Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies have been chosen as the starters for the upcoming All-Star Game on July 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Judge received the most votes in the initial round of fan balloting with 3,425,309 votes, making this his sixth American League start in seven All-Star games. Harper led the National League with 3,277,920 votes and will be making his eighth All-Star appearance, seventh as a starter.
This year, a new rule was implemented where the player with the most votes in each league during the first phase of online voting automatically earns a starting spot. The remaining positions are determined in the second phase of voting. Fans were able to vote once every 24 hours, and the first phase ended on Thursday, with the second phase running from June 5 to June 30.
The rest of the starting lineup will be announced on June 30, while pitchers and reserves will be revealed on July 7. Six players from both the Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies advanced to the second phase of voting, showing strong fan support for these teams.
In the final days of the initial voting period, Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies surpassed Marcell Ozuna of the Braves for the second spot among NL designated hitters. In the American League, Ryan O’Hearn of the Orioles moved ahead of Giancarlo Stanton of the Yankees for the second spot among designated hitters.
The finalists for the American League include Salvador Perez and Adley Rutschman at catcher, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Ryan Mountcastle at first base, Jose Altuve and Marcus Semien at second base, José Ramírez and Jordan Westburg at third base, Gunnar Henderson and Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop, Steven Kwan, Anthony Santander, Juan Soto, and Kyle Tucker in the outfield, and Yordan Alvarez and Ryan O’Hearn as designated hitters.
For the National League, the finalists are William Contreras and J.T. Realmuto at catcher, Luis Arraez and Ketel Marte at second base, Alec Bohm and Manny Machado at third base, Mookie Betts and Trea Turner at shortstop, Nick Castellanos, Teoscar Hernández, Brandon Marsh, Jurickson Profar, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Christian Yelich in the outfield, and Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Schwarber as designated hitters.
It will be exciting to see these players take the field for the All-Star Game and showcase their skills on a national stage. Stay tuned for more updates on the All-Star Game as the event approaches.