Top vote-getters in All-Star history

When fans cast their ballots each year to determine who will receive the honor of being named an All-Star, there is always intrigue with close races, first-time All-Stars and other storylines. But it's also always interesting to see which player received the most votes of all.

In the 50-plus years since All-Star voting returned to the fans in 1970 following a 12-year hiatus, the player with the most years leading all candidates in the balloting is Ken Griffey Jr., who did so five times (1994, 1996-99). The team most represented on this list is the Mariners, thanks to Griffey's five and three from Ichiro Suzuki (2001-03). A player hasn't repeated as the top vote-getter since Alex Rodriguez went back-to-back in 2007-08.

The top vote-getter in Phase 1 of the 2024 All-Star vote was Aaron Judge, while Bryce Harper led the way in the National League, meaning they both have automatic berths in their team’s starting lineups. Voting will continue for the remaining spots in Phase 2 starting on Sunday.

Here's a look at the top vote-getter for each All-Star Game dating back to 1970.

2024: Aaron Judge (NYY), AL OF
Judge crushed his 30th home run on Wednesday against the Mets and has been on one of the best runs of his career after a sluggish start to the season. At the time that Phase 1 voting concluded, Judge was leading the Majors in home runs, OPS (1.145) and wRC+ (215) and was second in FanGraphs’ Wins Above Replacement (5.7). It was the second time Judge secured the most votes, also doing so in 2022.

2023: Ronald Acu?a Jr. (ATL), NL OF
Acu?a electrified the baseball world in 2023, not only becoming the fifth member of the 40-40 club but also the first player in history to hit 40 or more homers while stealing 70 or more bases in a single season. He was ultimately crowned NL MVP.

2022: Aaron Judge (NYY), AL OF
In the midst of a season in which he'd set the American League single-season home run record with 62, and eventually be named AL MVP, it's no surprise that Judge was the highest vote getter in Phase 1 of the 2022 All-Star balloting.

2021: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR), AL 1B
Guerrero not only received the most votes in Phase 1 of All-Star voting in 2021, he went ahead and won the All-Star Game MVP Award thanks to a big two-run homer in the third inning to lead the AL in a 5-2 victory at Coors Field.

2019: Mike Trout (LAA), AL OF
Trout became the first player in Angels history to be elected as an All-Star Game starter seven times when he received the highest vote total in the 2019 starters election. He's a two-time All-Star Game MVP (2014-15).

2018: Jose Altuve (HOU), AL 2B
Altuve was coming off a 2017 AL MVP campaign in which he led the league in hits (204) and led the Majors with a .346 batting average to go along with 24 home runs and 32 steals for the World Series champion Astros.

2017: Bryce Harper (WSH), NL OF
In receiving nearly five million votes, Harper became the first Nationals player to top All-Star Game balloting and the second player in Nationals/Expos franchise history to do so (catcher Gary Carter led all vote-getters in 1982).

2016: Salvador Perez (KC), AL C
After leading the Royals to their first World Series title in 30 years and taking home MVP honors in the 2015 Fall Classic victory over the Mets, Perez was the most popular All-Star candidate for the 2016 Midsummer Classic in San Diego.

2015: Josh Donaldson (TOR), AL 3B
In the first year of online-only balloting, the fans turned out in droves and made Donaldson, who would be named AL MVP that fall, the leading vote-getter in MLB All-Star voting history.

2014: José Bautista (TOR), AL OF
Bautista was massively popular even before the "bat flip seen 'round the world" during the 2015 postseason, and that was evidenced by his leading vote tally for the 2014 All-Star Game at Target Field in Minneapolis. It was the slugging outfielder's fifth straight All-Star selection -- he made it six straight the next year.

2013: Chris Davis (BAL), AL 1B
Davis was the premier slugger of the early part of the last decade, and his vote total in 2013 All-Star balloting showed it. He went on to set a career high by belting 53 homers to lead the Majors that season, also leading MLB with 138 RBIs and 370 total bases.

2012: Josh Hamilton (TEX), AL OF
Hamilton helped lead the Rangers to back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010 and '11, winning the 2010 AL MVP Award along the way. In 2012, he had an incredible first half of the season, smashing 27 homers with a 1.016 OPS before the All-Star break.

2011: José Bautista (TOR), AL OF
Bautista was in the middle of a second straight season for which he'd finish in the top four of AL MVP Award voting after he launched a Major League-leading 54 home runs in 2010. He ended the '11 season with 43 homers, 132 RBIs and a 1.056 OPS to lead baseball in all three categories.

2010: Joe Mauer (MIN), AL C
Coming off a season during which he won his third batting title in four years, also leading MLB in on-base and slugging percentage en route to winning the 2009 AL MVP Award, Mauer was the most popular choice for the Midsummer Classic at Angel Stadium in '10.

