Slowly but surely, we are nearing the 2024 MLB All-Star Game.
This year’s edition will take place at Globe Life Field in Arlington on July 16th.
While the All-Star Game isn’t quite what it used to be, the fact remains that it’s the most competitive of all the All-Star Games in major North American sports, that’s for sure. (If you think the Pro Bowl is a joke just look at the NBA All-Star Game over the past several years!)
With nearly 7 million ballots cast, superstar sluggers Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies are the leading vote-getters for their respective leagues.
Judge leads all candidates with 2,375,199 votes, and Harper leads the National League with 2,037,523.
Speaking of Harper’s Phillies, they are putting on quite a show when it comes to total voting … You can certainly thank the die-hard city of Philadelphia for that.
The All-Star voting process is broken down into a few phases.
-Phase 1: Fans can vote up to five times per day until June 27. The top two vote-getters at each position will be announced – and then we will proceed to Phase 2.
-Phase 2: Voting totals reset, and fans can vote once per 24 hours from June 30 through July 3 among the finalists. The winners will be announced on July 3 at 7pm EST.
-Pitchers and Reserves: These are determined by a combination of player ballots and selections from the commissioner’s office.
Entering today, this is where the voting stands in the American League…
Catcher
Adley Rutschman, Orioles (1,638,425)
Salvador Perez, Royals (1,033,099)
First base
Ryan Mountcastle, Orioles (1,400,373)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays (1,338,688)
Second base
Jose Altuve, Astros (1,233,299)
Marcus Semien, Rangers (963,423)
Shortstop
Gunnar Henderson, Orioles (1,551,124)
Bobby Witt Jr., Royals (987,689)
Third base
José Ramírez, Guardians (1,426,755)
Jordan Westburg, Orioles (846,352)
Outfield
Aaron Judge, Yankees (2,375,199)
Steven Kwan, Guardians (973,401)
Outfield
Juan Soto, Yankees (2,136,383)
Anthony Santander, Orioles (808,100)
Outfield
Kyle Tucker, Astros (1,002,803)
Colton Cowser, Orioles (649,710)
DH
Yordan Alvarez, Astros (963,519)
Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees (717,023)
As for the National League…
Catcher
William Contreras, Brewers (1,473,348)
J.T Realmuto, Phillies (1,081,907)
First base
Bryce Harper, Phillies (2,037,523)
Freddie Freeman, Dodgers (1,327,918)
Second base
Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks (1,183,331)
Luis Arraez, Padres (1,327,918)
Shortstop
Mookie Betts, Dodgers (1,680,658)
Trea Turner, Phillies (1,070,672)
Third base
Alec Bohm, Phillies (1,960,231)
Manny Machado, Padres (545,259)
Outfield
Jurickson Profar, Padres (1,646,276)
Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres (940,851)
Outfield
Christian Yelich, Brewers (1,506,639)
Brandon Marsh, Phillies (1,003,261)
Outfield
Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers (1,413,877)
Nick Castellanos, Phillies (857,186)
DH
Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (1,773,404)
Marcell Ozuna, Braves (940,851)
Of course, many fans – especially from small market teams – routinely get angered that the All-Star Game more times than not becomes a popularity contest.
As you can tell by some of the current vote leaders, that’s shaping up to be the case once again.
What are your thoughts on the current vote leaders?
Who are the names that you have the biggest problem with thus far?
Would you make any changes to improve the overall voting process?
In your opinion, who are the top five players in ALL of baseball right now???