Who has the longest streak as an All-Star starter?

June 24th, 2019

These are all of the finalists for the Starters Election, which begins Wednesday at noon ET and runs through Thursday at 4 p.m. The winners will be unveiled on ESPN that night starting at 7 ET. Players who do not get elected starters are not automatically added to the team as reserves -- they will be determined through a combination of “Player Ballot” choices and selections made by the Commissioner’s Office. All-Star pitchers and reserves will be announced on Sunday, June 30, at 5:30 p.m., also on ESPN.

As we get closer to the 2019 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, to be played on July 9 at Progressive Field in Cleveland, several players have advanced to the Starters Election looking to continue or establish a streak of consecutive seasons in which they won the fan vote at their respective position.

The record for consecutive seasons in which a player has won the fan vote at his position since the vote was returned to the fans in 1970, is 15, held by Hall of Famer Rod Carew. Carew did so from 1970-84. He won the fan vote for American League second basemen in each year from 1970-75, and for AL first basemen from '76-'84.

Two players had their streaks snapped when they weren’t voted into the final round this year: the Phillies’ Bryce Harper (four straight years) and the Indians’ Jose Ramirez (two).

So now that the finalists at each position have been revealed following the Primary vote, whose streaks are on the line? Here's a look in order of streak length, starting with the longest.

Mike Trout, outfield, AL
Streak: 6

Trout has the longest active streak of being voted a starter in an All-Star Game, and is looking to extend it to seven, which would be a new Angels record. He is currently tied with Carew, who won the fan vote six straight times while with the Halos from 1979-84. The best in the game is having a career year, currently owning an AL-best 1.121 OPS, and received the highest vote total in the AL at 3,370,499.

Jose Altuve, second base, AL
Streak: 4

Altuve has been the winner of the fan vote for AL second basemen each year since 2015, and the 2017 AL MVP is up against the Yankees' DJ LeMahieu and the Angels' Tommy La Stella. Altuve has missed time this season due to a hamstring injury, hitting .248/.331/.459 with nine home runs in 42 games for the Astros.

Nolan Arenado, third base, NL
Streak: 2

Arenado is only getting better, and he’s already established himself as a superstar at the hot corner for the Rockies. He’s slashing .323/.387/.595 with 19 homers and a league-best 95 hits to go along with his other-worldly defense. Arenado handily led the Primary vote at third base, with 2,483,867 votes. The Cubs’ Kris Bryant finished second with 1,400,401, and the Braves’ Josh Donaldson was third with 1,376,228.

Aaron Judge, outfield, AL
Streak: 2

Judge has been sidelined for much of the season due to a strained left oblique, but he was activated from the injured list Friday, when he went 0-for-4. Prior to the injury, he had a .925 OPS with five home runs in 20 games for the Yankees. He finished seventh among nine outfield qualifiers for the Starters Election, with 995,903 votes.

Javier Baez, shortstop, NL
Streak: Was voted an All-Star starter in 2018

Baez is considered one of the most exciting players in the game, if not the most exciting. His numbers speak for themselves: he’s hitting .283/.323/.545 with 18 homers on the season. His flair at the plate, great defense at shortstop and aggressive baserunning have him on the cusp of making it two straight All-Star starts for the NL squad. He garnered the most votes among NL shortstops with 2,598,426. It represented a wide margin over the Braves’ Dansby Swanson (1,719,262) and the Rockies’ Trevor Story (961,384).

Mookie Betts, outfield, AL
Streak: Was voted an All-Star starter in 2018

The reigning AL MVP got off to a strong start this season, hitting .282/.394/.472 with nine homers through May. Though he’s scuffled somewhat this month, Betts remains one of the game’s premier talents. He finished fifth among AL outfielders in the Primary round with 1,325,117 votes.

Willson Contreras, catcher, NL
Streak: Was voted an All-Star starter in 2018

Like his teammate Baez, Contreras is looking to make it two straight All-Star starts and is in the midst of his finest season yet for the Cubs, slashing .291/.388/.554 with 15 homers. His 2,384,622 votes outpaced the 1,762,917 the Braves’ Brian McCann received, and the 1,193,352 garnered by the Brewers’ Yasmani Grandal.

Freddie Freeman, first base, NL
Streak: Was voted an All-Star starter in 2018

Freeman is looking for his fourth All-Star appearance overall, and is in the middle of a typically excellent season with a 1.006 OPS and 21 home runs, both of which are ranked sixth in the NL. His 2,214,793 votes were the most among NL first basemen, with the Pirates’ Josh Bell (1,831,933) coming in second, and the Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo (1,545,682) third.

Nick Markakis, outfield, NL
Streak: Was voted an All-Star starter in 2018

Markakis continues to defy time as he quietly racks up the hits and further proves his value to the Braves. After being selected to his first All-Star team last year, the 35-year-old veteran is hitting .274/.362/.418 with six homers for Atlanta. He finished fourth in NL outfield Primary voting with 1,425,889 votes, behind only the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger, the Brewers’ Christian Yelich and the Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr.

J.D. Martinez, designated hitter, AL
Streak: Was voted an All-Star starter in 2018

Martinez continues to terrorize opposing pitching after finishing fourth in AL MVP voting last season. He’s slashing .297/.372/.541 with 16 homers for the Red Sox as he seeks his third overall All-Star selection. Martinez led the pack of designated hitter candidates with 1,564,520 votes. His competition in the final round will be the Rangers’ Hunter Pence (1,054,282 votes in the Primary round) and the Twins’ Nelson Cruz (974,788).