In a recent development, fan selections crowned Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Aaron Judge from the New York Yankees as the leading choices for the upcoming All-Star Game slated for July 15 at Atlanta’s Truist Park.
Ohtani and Judge were informed of their status as starters chosen by the fans on Thursday. Collecting the maximum number of votes, Judge led the major leagues with an impressive 4,012,983 votes during the initial round of fan voting. Despite sustaining a sprained right big toe that kept him from participating in the 2023 game, the outfielder is set to make his seventh start in eight American League All-Star Games. Over the past few years, including last year and during the initial phase in 2022, Judge was a leading vote-getter.
Ohtani topped the National League and followed closely behind Judge with 3,967,668 votes, achieving the notable distinction of being the first designated hitter to secure five consecutive All-Star Game starts. The selection process for this honorary game, revamped in 2022, grants starting roles to the top vote-getter in each league during the initial phase, which took place from June 4 and concluded this past Thursday.
For positions other than those secured by the top vote-getters, two finalists will proceed to a second phase of voting, timed from noon EDT Monday to noon EDT on July 2. These votes from the first phase do not transfer. Voters can submit their choices once in any given 24-hour window.
The lineup, presenting the final starters, will be disclosed on July 2, with the announcement of pitchers and reserves following on July 6. Among teams having a robust representation, seven players from the previous World Series champions, the Dodgers, entered the second phase. Also making strong showings are the Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, and New York Mets, with three finalists apiece, while the Cleveland Guardians, Yankees, and Toronto Blue Jays contribute two representatives each.
For the American League finalists, the key positions include: Alejandro Kirk and Cal Raleigh contending for catcher; Paul Goldschmidt and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for first base; Jackson Holliday and Gleyber Torres at second base; Alex Bregman and José Ramírez striving for third base; and Jacob Wilson with Bobby Witt Jr. competing at shortstop. Designated hitters on the ballot are Ryan O’Hearn and Ben Rice, and outfield contenders include Javier Báez, Riley Greene, Steven Kwan, and Mike Trout.
Representing the National League finalists, catcher choices are Carson Kelly and Will Smith; Pete Alonso faces Freddie Freeman for first base; Tommy Edman challenges Ketel Marte at second base; Manny Machado and Max Muncy vie for third base; and Mookie Betts contends with Francisco Lindor at shortstop. Outfield options include stars like Ronald Acuña Jr., Pete Crow-Armstrong, Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages, Juan Soto, and Kyle Tucker.