Posted by J.Y. Mortimer
Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves Named Starting Outfielder in NL After Leading All Major Leaguers in Voting During Phase 1; Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels Paces American League in Voting to Draw Starting Assignment at Designated Hitter
Finalists for the 2023 Scotts MLB All-Star Ballot were announced earlier this evening on MLB Network. Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels will bypass the second phase of voting and have claimed automatic starting assignments at the 2023 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard after leading their respective leagues in voting during Phase 1.
The second phase of voting, which begins on Monday, June 26th at 12:00 p.m. (ET), features the top two vote-getters at each position (and the top six outfielders in the AL; next four outfielders in the NL after Acuña Jr.) in each League based on vote totals from Phase 1, which ran from May 31st-June 22nd.
Phase 2 voting, 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 give fans the opportunity to vote among the finalists at each position during a four-day window that concludes at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, June 29th. Later that night, the winners will be announced at 7:00 p.m. (ET) on ESPN. Fans have the opportunity to vote once per day during this second phase of voting, with daily voting limits resetting each day at 12:00 a.m. (ET). During Phase 2, vote totals will reset (i.e., vote totals from Phase 1 do not carry over) and the winner at each position (including three outfielders in the AL; and two remaining outfielders in the NL) will be named a starting position player for the 2023 Midsummer Classic.
Acuña Jr. led all Major Leaguers with 3,082,600 total votes and paced the NL in voting for a third consecutive season en route to his fourth career All-Star selection and fourth consecutive fan-elected starting assignment. The 25-year-old became the third Braves player, and first since Dale Murphy in 1985, to lead the Majors in voting (also Hall of Famer Hank Aaron in 1970 and 1971). The Venezuela native, who is on pace to become the first player in history with at least 30 homers and 60 stolen bases in a single season, became the fourth player in Braves history to earn four fan elections, joining Aaron (5), Murphy (5) and Hall of Famer Chipper Jones (4). The last NL outfielder to earn a fan election in four consecutive seasons was Bryce Harper from 2015-18.
Ohtani paced all American League players, and finished second overall behind Acuña, with 2,646,307 votes to claim his third consecutive fan-elected start at designated hitter, joining Hall of Famer David Ortiz (2011-13) as the only players to do so. The two-way star, who was also the starting pitcher for the AL at the 2021 Midsummer Classic in Colorado, joins Hall of Famer Rod Carew (1979) and his teammate Mike Trout (2019) as the only Angels players to lead the AL in fan voting.
American League Finalists
(With Phase 1 Vote Totals)
Catcher
- Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles (1,291,399): Bidding for his first career All-Star appearance and attempting to become the first Orioles backstop to win a fan election since Matt Wieters in 2009.
- Jonah Heim, Texas Rangers (969,250): Vying for his first career All-Star appearance; would become the third Rangers catcher to win a fan election, joining Hall of Famer Iván Rodríguez (1993-2001) and Mike Napoli (2012).
First Base
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays (1,632,519): The 2021 Ted Williams All-Star Game MVP is seeking his third All-Star selection and third straight starting assignment; would become first AL first baseman with three consecutive fan elections since Hall of Famer Frank Thomas (1994-96).
- Yandy Díaz, Tampa Bay Rays (1,567,748): Vying for his first career All-Star appearance; would become the first Rays first baseman to win a fan election and just the second infielder in franchise history, joining third baseman Evan Longoria (2009-10).
Second Base
- Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers (1,943,085): Attempting to claim his second fan election in three seasons after making his first All-Star roster with the starting assignment in 2021 while with Toronto; would become the third Rangers second baseman to claim a starting assignment, joining Julio Franco (1989) and Alfonso Soriano (2004).
- Whit Merrifield, Toronto Blue Jays (1,030,308): Bidding for his third career All-Star selection (2019 and 2021) and his first fan-elected starting assignment; would become the second Blue Jays second baseman in three seasons to win a fan election following Semien’s election in 2021.
Third Base
- Josh Jung, Texas Rangers (1,243,366): Vying for first career All-Star appearance; would join Adrián Beltré as the only Rangers third basemen in team history to garner a fan election; would become the first Rangers rookie in history to earn a starting assignment, and just the second Rangers position player to make the All-Star team as a rookie, joining his teammate Adolis García (2021).
- Matt Chapman, Toronto Blue Jays (1,218,397): Seeking his second career All-Star nod (also 2019) and first start; would become the second Blue Jays third baseman to win a fan election, joining Josh Donaldson during his 2015 AL MVP Award-winning season.
Shortstop
- Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays (2,101,523): An All-Star in 2021, would become Toronto’s first-ever shortstop to earn a fan-elected starting assignment.
- Corey Seager, Texas Rangers (1,287,023): A three-time All-Star (2016-17, 2022); would be the first Rangers shortstop to win a fan election since Alex Rodriguez claimed three straight (2001-03).
