Read our story on the balloting format, which includes two phases of fan voting to determine the All-Star starters.
The 2026 All-Star ballot is out!
As someone who has been voting for the All-Star Game for a long time – and watching closely how fans fill out their ballots – I feel like we've gotten better at picking the best players. There are some reasons for this, from online voting to more availability and understanding of advanced statistics. Fans, generally speaking, have gotten very good at getting it right.
That does not mean it is easy, though, by any stretch of the imagination. The ballot has all sorts of tricky choices, positions that are stacked with players who force a seemingly impossible decision.
Here’s a look at the five toughest calls you have to make on your ballot in 2026.
1) National League DH
There is no tougher call on the board than this one. I mean, it’s gotta be Shohei Ohtani, right? After a huge two-way performance in Arizona on Wednesday night, he’s batting .301 with an NL-best .420 OBP. He’s got a chance at another 30-30 season. He’s Shohei Ohtani!
But then: It has to be the Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber, right? He does, after all, lead the National League in homers (23), slugging (.598) and OPS (.949). He’s Kyle Schwarber! Plus, this All-Star Game is on his home field in Philly.
Good luck figuring this one out. Though, to be fair: Whichever player you vote for, the chances are excellent that you’re going to see both of them in Philly for All-Star Weekend. So just vote with your heart! No wrong answers here.
2) American League 1B
This has to be the most stacked position on the ballot, and it’s full of players who have emerged over the past couple of seasons. The Athletics’ Nick Kurtz took the league by storm in 2025 and put together one of the longest on-base streaks in baseball history during this one, helping put his club in the AL playoff chase. The Rays’ Jonathan Aranda ranks among the AL RBI leaders, and he has been an unquestioned force for the team with the best record in its league. The Yankees’ Ben Rice has the best numbers of anyone at the position … and even the best numbers on his own team. (A team that, it should be reminded, still has Aaron Judge on it.)
As much of a bummer as it is to see the White Sox’s Munetaka Murakami on the injured list, at least it makes this choice slightly easier. But only slightly.
3) National League OF
If you’ve been waiting for young players to take over a position, the NL outfield is the place for you. The top six NL outfielders in Baseball Reference WAR are all 25 or younger: The Dodgers’ Andy Pages (25, who actually leads the entire National League in the category), the Cardinals’ Jordan Walker (24), the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong (24), the Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll (25) and the Nationals’ James Wood (23). The Braves’ Michael Harris II (25) isn’t far behind, either.
Good luck choosing among those guys, and we haven’t even accounted for established stars such as the Mets’ Juan Soto, the Dodgers’ Kyle Tucker and the Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. (Though for the record, it’s the Reds’ JJ Bleday who has the highest OPS at the position.) There are no wrong answers in the NL outfield.
4) American League OF
On the other hand … there are fewer great seasons to choose from in the AL, which makes this a tough decision in a slightly different way. The Yankees’ Aaron Judge, obviously, is pretty locked in (health permitting), even though it should be said that his teammate, Cody Bellinger, is actually above him in Baseball Reference WAR.
After that, it’s hard to separate anyone from the pack. There are a bunch of players with All-Star track records having solid seasons, from Bellinger to the Angels’ Mike Trout to the Tigers’ Riley Greene to the Twins’ Byron Buxton to the Mariners duo of Randy Arozarena and Julio Rodríguez. (And it should be said, J-Rod has been coming on in the last month, after his typical slow start.) But there are few obvious selections.
5) National League SS
This position has been thrown for a bit of a loop because the most well-known names on the ballot have dealt with a variety of injuries and struggles. Xander Bogaerts, Francisco Lindor, Mookie Betts, Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson each have an OPS below .700. Lindor hasn’t played since April 22, and Betts missed more than a month of time on the IL.
But there is still drama here if you look deeper. The Reds’ Elly De La Cruz hasn’t quite elevated himself to the MVP status we’re still waiting for just yet, but he’s still having a terrific year and is an extremely worthy choice … and despite his hamstring injury should be back in time for the All-Star Game. (And he is exactly the sort of player everybody loves to watch in it.) The Nationals’ CJ Abrams, who is just a little bit older than De La Cruz but has been touted as a future star nearly as long, has taken a huge step forward this year, leading everyone at the position in OBP and RBIs. And don’t overlook the Marlins’ Otto Lopez, who is in the thick of the NL batting race, or the Cubs’ Nico Hoerner, who is having another great season with the glove.
There are choices here, even if the name you pick isn’t necessarily the one you would have expected to on Opening Day.