Here are the latest All-Star Ballot standings
Phase 1 of fan voting concludes at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday
With Phase 1 of the fan voting for the 2021 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard is set to conclude on Thursday, there¡¯s been a shake-up in the positional standings.
According to the update MLB provided on Monday, four new players are now in position to advance to Phase 2: Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, Cubs outfielder Joc Pederson and Cardinals outfielder Tyler O'Neill.
Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. remains MLB¡¯s leading vote getter, while Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. is still the NL leader.
The top three vote getters at each position, plus the top nine outfielders, in each league will advance to the second phase of the voting, which will ultimately determine the starters for this year¡¯s All-Star Game at Coors Field in Denver. (Fan voting determines the starters at first base, second base, third base, shortstop, catcher and the three outfield spots in each league, plus the designated hitter spot in the AL. Pitchers and reserves for both teams will be determined through a combination of Player Ballot choices and selections made by the Commissioner¡¯s Office.)
Fans can cast their votes exclusively online and via mobile devices at MLB.com, all 30 club websites, the MLB At Bat and MLB Ballpark mobile apps and on Google Search in the U.S. and Canada until the voting period for Phase 1 concludes at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday.
The final Phase 1 results will be announced on Sunday at noon ET on the 2021 Google MLB All-Star Ballot Finalists Show on MLB Network. Phase 2 will last for four days, concluding on Thursday, July 1, at 2 p.m. ET. Later that night, the starting teams will be announced at 9 p.m. ET on the 2021 Google MLB All-Star Starters Reveal on ESPN.
Remember, the vote tallies reset after Phase 1, so just because a player has a sizable lead at his position now doesn¡¯t necessarily mean he¡¯ll end up as the starter when Phase 2 is done.
Here¡¯s a look at the current standings.
FIRST BASE
AL
1) Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR, 49%
2) Yuli Gurriel, HOU, 10%
3) Jos¨¦ Abreu, CWS, 8%
Next up: Jared Walsh, LAA, 6%; Matt Olson, OAK, 4%
One of several Astros who have moved up in the standings since the first ballot update, Gurriel has jumped ahead of last year¡¯s AL MVP, Abreu. Now in third, Abreu holds a lead of roughly 72,000 votes over Walsh.
NL
1) Max Muncy, LAD, 22%
2) Freddie Freeman, ATL, 17%
3) Anthony Rizzo, CHC, 13%
Next up: Eric Hosmer, SD, 8%; Jes¨²s Aguilar, MIA, 7%
It's the same order and nearly the same vote shares for these five, with Muncy still holding firm at the top despite his injured-list status (strained right oblique) dating back to June 12. That's how good Muncy's start to the season was; entering the weekend, he still led all Dodgers players in bWAR.
SECOND BASE
AL
1) Marcus Semien, TOR, 35%
2) Jose Altuve, HOU, 21%
3) DJ LeMahieu, NYY, 9%
Next up: Nick Madrigal, CWS, 7%; David Fletcher, LAA, 6%
There¡¯s been no change to the top three here, and LeMahieu has widened his lead over Madrigal, who will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn right hamstring.
NL
1) Ozzie Albies, ATL, 18%
2) Adam Frazier, PIT, 12%
3) Gavin Lux, LAD, 11%
Next up: Nico Hoerner, CHC, 10%; Jean Segura, PHI, 9%
Hoerner remains right on Lux's heels, with roughly 32,000 votes separating the two youngsters for the third and final spot on the cut line. Segura has supplanted San Diego's Jake Cronenworth for fifth since last week's update.
THIRD BASE
AL
1) Rafael Devers, BOS, 28%
2) Alex Bregman, HOU, 13%
3) Yo¨¢n Moncada, CWS, 12%
Next up: Jos¨¦ Ram¨ªrez, CLE, 9%; Anthony Rendon, LAA, 6%
Bregman was behind Moncada in the first update, but the Astros¡¯ third baseman has moved into second place. Trailing by 95,000 votes, Ram¨ªrez has some work to do if he¡¯s going to bump Moncada from the top three.
NL
1) Kris Bryant, CHC, 29%
2) Nolan Arenado, STL, 15%
3) Justin Turner, LAD, 13%
Next up: Austin Riley, ATL, 10%; Manny Machado, SD, 9%
It's going to take a serious surge by Riley or Machado to unseat Turner, who holds a healthy 110,000-plus vote cushion for the third spot. Bryant retains a commanding lead over his NL Central rival counterpart Arenado.
