The Good, Bad and Ugly of 2025 MLB All-Star Game Phase 1 Voting Results
The 2025 MLB All-Star Game is just a few short weeks away, with the baseball world set to converge on Truist Park in Atlanta for the annual exhibition of the game's best and brightest.
Phase 1 of the fan voting concluded on Thursday, with Aaron Judge (4,012,983 votes) and Shohei Ohtani (3,967,668 votes) receiving automatic spots in their respective starting lineups as the leading vote-getters in their leagues.
The remaining positions are now narrowed to two candidates (six in the case of outfielders) for Phase 2 of the voting, and the results of that round of balloting will determine the starting lineup next month.
Ahead we've provided a quick rundown of the good, bad and ugly of Phase 1 fan voting, highlighting the biggest immediate takeaways on what the fans got right, what they got wrong and some storylines worth monitoring.
Phase 2 of the voting closes at noon ET on July 2, with starting lineups for each league announced on July 6 at 5 PM ET on ESPN.
For now, let's dig into the Phase 1 voting results.
AL/NL Phase 2 All-Star Voting Finalists
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American League
C: Cal Raleigh (SEA), Alejandro Kirk (TOR)
1B: Vladimir Guerreo Jr. (TOR), Paul Goldschmidt (NYY)
2B: Gleyber Torres (DET), Jackson Holliday (BAL)
3B: José Ramírez (CLE), Alex Bregman (BOS)
SS: Jacob Wilson (ATH), Bobby Witt Jr. (KC)
OF: Aaron Judge (NYY), Riley Greene (DET), Javier Báez (DET), Mike Trout (LAA), Steven Kwan (CLE)
DH: Ryan O'Hearn (BAL), Ben Rice (NYY)
National League
C: Will Smith (LAD), Carson Kelly (CHC)
1B: Freddie Freeman (LAD), Pete Alonso (NYM)
2B: Ketel Marte (ARI), Tommy Edman (LAD)
3B: Manny Machado (SD), Max Muncy (LAD)
SS: Francisco Lindor (NYM), Mookie Betts (LAD)
OF: Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC), Teoscar Hernández (LAD), Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL), Kyle Tucker (CHC), Andy Pages (LAD), Juan Soto (NYM)
DH: Shohei Ohtani (LAD)
Note: Players are listed at each position in order of Phase 1 voting results.
Good: Fans Are Loving the Javier Báez Renaissance
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AL Outfield Voting
1. Aaron Judge, NYY (4,012,983 votes)
2. Riley Greene, DET (2,332,378 votes)
3. Javier Baez, DET (1,585,554 votes)
4. Mike Trout, LAA (1,383,606 votes)
5. Steven Kwan, CLE (1,207,419 votes)
With the emergence of Trey Sweeney as a steady defender and viable everyday option at shortstop during the second half last season, there was a case to be made that the Detroit Tigers best move during the offseason would have simply been to release Javier Báez.
With three years and $73 million remaining on his contract, the Tigers opted to keep him around, but without a guaranteed spot in the starting lineup following a minus-1.1 WAR performance over 80 games in 2024.
What most high-priced veterans would take as a slight, Baez has seemingly used as motivation, taking a defensive shift to center field in stride while playing his way back into the starting lineup with a solid showing at the plate.
A two-time All-Star during his run with the Cubs, he is hitting .289/.329/.469 for a 125 OPS+ with 22 extra-base hits and 2.3 WAR in 68 games.
Does he deserve to start in the AL outfield?
Probably not, but his career renaissance has been a great story, and his numbers are All-Star worthy.
Bad: Where is Byron Buxton's 2022 Voting Support?
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Vote Total: 920,986 (8th among AL outfielders)
Staying on the field has been a struggle for Byron Buxton throughout his 11 seasons in the big leagues, with last year marking just the second time in his career he reached 100 games played.
He played just 92 games during the 2022 season, but was voted to start the All-Star Game in what is his only Midsummer Classic appearance to date, so why aren't fans showing him love this time around?
The 31-year-old has played in 63 of 80 games for the Twins, and here's where he ranks among AL outfielders in some key categories:
OPS+: 146 (3rd)
HR: 17 (t-3rd)
RBI: 47 (4th)
WAR: 2.9 (4th)
At the very least, those are numbers deserving of a spot on the Phase 2 ballot.
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Ugly: Jacob Wilson Could be the First A's Player Voted to Start in Over a Decade
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AL Shortstop Voting
1. Jacob Wilson, ATH (1,801,528 votes)
2. Bobby Witt Jr., KC (1,306,825 votes)
3. Jeremy Peña, HOU (971,733 votes)
4. Bo Bichette, TOR (928,294 votes)
5. Trey Sweeney, DET (559,688 votes)
The last time an Athletics player was voted to start the All-Star Game was third baseman Josh Donaldson back in 2014, the year before he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Since that time, six different position players have been named to the All-Star team for the Athletics—Yonder Alonso, Matt Chapman, Jed Lowrie, Matt Olson, Brent Rooker and Stephen Vogt—but none were voted to a starting spot.
Shortstop Jacob Wilson is on track to end that drought.
