Read our story on the balloting format, which includes two phases of fan voting to determine the All-Star starters, here. And click here for a position-by-position look at this year's ballot.
Phase 1 of the balloting for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia is underway, allowing fans to vote for the starting position players in both leagues.
Here are some of the most interesting storylines we’ll be following as the voting progresses.
(All stats below are through Tuesday.)
Will Judge be MLB’s leading vote-getter for the third straight year?
It’s been more than two decades since a player led MLB in All-Star votes in three consecutive seasons, and it’s happened only three times altogether dating back to 1970.
No player had even gone back-to-back since Alex Rodriguez in 2007-08 before Yankees slugger Aaron Judge did it in ’24-25. Now, Judge has a chance to join first-ballot Hall of Famers Ichiro Suzuki (2001-03), Ken Griffey Jr. (1996-99) and Rod Carew (’77-79) as the only players to be MLB’s leading All-Star vote-getter in three straight years since '70.
However, it remains to be seen if Judge will get that level of support in 2026. The three-time AL MVP's status is up in the air due to a bone bruise in his rib cage. He also ranks outside the top 10 qualifiers in OPS (.908) this season.
Can Schwarber edge out Ohtani?
Shohei Ohtani has won the fan vote at DH in each of the past five seasons, three in the AL and two in the NL. He’s the favorite to do so again, especially because it’s tough for voters to separate the hitting version from the pitching version. However, those who can look past Ohtani’s 0.74 ERA and focus strictly on offense will see that Kyle Schwarber has a compelling case to be the NL’s starting DH this year.
After hitting 56 home runs a year ago, Schwarber leads MLB with 23 homers and has the highest slugging percentage (.598) among NL qualifiers in 2026. Ohtani has reached base at a .418 clip, but his home run total (10) and SLG (.518) pale in comparison to Schwarber's.
The NL outfield is loaded again
For the second straight year, picking the NL’s starting outfielders is one of the toughest calls on the ballot, even with none of last year’s three starters -- Ronald Acuña Jr., Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker -- having particularly strong seasons.
Among NL hitters with at least 150 plate appearances in 2026, Juan Soto (first), James Wood (tied for second), Corbin Carroll (seventh) and Jordan Walker (eighth) all rank among the top eight in wRC+. There’s also Andy Pages, who is tied for the lead among NL position players with 2.7 WAR (per FanGraphs). Michael Harris II (13 HR, 141 wRC+) and Oneil Cruz (14 HR, 19 SB) have legitimate cases as well.
Acuña shouldn’t be counted out, either. The Braves superstar has been heating up, and he has a strong track record in the fan voting, getting elected to start five times and receiving more votes than anyone else in 2023.
Will Witt and J-Rod finally crack the starting lineup?
Bobby Witt Jr. and Julio Rodríguez have a lot in common. Both were born in 2000, made their MLB debuts as highly touted prospects one day apart in ’22 and have since become two of the best players in baseball. So it would be fitting if they both earn their first All-Star starts in the same year, too. You might be surprised to learn that neither has started the All-Star Game before, but it’s true.
Witt was an All-Star in each of the past two years but lost the fan vote as a finalist both times, first to the Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson in 2024 and then to Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson in ’25. Witt is once again building an excellent case for the spot -- he’s hitting .283 with nine homers and 19 steals, and he leads the AL with 3.7 fWAR.
Rodríguez is a three-time All-Star, but his penchant for getting off to slow starts has made it tough for him to gain enough fan support to win a starting spot. Over his first four seasons, Rodríguez had a .737 OPS in the first half and a .902 OPS in the second half. History looked like it was repeating itself when J-Rod went without an extra-base hit for two weeks to start this season, but he has slashed .289/.332/.553 with 26 extra-base hits (13 homers) over 48 games since April 11.
Will Trout make his grand All-Star Game return?
At the height of his career, Mike Trout was as much a fixture at the Midsummer Classic as anyone in the sport. However, he hasn’t actually appeared in the All-Star Game since 2019.
Although he was elected as a starter from 2021-23, extending his streak to 10 consecutive fan-vote wins in the process, injuries prevented him from participating in each of those years. Trout got hurt again early in 2024, and he didn’t have his usual numbers in ‘25, so he didn't make the team either year.
But the three-time AL MVP -- and two-time All-Star Game MVP -- is healthy and having a resurgent season in 2026, recording 14 homers with an .897 OPS through 61 games. He would love to make his Midsummer Classic return near his hometown.
Two lengthy droughts could end at the hot corner
While the third-base ballot is full of recognizable names, it’s been a down year for the position. José Ramírez and Manny Machado, last year's elected starters, have both dropped off in 2026, and they have plenty of company -- five other All-Star third basemen from a year ago (Alex Bregman, Maikel Garcia, Zach McKinstry, Isaac Paredes and Eugenio Suárez) have all taken a step backward, and Austin Riley, Matt Chapman and Alec Bohm are struggling as well.
But not Max Muncy and Miguel Vargas. Those two are having superb seasons for the Dodgers and White Sox, respectively, two franchises that have been waiting a long time for a third-base starter at the All-Star Game.
A Dodgers third baseman hasn’t cracked the NL’s starting lineup since Ron Cey in 1977. It’s been even longer for the White Sox, who haven’t had an All-Star starter at the hot corner since Jimmy Dykes in 1933 -- the very first All-Star Game.
A franchise first is in play for the Nationals
Speaking of longstanding All-Star droughts, we could see another end at shortstop -- one that extends the entire history of a franchise. Seven shortstops have earned an All-Star selection for the Expos/Nationals since they joined MLB in 1969. But the club has never had an All-Star starter at short. Enter CJ Abrams, who is hitting .293 with 12 homers, 47 RBIs, nine steals and the highest OPS (.919) of any qualifying shortstop.
Abrams’ competition is also fairly weak at his position. Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, Xander Bogaerts, Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson have combined for 22 All-Star selections in their careers. They’ve also combined for a .647 OPS in 2026. Elly De La Cruz and Konnor Griffin may have gotten more support if they were healthy, but both recently went on the injured list. If Washington is ever going to end the drought, this is the year.
With so many underachieving stars, we could see fresh faces galore
One of the things that jumps out when surveying the ballot is how many big names aren’t performing up to their usual standards. We’ve already mentioned some of them above, but there are plenty more, including Fernando Tatis Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Jose Altuve and Salvador Perez.
That could create an opening for some fresh faces to earn their first All-Star starting nod -- or their first selection period. The two All-Star squads have had a combined average of nine first-time starters (not including pitchers) per year over the past three seasons, including 10 in 2025. It will be interesting to see where that number lands in 2026.