlines. But Montgomery, particularly at his position, has outplayed almost all his contemporaries, and for a team that is unmissable every night.
Hunter Goodman, Rockies
5th among NL catchers
Look, I know the Rockies haven’t been filled with All-Star starter candidates in recent years. But Goodman has been the best player on the team for two straight seasons. Even with the catcher position looking stronger than it has in years past, he is leading all NL catchers in homers and OPS.
Goodman’s power is no fluke: He hit 31 homers last season and is well on his way to 40 this year. Forty homers for a catcher? That’s a tempting guy to vote for. And while you might be ready to chalk some of that up to the Coors Field effect, Goodman actually has been better on the road this season, slugging .593 with 13 of his 20 total homers away from Denver entering play Wednesday.
Brice Turang, Brewers
3rd among NL second basemen
The Brewers had the third-best record in MLB entering play Wednesday, and they have, of course, won three consecutive division titles. They still have zero players in the top two in any positional category. That’s so Milwaukee!
Of course, the Brewers might have a flamethrowing pitcher with a case to start on the mound, but that’s a conversation for another day. Among position players, Turang has the best case for starting. That he ranks third in voting, behind the Braves’ Ozzie Albies and the Phillies’ Bryson Stott, seems criminally low. Turang leads second basemen in OPS, and he’s having the best season of his career. (Remember: He received down-ballot MVP votes in 2025.) It is fitting that he continues to hide in plain sight, just like his team.
Otto Lopez, Marlins
5th among NL shortstops
Miami is pretty good this year! Has anyone noticed? If you watch a Marlins game, it is impossible not to notice Lopez, who has emerged as not only a fantastic player but a magnetic one. He plays with verve and even a little flamboyance.
Lopez is also the sort of throwback we all claim we want: He hits for a high average (.339), he steals bases (13) and he even pulls off cool slides. He might end up making it to the game anyway as the Marlins’ representative. If he does, trust me: Once you’ve watched him play, you won’t forget him.
James Wood, Nationals; Corbin Carroll, D-backs; Juan Soto, Mets
7th, 8th and 9th, respectively, among NL outfielders
The NL outfield is rather crowded this season, and you can make arguments for all six of the top vote-getters at the position. But how do you leave these guys out? They are the three leaders in OPS among outfielders, but they're all the way down in spots 7-9 of the voting. (The Cardinals' Jordan Walker is also sixth in votes and fourth in OPS.)
It’s not like this trio is obscure. Wood’s athleticism seems to make the highlight reels every night; Carroll has finished in the top six of NL MVP Award voting twice (and made two All-Star Games) and Soto is, well, Juan Soto.
As I mentioned earlier, voters have generally done a great job this year. I think maybe they’ve missed this one so far, but there’s still time to correct! Fans can vote daily during Phase 1 of the balloting, which runs until noon ET on June 25. The top two players at each position (and top six outfielders) per league will advance to the finals to contend for a starting spot.
Phase 2 voting for the finalists is June 29-July 2, and full All-Star rosters will be revealed on July 4.