Early returns are in, and All-Star voting is not going Mariners’ way
Major League Baseball released its first voting update for the starting lineups for the 2023 All-Star Game that will be held at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park.
As expected, Angels two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani is the American League’s leading vote-getter as a designated hitter at 924,182, but Braves superstar outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. leads all of baseball with 1,086,537 votes.
Acuna is seeking his fourth career All-Star starting assignment and was the leading vote-getter for the National League the previous two seasons. He would be the fourth Braves player to be voted in for four All-Star Games, joining Hank Aaron (5), Dale Murphy (5) and Chipper Jones (4).
Ohtani is vying for his third consecutive fan-elected start as the DH, which would tie him with Hall of Famer David Ortiz.
The Mariners’ highest vote-getter is outfielder Julio Rodriguez, who has generated 221,092 votes and ranks ninth among AL outfielders. Jarred Kelenic is 15th with 153,175 votes. Aaron Judge leads AL outfielders with 844,965 votes.
Ty France ranks fifth among AL first baseman with 132,393 votes. Catcher Cal Raleigh and second baseman Jose Caballero rank sixth at their positions, while Eugenio Suarez is seventh among third baseman.
The first phase of voting started on May 31 and runs until 9 a.m. PDT on June 22. During this period, fans can submit up to five ballots per 24-hour period exclusively online at MLB.com or any of the team websites, or through mobile devices using the MLB app and MLB Ballpark app.
Following the June 22 deadline, the two top vote-getters at each position (top six for outfielders) in each league will be revealed on a broadcast on MLB Network at 2 p.m. The top overall vote-getter in each league will automatically be locked into the starting lineup and will not be a part of the second phase of voting.
The remaining position finalists will advance to the second phase to determine the starters. That voting period will begin June 26 at 9 a.m. and end at 9 a.m. on June 29. ESPN will announce voting results and the starters at 4 p.m. that day.
During the second phase of voting, all previous totals for the remaining players will reset. Fans will be able to vote once per 24-hour period on all MLB platforms.
Once the starters are set, the remainder of the roster – 23 reserves, including pitchers – will be chosen by the players’ vote and the office of Commissioner Rob Manfred, with All-Star managers Dusty Baker (AL) and Rob Thomson (NL) also providing input. The final rosters will be announced on July 2 on ESPN at 2:30 p.m.