Voting is underway for Phase 2 of the 2022 Chevrolet MLB All-Star Ballot to determine the starters for the 2022 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard.
The Phase 1 results were revealed Thursday on MLB Network. The leading vote-getter in each league — Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge in the American League and Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. in the National League — received a spot in his team’s starting lineup at the 92nd Midsummer Classic at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on July 19.
Meanwhile, the next four outfielders (in terms of vote tallies) in each league and the top two vote getters at every other position, including designated hitter, have moved on to Phase 2, which will continue until Friday at 2 p.m. ET, leading up to the 2022 Chevrolet MLB All-Star Starters Reveal show that night on ESPN at 7 ET.
During this period, fans can vote once a day for whom they want to see in the Midsummer Classic, and vote totals from Phase 1 don’t carry over.
The Blue Jays lead the way with six finalists advancing to Phase 2, followed by the Braves with five finalists in addition to Acuña.
The pitchers and reserves for both squads — totaling 23 players for each side — will be determined via “Player Ballot” choices and selections made by the Commissioner’s Office. The complete All-Star rosters will be announced during the 2022 Chevrolet MLB All-Star Selection Show on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Here are the MLB All-Star Ballot finalists (stats as of June 30, when Phase 1 voting ended):
One of an MLB-leading seven Blue Jays to make it to Phase 2, Kirk has posted a .320/.413/.519 slash with 10 homers and more walks (30) than strikeouts (23) this season. The 23-year-old also has shown excellent pitch-framing skills, ranking third in called-strike rate on borderline pitches, a category in which Trevino leads the Majors. The Yankees were planning to go into this season with Kyle Higashioka and Ben Rortvedt as their two catchers, but after Rortvedt strained his oblique, New York acquired Trevino from the Rangers on April 2, and he’s turned into a valuable contributor for the club with MLB’s best record. Trevino’s defense has always been his calling card, but the 29-year-old has made a difference with the bat this season, too, hitting .271 with a career-high six homers and a .771 OPS.
Guerrero not only started at first base for the AL in last year’s Midsummer Classic, he also won the All-Star Game MVP Award amid a spectacular breakout season. The 23-year-old is on pace to get close to the 40-homer mark again in 2022. He’s up against France, who has hit .316 with 10 homers and an .867 OPS but is sidelined by a flexor strain in his left elbow. The Mariners first baseman is seeking his first All-Star nod.
Altuve is a seven-time All-Star and four-time starter, but he hasn’t appeared in the starting lineup for the AL since 2018. The 32-year-old’s 150 OPS+ this season is his best mark since he put up a 160 OPS+ during his AL MVP Award-winning 2017 campaign. Espinal, who ranks among the second-base leaders in outs above average and has hit .268 with five homers on the year, earned the other finalist spot at the keystone for the AL.
The starting spot at the hot corner on the AL squad will be decided via a heavyweight fight between two of the game’s best hitters. In one corner is Ramírez, who leads the AL in RBIs (63) and has hit .297 with 16 homers and a 178 OPS+. In the other is Devers, who owns a .328 average and a 168 OPS+ with 17 dingers. J-Ram has started the All-Star Game twice before, in 2017 and 2018, but Devers is the incumbent.
After earning his first All-Star selection last year, Bichette will now try to lock down his first start. His production has started to pick up after a slow start, as he’s recorded nine homers, 27 RBIs and an .806 OPS across his past 39 games. The 24-year-old is up against Anderson, who edged out last year’s starting AL shortstop, Xander Bogaerts, for the other finalist spot. The 2019 AL batting champion is in the mix for another crown, hitting .340 with five homers, 10 steals and a 139 OPS+. Like Bichette, Anderson made the All-Star team for the first time in 2021.
With Judge earning the right to bypass Phase 2 and enter the AL’s starting lineup by virtue of his league-leading vote total, the final two outfield spots in the AL will come down to these four. Trout, Springer and Stanton are All-Star Game veterans, having combined for 16 selections — nine by Trout, three by Springer and four by Stanton. Gurriel, meanwhile, is looking to make the All-Star team for the first time.
The MLB leader in slugging (.658) and OPS (1.070), Alvarez won the 2019 AL Rookie of the Year Award but has never made an All-Star team. The 25-year-old, who is being evaluated for a concussion after a scary collision with shortstop Jeremy Peña on Wednesday, would be the second youngest player in All-Star Game history to start at DH, after Stanton in 2014. That is, if he can get past the reigning AL MVP. Ohtani has been outstanding in June, putting up six homers, 17 RBIs and a .973 OPS at the plate and a 1.52 ERA, 38 K’s and seven walks on the mound.
Contreras, the NL’s starting catcher in both 2018 and 2019, is having a career-best season with free agency looming this winter. The Cubs backstop owns a personal-high 154 OPS+ and leads all catchers with 13 homers. d’Arnaud isn’t far behind with 11 dingers, and he’s improved upon his 2021 OPS (.671) by 151 points this year, putting himself in position to make his first All-Star team.
Goldschmidt made the NL All-Star team in six straight seasons from 2013-18 and started three times in that span (once as the NL’s DH after making the team as a reserve), but this would be his first selection in four seasons with the Cardinals. The 34-year-old leads MLB in batting average (.342) and on-base percentage (.424) and the NL in slugging (.630) and OPS (1.054). He has some strong competition for this starting spot, though, as Alonso is tied for the NL lead in homers (22) and has more RBIs (69) than anyone in the Majors.
In their history, only four Marlins players have started the All-Star Game: Hanley Ramirez (three times), Giancarlo Stanton (twice), Marcell Ozuna (twice) and Gary Sheffield (once). With Albies on the 60-day injured list after fracturing his left foot in mid-June, Chisholm has a good chance to become the fifth, though he went on the IL himself due to a right lower back strain on Wednesday. The 24-year-old Chisholm recorded 14 homers, 12 steals and a 139 OPS+ before his injury.
Phase 2 of the All-Star voting will see two of the best of their generation go head to head to decide the starting third baseman in the NL. Machado and Arenado have made 11 All-Star teams and won 11 Gold Glove Awards combined, and both are having excellent seasons for postseason contenders in 2022.
Before they both enter the free-agent market this offseason, Turner and Swanson will square off to decide the starting shortstop in the NL. The two are having remarkably similar seasons — Turner has hit .309 with 11 homers, 15 steals and an .849 OPS, while Swanson has put up a .295 batting average, 13 homers, 11 steals and an .844 OPS.
Currently on the IL with a right rib fracture, Betts was the leading NL vote getter after the first and second Phase 1 updates, but he ultimately relinquished that spot to Acuña. As a result, he’ll have to compete with Pederson, Marte and Duvall to grab one of the final two outfield spots in the NL’s starting lineup. Betts’ five career All-Star selections are two more than Pederson, Marte and Duvall combined. Betts has started the Midsummer Classic three times, all during his time with the Red Sox.
Relegated to DH duty for much of the year due to a torn UCL in his right elbow, Harper has put up similar offensive numbers to his NL MVP Award-winning season a year ago. However, he’s out indefinitely after suffering a fractured left thumb on a hit-by-pitch, which could open the door for Contreras to earn the starting DH spot for the NL. The 24-year-old has socked nine homers and produced an .899 OPS this season while splitting time between DH and catcher for Atlanta. If both Contreras brothers end up on the NL squad, they’d be the first pair of brothers to make the All-Star team in the same year since Bret and Aaron Boone in 2003, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The last brothers to start an All-Star Game the same year? Sandy Alomar Jr. and Roberto Alomar in 1992.
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