2009: Albert Pujols (STL), NL 1B
This was the season for which Pujols would win his third career MVP Award, and while the full-season numbers were tremendous, the first-half stats were off the charts -- a .332/.456/.723 slash line with 32 homers and 87 RBIs.

2007-08: Alex Rodriguez (NYY), AL 3B
Rodriguez was the best position player in the AL at this time and the All-Star balloting reflected that. In 2007, A-Rod led MLB in homers (54), RBIs (156), runs scored (143), slugging percentage (.645) and OPS (1.067) to claim his third career AL MVP Award.

2006: Albert Pujols (STL), NL 1B
Pujols bookended the four-year span in which he and A-Rod were the overall leading vote-getters for the All-Star Game from 2006-09. "The Machine" was almost automatic during this phase of his great career, and he was coming off winning the first of three career MVP Awards. In 2006, he belted a career-high 49 homers and led MLB with a 1.102 OPS.

2005: David Ortiz (BOS), AL DH
The man affectionately known throughout the baseball world as "Big Papi" proved his postseason mettle with one of the most clutch playoff performances in baseball history the previous October. That's when he led the Red Sox to the greatest postseason comeback in Major League history after Boston was down three games to none against the rival Yankees in the AL Championship Series. The Sox went on to win their first World Series title in 86 years.

2004: Alfonso Soriano (TEX), AL 2B
Soriano was one of the most prolific outfielders in the game at the turn of the century, posting an .871 OPS with 77 homers and 76 steals from 2002-03, also helping the Yankees reach the '03 World Series. In '04, the first of two seasons he'd spend with the Rangers, he was voted the MVP of the Midsummer Classic after launching a three-run homer off Roger Clemens in a 9-4 AL victory at Minute Maid Park.

2001-2003: Ichiro Suzuki (SEA), AL OF
Ichiro led in All-Star balloting in each of his first three years in MLB thanks to his masterful performance at the plate and his defensive prowess in right field. He became the second player in AL/NL history to win his league's Rookie of the Year Award and MVP Award in the same season in 2001, and began a streak of 10 consecutive seasons in which he'd have more than 200 hits and win a Gold Glove Award. He was also the MVP of the 2007 Midsummer Classic in San Francisco.

2000: Ivan Rodriguez (TEX), AL C
One of the greatest catchers of all time, Rodriguez won the 1999 AL MVP Award by hitting .332/.356/.558 with career bests in homers (35), RBIs (113) and steals (25). He had an even better season by several metrics in 2000, when he posted a 1.042 OPS while winning the ninth of 13 career Gold Glove Awards.

1996-99: Ken Griffey Jr. (SEA), AL OF
Griffey was the most exciting player of the 1990s, so it's no surprise that he was leading vote-getter for the All-Star Game five times during the decade -- in 1994, and then each year from 1996-99. Junior was the MVP of the 1992 All-Star Game and the 1997 AL MVP, belting 56 homers and hitting 56 again in '98. In fact, no one hit more homers from 1996-99 than Griffey's 209, and over that span he also won four of his 10 career Gold Glove Awards in center field.

1995: Cal Ripken Jr. (BAL), AL SS
This was the "Year of Ripken." The Iron Man was on the cusp of breaking Lou Gehrig's record of 2,131 consecutive games played when he received the highest All-Star vote total for the 1995 Midsummer Classic at the Ballpark in Arlington. He broke the mark on Sept. 5, and went on to play in 501 consecutive games from that point before taking a day off. He was the MVP of the 1991 and 2001 All-Star Games.

1994: Ken Griffey Jr. (SEA), AL OF
This was a special All-Star selection for Griffey given that the game was to take place about 20 miles from where he grew up in Donora, Pennsylvania. Junior won the first of three career Home Run Derby titles at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium before going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI in the All-Star Game the next night.

1993: Barry Bonds (SF), NL OF
Bonds was on his way to the third of seven career NL MVP Awards when he was the top vote-getter for the 1993 All-Star Game at Baltimore's Camden Yards. The superstar left fielder went on to lead MLB with 46 homers, a .677 slugging percentage and a 1.136 OPS that season, also leading the Giants to 103 victories in his first season with San Francisco.

1992: Cal Ripken Jr. (BAL), AL SS
This was the season after Ripken had a career year in which he posted 11.5 wins above replacement (Baseball Reference) and career bests in homers (34) and RBIs (114) while leading the Majors with 368 total bases. The Iron Man was also the MVP of the previous year's All-Star Game in Toronto.

1991: Ryne Sandberg (CHC), NL 2B
Sandberg was right in the middle of the most productive stretch of his Hall of Fame career -- from 1989-92, he hit .298/.365/.513 with 122 homers and finished among the top four in NL MVP Award voting twice.

1990: Jose Canseco (OAK), AL OF
Canseco was the premier slugger in the game during the late 1980s, becoming the first 40-homer/40-steal player in '88, one of three consecutive years in which he helped the A's reach the World Series.

