Judge, Harper leading the way in first update for 2024 All-Star Ballot presented by BuildSubmarines.com

Image Credit: MLB

The following was announced by Major League Baseball on Monday, June 17th – Judge, Harper leading the way in first update for 2024 All-Star Ballot presented by BuildSubmarines.com; Judge Holding Off Teammate Soto for Overall AL Lead; Three Astros Among AL Leaders at their Position; Five Orioles on Pace for Phase 2; Harper Chased by Betts, Bohm and Ohtani for Overall NL Lead; Three Padres Among NL Positional Leaders; Six Phillies Currently in Place for Phase 2; MLB Network to Announce Finalists on Thursday, June 27th; ESPN to Unveil Starters on Wednesday, July 3rd; Full Rosters on Sunday, July 7th

Outfielder Aaron Judge of the Major League-best New York Yankees leads all Major League players in the first balloting update for the 2024 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, while first baseman Bryce Harper of the NL-leading Philadelphia Phillies paces all National League players.

The 2024 MLB All-Star Ballot presented by BuildSubmarines.com, which is available exclusively online and via mobile devices at MLB.com/vote, all 30 Club web sites, the MLB App and the MLB Ballpark App, will be accessible until the voting period for Phase 1 concludes at 12:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 27^th. During the initial voting period, fans can submit up to five ballots each day that voting is open on MLB platforms. On Thursday, June 27^th, the top two vote-getters at each position (and the top six outfielders) in each League will be revealed on MLB Network at 6:00 p.m. (ET), and they will advance to the second phase of voting to determine who makes the All-Star teams and starts for each League.

In addition, the leading vote-getter in each league during the first phase of voting will once again receive an automatic starting assignment at the All-Star Game and bypass the second phase of voting. (Note: if an outfielder is a league’s leading vote-getter, Phase 2 voting at the position will still take place to determine the remaining two starters among the next four outfield finalists)

Judge, who also led all MLB vote-getters in 2022, has received 1,366,315 votes. The 32-year-old, who leads the Majors with 26 home runs on the season, is seeking his sixth All-Star selection and sixth fan-elected starting assignment after earning the honor in each of the last three seasons, and in five of the last six All-Star Games overall. The 2022 AL MVP is also aiming to become the 11^th player since fan balloting returned in 1970 to lead the Majors in voting on multiple occasions, and the first since José Bautista did so for a second time in 2014. Other to accomplish that feat include Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr. (5), Rod Carew (4), Hank Aaron (2), Johnny Bench (2), Cal Ripken Jr. (2) and Ozzie Smith (2), as well as Ichiro Suzuki (3), Albert Pujols (2) and Alex Rodriguez (2). Judge would also become just the fourth Yankees player ever with at least six fan elections, joining Hall of Famers Derek Jeter (9) and Dave Winfield (7), as well as Rodriguez (6).

Judge is followed in the AL outfield by his teammate Juan Soto, who ranks second across Baseball with 1,252,020 total votes, and Kyle Tucker of the Houston Astros (593,358). Soto is seeking a fourth career All-Star selection and first fan-elected starting assignment, while Tucker is striving for his third All-Star selection and first fan election. The Yankees last had a pair of starting outfielders in 2022, when Judge and Giancarlo Stanton received starting assignments, and the Astros last had an outfielder receive a fan election in 2019, when both George Springer and Michael Brantley earned the honor. The AL outfield leaders are joined by Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians (464,274), Anthony Santander of the Baltimore Orioles (321,333) and Alex Verdugo of the Yankees (293,984), each of whom is currently in position to advance to Phase 2. Rookie Colton Cowser of the Orioles (278,573), Adolis García of the Texas Rangers (257,623) and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels (253,710) remain close behind for the chance to advance.

