Earlier this afternoon, MLB released its second All-Star balloting update. The Yankees are well-represented, with Aaron Judge, Ben Rice, and Cody Bellinger all in position to advance in the voting.
As a refresher, MLB uses a (semi-convoluted) multi-phase system for its All-Star ballots. We’re currently in Phase 1, which will end on Thursday. At the conclusion of Phase 1, the top vote-getter in each league will automatically earn a starting spot in the All-Star Game. Then, the top two (top six for outfielders) finishers at every other position advance to a run-off stage in Phase 2.
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Judge leads all Yankees and all outfielders with 1,788,499 votes, pulling ahead of Mike Trout by just about 50,000 votes. Despite the right rib fracture that’s kept him out the last three weeks, Judge looks likely to make the team. However, he isn’t the top overall vote-getter in the American League at the moment, thanks to a surprise surge from Ernie Clement of all people. The Toronto second baseman paces the Junior Circuit with 2,054,130 votes.
Rice is second in voting at first base, a bit of a travesty given the middling year that the leader, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., has put together so far. The Yankee first baseman’s 174 OPS+ dwarfs Guerrero’s 101 figure, but Guerrero now leads by about half a million votes. No matter, Rice should advance comfortably to the runoff stage with a chance to make his first All-Star team.
Also polling well is Bellinger, who clocks in with 1,067,622 votes, fourth among outfielders behind Judge, Trout, and Byron Buxton. Remarkably, the 2019 NL MVP has not made an All-Star team since securing that MVP award, but he has a great shot at breaking the streak this year. Bellinger has been excellent in every phase of the game for the Yankees, and his 3.8 rWAR is actually tops among AL outfielders.
In the running at second base is Jazz Chisholm Jr., though he is far back of the leader Clement. Chisholm stands in fourth with 419,777 votes, about 100,000 votes behind the second-place second baseman, Ezequiel Duran, so he has his work cut out for him if he wants to advance to Phase 2.
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Outside of Judge, Rice, Bellinger, and Chisholm, no other Yankee hitter is really within striking distance in the voting. The team will surely also send a pitcher or two to the All-Star Game, but the pitchers that make the roster are not chosen by fan vote. You can find full details on the voting thus far, as well as results for the National League, here.
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