SHORTSTOP
AL
1) Xander Bogaerts, BOS, 30%
2) Bo Bichette, TOR, 18%
3) Carlos Correa, HOU, 11%
Next up: Tim Anderson, CWS, 10%; Adalberto Mondesi, KC, 6%
The surging Correa has climbed into the top three, moving ahead of Anderson. Fewer than 41,000 votes separate the two shortstops.
NL
1) Fernando Tatis Jr., SD, 36%
2) Javier B¨¢ez, CHC, 15%
3) Corey Seager, LAD, 10%
Next up: Brandon Crawford, SF, 9%; Trea Turner, WSH, 6%
Keep an eye on the surging Crawford, who's now within roughly 46,000 votes of the dormant Seager (out since mid-May with a fractured right hand). The Dodgers are hopeful that Seager can return to action before the All-Star break, but Crawford's renaissance campaign could push him past his NL West rival before the finish line.
OUTFIELD
AL
1) Mike Trout, LAA, 14%
2) Aaron Judge, NYY, 10%
3) Byron Buxton, MIN, 7%
4) Adolis Garc¨ªa, TEX, 6%
5) Teoscar Hern¨¢ndez, TOR, 5%
6) Michael Brantley, HOU, 4%
7) Randal Grichuk, TOR, 4%
8) Alex Verdugo, BOS, 4%
9) Cedric Mullins, BAL, 4%
Next up: Randy Arozarena, TB, 4%; Kyle Tucker, HOU, 3%
While the top five remains unchanged from last week, Brantley has moved from ninth to sixth, and Mullins has knocked Arozarena out of the top nine. It could be a close race to the finish, as the two are separated by fewer than 8,000 votes.
NL
1) Ronald Acu?a Jr., ATL, 15%
2) Nick Castellanos, CIN, 11%
3) Jesse Winker, CIN, 9%
4) Mookie Betts, LAD, 8%
5) Chris Taylor, LAD, 4%
6) Juan Soto, WSH, 3%
7) Joc Pederson, CHC, 3%
8) Bryce Harper, PHI, 3%
9) Tyler O'Neill, STL, 3%
Next up: Jason Heyward, CHC, 2%; Ian Happ, CHC, 2%
Fans continue to make a strong statement in favor of Cincinnati's co-NL MVP Award candidates, Castellanos and Winker, while Taylor has just edged ahead of Soto in the fifth slot.
But the intrigue here lies in the battle for the final three spots. Roughly 61,000 votes separate Pederson in seventh place from Happ in 11th, setting up a tight five-way battle for only three spots. Pederson and O'Neill, one of 2021's best breakout stories, moved into the top nine since last week's update.
CATCHER
AL
1) Salvador Perez, KC, 42%
2) Yasmani Grandal, CWS, 10%
3) Mart¨ªn Maldonado, HOU, 9%
Next up: Christian V¨¢zquez, BOS, 6%; Kurt Suzuki, LAA, 6%
With 1,391,586 votes, Perez is now the No. 2 vote getter in the AL behind Guerrero, the overall MLB leader. The Royals' catcher has surpassed Trout since the last update. Maldonado, meanwhile, has extended his lead over Vazquez to more than 100,000 votes in the race for the No. 3 spot.
NL
1) Buster Posey, SF, 30%
2) Yadier Molina, STL, 16%
3) Willson Contreras, CHC, 13%
Next up: Will Smith, LAD, 11%, William Contreras, ATL, 5%
Death, taxes and Posey and Molina being the standard bearers for Senior Circuit catchers. Some things just never change. Both Contreras brothers still have a shot at the final qualifying spot, though it's more of a two-way battle between the elder Contreras and Smith, separated by about 73,000 votes.
DESIGNATED HITTER
1) Shohei Ohtani, LAA, 35%
2) J.D. Martinez, BOS, 16%
3) Yordan Alvarez, HOU, 11%
Next up: Yerm¨ªn Mercedes, CWS, 7%; Lourdes Gurriel Jr., TOR, 6%
The Ohtani train keeps on rolling. The Angels' two-way phenom has received the fifth-most votes in the AL behind Guerrero, Perez, Trout and Semien. Alvarez is running away with the No. 3 spot at DH, increasing his lead over Mercedes to roughly 130,000 votes.