1989: Will Clark (SF), NL 1B
Clark was the NL's best first baseman from 1987-91, and the 1989 campaign was his finest -- he finished runner-up to teammate Kevin Mitchell in NL MVP Award voting after posting a .953 OPS with 23 homers and 111 RBIs. He had an NL Championship Series for the ages, hitting .650 with three doubles, a triple and two homers against the Cubs to take home series MVP honors.

1987-88: Ozzie Smith (STL), NL SS
"The Wizard" went into the Hall of Fame as one of the best shortstops to ever play the game, particularly with his incredible defense. In 1987, he finished runner-up in NL MVP Award voting and helped the Cardinals win the NL pennant.

1986: Darryl Strawberry (NYM), NL OF
While Strawberry was hampered by injury from 1985-86, he put up prodigious numbers when healthy. In '85, he hit 29 homers with a .947 OPS and 26 steals in just 111 games. And in the first half of the '86 campaign, he had a .954 OPS with 13 homers and 20 stolen bases.

1985: Dale Murphy (ATL), NL OF
Murphy won back-to-back NL MVP Awards in 1982 and '83, and then led the league in homers in both '84 and '85. He also won all five of his Gold Glove Awards from 1982-86. He had a sensational first half of the season in '85, earning the most votes in All-Star balloting after belting 23 homers with a .941 OPS.

1984: Steve Garvey (SD), NL 1B
This was the ninth of Garvey's 10 career All-Star selections -- he was the MVP of the Midsummer Classic in 1974 and '78 while with the Dodgers. Even at 35 and 36 years old from 1984-85, Garvey appeared in all but one game for the Padres during that stretch.

1983: Robin Yount (MIL), AL SS
After being named AL MVP and leading the Brewers to a pennant in 1982, Yount picked up right where he left off in '83, putting up a .315/.396/.521 slash line with 11 homers in the first half. He'd end up with an .886 OPS with a league-leading 10 triples over the full season.

1982: Gary Carter (Expos), NL C
Carter, the MVP of the 1981 and '84 All-Star Games, was in the midst of a career year when he received the highest All-Star vote total in '82. Though he didn't hit two homers like he did in the '81 game, Carter did go 1-for-3 with an RBI single in the NL's 4-1 win in front of his hometown fans at Montreal's Olympic Stadium.

1981: George Brett (KC), AL 3B
Brett made a run at the magic number of .400 when he hit .390 in a 1980 MVP campaign, and his mastery at the plate earned him top vote-getter status for the All-Star Game the following year. It was the sixth All-Star selection in a run of 13 straight All-Star seasons for the Hall of Famer.

1980: Davey Lopes (LAD), NL 2B
This season was the third of four straight in which Lopes was named an All-Star for the NL. The speedy second baseman stole 557 bases in his career, leading the Majors with 77 in 1975, and leading the NL with 63 the next year.

1977-79: Rod Carew (MIN, CAL), AL 1B
Carew was the gold standard when it came to hitting in the 1970s, winning six of seven career batting titles in that decade, as well as the 1977 AL MVP Award. The Hall of Famer was an 18-time All-Star in 19 MLB seasons and finished with a career .328 batting average and .822 OPS.

1976: Joe Morgan (CIN), NL 2B
Morgan was one of the most vital members of the "Big Red Machine" clubs of the early-to-mid 1970s, helping the Reds win back-to-back World Series championships in 1975 and '76. Morgan was the NL MVP both years, combining for a .997 OPS and 127 steals while winning two of his five Gold Glove Awards at second base.

1975: Rod Carew (MIN), AL 1B
By this point, Carew had cemented his elite status with four batting titles before a fifth in 1975. In fact, he won the AL batting crown each year from 1972-75 (he also won it in 1969, '77 and '78).

1974: Reggie Jackson (OAK), AL OF
Before he was "Mr. October" with the Yankees, Jackson was already one of the premier sluggers in baseball with the A's. He was coming off a huge 1973 campaign, when he took home AL MVP honors after leading the league in runs scored (99), homers (32), RBIs (117), slugging percentage (.531) and OPS (.914). His A's won the World Series that fall over the Mets.

1972-73: Johnny Bench (CIN), NL C
Bench was the benchmark for catchers during a 17-year Hall of Fame career, and he is still considered by many to be the greatest catcher in AL/NL history. He won his second NL MVP Award in 1972, leading MLB with 40 home runs and 135 RBIs. In '73, he hit 25 homers and drove in 104, also winning a Gold Glove Award for the sixth straight year. He'd win four more over the next four seasons.

1970-71: Hank Aaron (ATL), NL OF
Aaron owns the record for most All-Star selections, being voted an All-Star 25 times during his magnificent Hall of Fame career. In these two years, no one topped him in the balloting, and for good reason -- "Hammerin' Hank" was just as steady as always, smashing 85 homers with a 1.017 OPS from 1971-72.