The 23-year-old has been baseball's most productive rookie so far this season, hitting .347/.388/.487 for a 145 OPS+ with 24 extra-base hits and 2.2 WAR in 76 games.
Despite playing for a team that is 16 games below .500 and currently residing in the AL West cellar, fans have taken notice, and he checked in 494,703 votes ahead of young superstar Bobby Witt Jr. for the top spot among AL shortstops in the Phase 1 voting.
Can he match that showing during Phase 2 to earn the starting spot?
Good: Francisco Lindor Might Finally Start an All-Star Game for the Mets
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NL Shortstop Voting
1. Francisco Lindor, NYM (2,296,443 votes)
2. Mookie Betts, LAD (2,094,921 votes)
3. Elly De La Cruz, CIN (1,144,725 votes)
4. Trea Turner, PHI (993,862 votes)
5. Dansby Swanson, CHC (800,022 votes)
It's almost impossible to believe that Francisco Lindor has never started the All-Star Game as a member of the New York Mets, especially considering he has finished in the top-10 in NL MVP voting in each of his first three years with the team.
Here's a side-by-side look at his stats and the stats of the player who started over him in each of the past three seasons:
2022
Trea Turner: 124 OPS+, 64 XBH (21 HR), 100 RBI, 27 SB, 5.2 WAR
Lindor: 125 OPS+, 56 XBH (26 HR), 107 RBI, 16 SB, 5.4 WAR
2023
Orlando Arcia: 99 OPS+, 42 XBH (17 HR), 65 RBI, 1 SB, 1.7 WAR
Lindor: 121 OPS+, 66 XBH (31 HR), 98 RBI, 31 SB, 6.1 WAR
2024
Trea Turner: 120 OPS+, 46 XBH (21 HR), 62 RBI, 19 SB, 3.0 WAR
Lindor: 139 OPS+, 73 XBH (33 HR), 91 RBI, 29 SB, 6.9 WAR
Lindor has not always gotten off to a strong start at the plate, and many of those stat lines are propped up by strong second-half performances, but the comparison is still an eye-opening one, especially the last two years.
Bad: James Wood is Baseball's Most Underappreciated Young Star
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Vote Total: 1,053,084 (9th among NL outfielders)
If James Wood played for the New York Yankees, he would be one of the most talked about players in baseball and a staple on highlight reels hyping him as one of the future superstars of the sport.
Instead, he plays for the Washington Nationals.
The 22-year-old took a major step toward living up to being one of the prospect centerpieces of the Juan Soto blockbuster trade when he debuted with a 122 OPS+ in 79 games last season.
That has proven to be just the tip of the iceberg as far as his offensive potential is concerned. He is currently hitting .277/.373/.554 for a 161 OPS+ that ranks fifth among qualified NL hitters, adding 19 doubles, 22 home runs, 63 RBI and 3.7 WAR in 81 games.
Those are numbers deserving of an All-Star Game start.
Ugly: A Crowded NL Outfield Will Lead to Multiple Deserving Snubs
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NL Outfield Voting
1. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CHC (3,021,256 votes)
2. Teoscar Hernández, LAD (2,343,058 votes)
3. Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL (1,888,867 votes)
4. Kyle Tucker, CHC (1,794,776 votes)
5. Andy Pages, LAD (1,789,553 votes)
6. Juan Soto, NYM (1,490,489 votes)
It looks like Chicago Cubs breakout star Pete Crow-Armstrong will occupy one spot in the NL outfield based on his significant Phase 1 vote total.
The other two starters could be decided by a razor-thin margin.
With James Wood, Corbin Carroll, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Heliot Ramos also putting together All-Star worthy seasons, there is going to be a serious roster crunch when it comes to deciding the NL outfield reserves.
For now, the slate is clean and the six outfielders listed above will battle it out in what could very well be the tightest Phase 2 race in either league.
However, at least a couple guys from that larger group of 10 standout performers figure to rank among the biggest snubs when the full All-Star rosters are announced.
Good: The Average MLB Fan is Getting Smarter
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The average MLB fan is more knowledgeable than ever before.
Whether that can be attributed to a greater appreciation for advanced analytics, the rise in popularity of daily fantasy sports and gambling, or something else entirely, fans are more engaged in what is going on across the league as a whole.
That has led to fewer cases of egregious homer voting across the All-Star ballot, like we saw in 2015 when Kansas City Royals fans stormed the ballot boxes and pushed shortstop Alcides Escobar into the starting lineup and nearly did the same for second baseman Omar Infante.
It also feels like fewer fans are simply voting for the big names they know, and are instead focusing on who is deserving based on this year's production.
Rookie Jacob Wilson, who plays for an Athletics team that represents one of the smallest markets in the sport, held a commanding lead over household name and bona fide superstar Bobby Witt Jr. for the AL shortstop spot.
Chicago Cubs breakout star Pete Crow-Armstrong who has a game built as much on defense and speed as on offensive production, ran away with the top spot in the NL outfield, ahead of established stars like Juan Soto, Ronald Acuña Jr., Kyle Tucker and others.
In both cases, the support was well-deserved, and those two examples serve as a good snapshot of a better informed MLB fan base.
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