Other highlights of the AL Ballot include:

• José Ramírez of the Guardians (742,910) holds the advantage at third base over Jordan Westburg of the Orioles (366,670), but Boston’s Rafael Devers is close behind with 342,046 votes in the AL’s closest race for the right to advance to Phase 2. Ramírez, a five-time All-Star, is seeking his third fan-elected start (also 2017-18), which would match Sandy Alomar Jr. and Kenny Lofton for the most fan elections in team history. Westburg is aiming for his first career All-Star selection while trying to become Baltimore’s first starting third baseman since Manny Machado in 2016. Devers, a two-time All-Star, earned fan elections in 2021-22.
• Adley Rutschman of the Orioles ranks third overall in the AL with 792,857 votes to lead Kansas City’s Salvador Perez (588,952) and Jose Trevino of the Yankees (234,469). Rutschman, an All-Star in 2023, is seeking his first starting assignment and could become the sixth consecutive different catcher to draw a start in the AL. Perez has eight career All-Star selections and has earned four fan elections (2015-17, 2021). The only AL catchers with at least five fan-elected starts include Hall of Famers Iván Rodríguez (12) and Carlton Fisk (7).
• Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles (740,436) and Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals (541,261) lead a talented group of AL shortstops and are followed by Anthony Volpe of the Yankees (339,150); Corey Seager of the Rangers (295,300); and Bo Bichette of the Toronto Blue Jays (231,694). Henderson and Witt Jr. are both vying for their first trip to the Midsummer Classic with Henderson trying to become the first Orioles shortstop to earn a fan election since Machado (2018), while Witt Jr. looks to join Fred Patek (1978) and Alcides Escobar (2015) as the only Royals shortstops to garner a fan election.
• Three-time All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Blue Jays (746,031) paces AL first basemen with Ryan Mountcastle of the Orioles (693,594) and Josh Naylor of the Guardians (404,389) following behind. Guerrero, who captured the 2021 Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet, earned fan elections in 2021 and 2022, and is attempting to join Roberto Alomar (4) and Bautista (4) as the only Blue Jays to receive at least three fan elections.
• Astros teammates Jose Altuve (620,724) and Yordan Alvarez (475,158) are currently leading the way at their respective positions. Altuve ranks ahead of Marcus Semien of the Rangers (539,223) and Michael Massey of the Royals (341,510) at second base, while Alvarez paces Giancarlo Stanton of the Yankees (408,610) and David Fry of the Guardians (379,845) at designated hitter. Altuve, an eight-time All-Star, has earned five fan elections (2015-18; 2022) and already owns the most in team history, while Alvarez, a two-time All-Star, is looking for his first starting assignment. Semien, a two-time All-Star, drew the start at second base in 2021. Stanton, who won MVP honors at the 2022 Midsummer Classic, is aiming for his sixth All-Star selection and third starting assignment after winning fan elections in the outfield in 2015 (NL) and 2022 (AL).

In the NL, Harper has received 1,110,562 total votes to rank third in all of Baseball, but is being challenged for the overall NL lead by a trio that includes Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers (1,023,690), his teammate Alec Bohm of the Phillies (1,012,174), and Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers (1,002,377). Harper, who led all of Baseball in fan voting in 2017 and paced the NL in 2015, is attempting to grab his eighth All-Star selection and seventh fan-elected start (also: 2013, 2015-18, 2022). In addition, Harper could become just the third Philadelphia first baseman (fourth time) to earn a fan-elected start, joining Pete Rose (1981-82) and John Kruk (1993). At first base, Harper is joined at the top by seven-time All-Star Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers (713,858), while Matt Olson of the Braves (154,672) ranks a distant third.

William Contreras of the Milwaukee Brewers (745,461) paces NL backstops, but J.T. Realmuto of the Phillies (558,624) and Will Smith of the Dodgers (557,970) are separated by less than 700 votes and engaged in the closest race across all of Baseball to advance to Phase 2. Contreras is trying to become the first Brewers catcher to earn a fan election in the NL, and just the second in team history along with Hall of Famer Ted Simmons (1983). Realmuto, a three-time All-Star, and Smith, an All-Star in 2023, are both competing for their first fan election. Any one of the trio would become the fourth consecutive different NL catcher to win a fan election, following Buster Posey (2021), Willson Contreras (2022) and Sean Murphy (2023).

Other highlights of the NL Ballot include:

