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by Julian Spivey The Major League Baseball All-Star ballot is out for fans of the game to vote either for who they think is most deserving of a spot (my preferred way of doing it) or their favorite players into the midsummer classic, which will be held at Atlanta’s Truist Park on Tuesday, July 15. The MLB All-Star ballot is done in segments. The first phase includes a player at each position from each of the league’s 30 teams. This phase, currently underway, runs from June 4 to 26. The top two players at each position (six for outfield) are then taken to phase two of the voting, where the recipient of the most votes gets the starting nod in the All-Star Game. Since the league began this process, I’ve enjoyed doing this yearly piece where I look at the ballot and select which players I believe to be the most deserving of the spot solely based on the information given on the ballot: batting average, home runs, RBI and OPS. *All statistics in this article are as of June 11. First Base: Jonathan Aranda (Rays) & Pete Alonso (Mets) Perhaps the biggest surprise on either side of my ballot this season has been Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda. He’s hitting .314 with seven home runs, 36 RBI and an OPS of .878. My only fear with Aranda’s All-Star case is that he’s not a household name, even potentially among veteran baseball fans, to make the cut phase one of the ballot. The decision on who to take on the N.L. side of the ballot on first base was the hardest of any spot on the ballot for me. I had to choose between Pete Alonso of the New York Mets and Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Their numbers are close. Freeman has a higher batting average (by a good margin) and higher OPS, but Alonso’s power numbers are considerably higher, with eight more home runs and more than 20-plus RBI. This could be a good ballot fight to watch. Second Base: Gleyber Torres (Tigers) & Ketel Marte (Diamondbacks) I mentioned Aranda was the biggest surprise on either side of my ballot, but honestly, Gleyber Torres of the Detroit Tigers has a case for that, too. Torres was supposed to be a star with the New York Yankees, and it never panned out, but he’s putting up star numbers for the best team in baseball so far this season, the surprise Tigers. Torres is hitting .272 with five home runs, 30 RBI and a .770 OPS. Much like with Aranda, I wonder if Torres will have the chance at unseating a more famous second baseman like Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros for the spot. Second base isn’t close at all in the N.L., the spot should go to Arizona Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte, who is hitting .297 with 12 home runs, 22 RBI and an OPS of 1.003 (only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani on my ballot have a higher one). Marte did miss some time this season due to injury, which might lead to some leaving him off their ballot. Third Base: Jose Ramirez (Guardians) & Manny Machado (Padres) There’s no doubt my picks for the hot corner are high-profile MLB superstars, even if I still consider Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Guardians to be maybe the most underrated star in the league. Ramirez is hitting .331 with a dozen homers, 33 RBI and a .938 OPS. He does have intense competition from Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman for the spot. Machado has a fairly good hold on the N.L. spot as far as stats go. He is hitting .320 with 10 home runs, 39 RBI and an .891 OPS. His biggest threat could be the hometown Atlanta Braves fans trying to vote Austin Riley into the start at his home ballpark. Shortstop: Jacob Wilson (Athletics) & Francisco Lindor (Mets) OK, so maybe there’s a handful of ballot surprises in the American League … Sacramento Athletics (I don’t care what the league and franchise say, they play in Sacramento) rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson has taken the game by storm this season with a .366 average, eight homers, 38 RBI and a .922 OPS. I hope that lack of name recognition and playing for the A’s doesn’t affect his chances. Francisco Lindor of the Mets is no stranger to playing in the midsummer classic, and the veteran is making a great case for another appearance with a .282 average, 14 home runs, 38 RBI and .836 OPS. Catcher: Cal Raleigh (Mariners) & Will Smith (Dodgers) What has gotten into Seattle Mariners backstop Cal Raleigh this season? His 26 home runs lead the league (his career high is 34). He’s on pace to smash Salvador Perez’s record for most homers in a season by a catcher (48). Raleigh is hitting .265 with 53 RBI and a 1.001 OPS. Will Smith is looking to make his third consecutive All-Star appearance for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He’s hitting .324 with six homers, 37 RBI and a .930 OPS. Outfield: Aaron Judge (Yankees), Riley Greene (Tigers), Byron Buxton (Twins) & Corbin Carroll (Diamondbacks), Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs), Kyle Tucker (Cubs) Aaron Judge is the best player in Major League Baseball right now, and it’s not particularly close. He’s hitting almost .400 at the 1/3 mark of the season, and his power numbers are through the roof, as usual. Cal Raleigh seems to be his only threat at winning the A.L. Triple Crown this season, and I’d have to think Judge will ultimately surpass Raleigh in homers. Judge is putting up one of the greatest seasons in MLB history. The other A.L. outfielders I’ve chosen are Riley Greene, from the league’s top team, the Tigers, and Byron Buxton, who is living up to expectations after years of injury issues. Greene is hitting .279 with 13 home runs, 44 RBI and a .819 OPS. Buxton is hitting .279 with 11 homers, 41 RBI and a .857 OPS. A couple of Chicago Cubs outfielders are having great seasons: youngster Pete Crow-Armstrong and veteran Kyle Tucker, whom the team acquired from the Houston Astros in the offseason. Crow-Armstrong is hitting .271 with 17 home runs, 55 RBI and a .850 OPS. Tucker is hitting .274 with 13 homers, 43 RBI and a .895 OPS. Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks is having a great start to his season with a .260 average, 19 home runs, 43 RBI and a .915 OPS. Designated Hitter: Rafael Devers (Red Sox) & Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) There was a lot of attention given to the fact that the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman in the offseason, and Rafael Devers wasn’t happy about being moved out of his third base position to be the team’s designated hitter. Devers even began the season in a remarkable slump. Now he’s the hottest hitting D.H. in the A.L. and could wind up starting the midsummer classic alongside Bregman in the A.L. lineup. Devers is hitting .276 with 14 home runs, 57 RBI and a .911 OPS. As long as Shohei Ohtani is in baseball, he probably has a lock on the designated hitter spot in the All-Star game for whatever league he’s playing for – even in a season like this one, where a fellow D.H. like Kyle Schwarber for the Philadelphia Phillies is putting up huge power numbers. Ohtani is hitting .290 with a N.L.-leading 23 home runs, 39 RBI, and a 1.008 OPS. 
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