• Betts, a seven-time All-Star and four-time fan-elected starter in the outfield, is followed at shortstop by his former teammate Trea Turner of the Phillies (509,043) and Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds (324,559). Betts, the 2018 AL Most Valuable Player, is looking to join Turner (2022) and Bill Russell (1980) as the only Dodgers shortstops to receive a fan election. Turner is trying for his third All-Star selection and second fan election, while De La Cruz vies for his first trip to the Midsummer Classic.
• Ohtani holds a comfortable lead at designated hitter while two-time All-Stars Marcell Ozuna of the Atlanta Braves (478,538) and Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies (435,416) battle it out for second place and the chance to advance to Phase 2. Ohtani is attempting to become the first player ever to claim four consecutive fan-elected starts at designated hitter. The two-way star, who was also the starting pitcher at the 2021 Midsummer Classic in Colorado, would be the second consecutive Los Angeles designated hitter to start for the NL, following J.D. Martinez in 2023.
• Bohm has a strong hold on the top spot at third base ahead of six-time All-Star Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres (267,063); Joey Ortiz of the Brewers (244,957); and two-time All-Star Max Muncy of the Dodgers (226,585). Bohm could become the first Phillies third baseman to win a fan election since Placido Polanco in 2011, while Machado hopes to earn his second starting assignment over three years after starting at the hot corner for the NL in 2022 (also earned fan elections in the AL in 2016 and 2018).
• Two-time Batting Champion Luis Arraez of the Padres (613,068) and Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks (608,807) are locked into a tight race atop second base, with Bryson Stott of the Phillies (486,315) lurking in third. Arraez, who received the fan-elected start at second base last season with Miami, would be the first Padres second baseman to ever win a fan election. Marte was an All-Star in 2019 after winning the starting assignment.
• A pair of Padres are among the top NL outfielders as San Diego’s Jurickson Profar (900,541) paces a group that includes two-time All-Star Christian Yelich of the Brewers (821,037); 2021 All-Stars Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres (798,609) and Teoscar Hernández of the Dodgers (761,934); and Phillies teammates Brandon Marsh (521,461) and two-time All-Star Nick Castellanos (439,764). Profar, in his 11^th Major League season, is trying for his first All-Star selection, and along with his teammate Tatis, the pair are both attempting to become the first San Diego outfielder to win a fan election since Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn in 1999.

Overall, nine different Major League Clubs are represented among the 18 positional leaders, while 13 Clubs are represented among the players on pace to advance to Phase 2 of 2024 MLB All-Star Balloting presented by BuildSubmarines.com. Ten of the 18 positional leaders (55.6%) are internationally-born, while 12 of the 18 leaders (66.7%) come from diverse backgrounds. Additionally, of the players on pace to advance to Phase 2, 15 of the 36 (41.7%) are internationally-born, while 23 of the 36 (63.9) come from diverse backgrounds.

Phase 2 will begin at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, June 30^th, with fans voting among the finalists at each position during a window that concludes at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday, July 3^rd. Later that night, the winners will be announced on ESPN at 7:00 p.m. (ET) during the All-Star Starters Reveal presented by BuildSubmarines.com. During this second phase of voting, in which fans can vote once per day on MLB platforms, vote totals will reset (i.e., vote totals from Phase 1 do not carry over) and the winner at each position (including three outfielders per League) will be named a starting position player for the 2024 Midsummer Classic.

The AL All-Star Team, which will be managed by Bruce Bochy of the defending World Series Champion Texas Rangers, and the NL All-Star Team, led by Torey Lovullo of the defending NL Champion Arizona Diamondbacks, will have nine elected starters via the fan balloting program. The pitchers and reserves for both squads – totaling 23 for each side – will be determined through a combination of “Player Ballot” choices and selections made by the Commissioner’s Office. The balance of the All-Star rosters will be announced during the All-Star Selection Show presented by BuildSubmarines.com on Sunday, July 7^th at 5:30 p.m. (ET) on ESPN.

During each phase of voting, the 2024 MLB All-Star Ballot will offer audio CAPTCHA functionality for visually impaired fans. Spanish-language ballots will also be available to fans via MLB.com/vota.

Fans will once again have the opportunity to participate in the official voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans can vote exclusively at MLB.com and the 30 Club sites – online or via their mobile devices – with the 2024 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote presented by Chevrolet, and their collective voice will represent 20 percent of the official vote determining this year’s recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.

MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard (July 16^th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 15^th), All-Star Saturday featuring the All-Star Futures Game and the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game presented by Corona (July 13^th), the MLB Draft presented by Nike (July 14^th-16^th), the HBCU Swingman Classic presented by T-Mobile (July 12^th), and Capital One All-Star Village (July 13^th-16^th).

The 94^th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 200 countries. FOX Deportes will provide Spanish language coverage in the United States. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game, while Univision will provide Spanish language coverage on radio. MLB Network and MLB.com will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week, including ticket information and updates, please visit allstargame.com and follow @MLB and @AllStarGame on social media.

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