ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 04: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels laughs as he heads to first base after he is hit by a pitch during the seventh inning against the Oakland Athletics at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 04, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
As should surprise no one, the best player in baseball is the fans’ first choice for the 2019 MLB All-Star Game among American League players at the first ballot update.
Major League Baseball released the first ballot update on Monday, June 10 and Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout is leading all American League players with nods from fans approaching a million at the early juncture.
Trout had 951,002 votes at the time of the release. If he sticks in the top three of the AL outfield vote, he would become the first Angels player to be voted as a starter by fans to seven All-Star teams. Trout would also become the 11th player in MLB history to be voted to at least seven All-Star teams as a starter with the same club. His lead over the field in the outfield is substantial already, so expect Trout to reach those milestones this year.
The Rest of the Field for the Position Players
Houston Astros outfielder George Springer is second with 776,352 votes and the Tampa Bay Rays’ Austin Meadows is currently slotted third in the AL outfield with 468,111 votes. Meadows doesn’t have much of a cushion, however. Houston’s Michael Brantley is less than 10,000 behind him at 458,577 and the reigning AL Most Valuable Player Mookie Betts is right behind at 450,407. Other outfielders in the race are the Minnesota Twins’ Eddie Rosario (344,215), Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees (308,134), Joey Gallo of the Texas Rangers (281,179) and the Astros’ Josh Reddick (220,079).
Among the infield positions, there could be some brand new faces on the roster this year. At second base Trout’s teammate Tommy La Stella (487,598) leads Houston’s Jose Altuve (448,131) and DJ LeMahieu of the Yankees (379,820). Among shortstops, the Twins’ Jorge Polanco (395,210) is leading Carlos Correa of the Astros (329,421) and Gleyber Torres of the Yankees (322,958). At first base, New York’s Luke Voit (393,356) is ahead of Minnesota’s C.J. Cron (302,586) and José Abreu of the White Sox (286,145).
The leaders at the other infield positions who are former All-Stars are catcher Gary Sánchez of the Yankees (737,107), third baseman Alex Bregman of the Astros (630,159) and designated hitter J.D. Martinez of the Boston Red Sox (491,955). Sánchez currently outpaces James McCann of the White Sox (289,475) and Jason Castro of the Twins (199,497). Bregman, who is bidding for his first fan election, ranks ahead of Gio Urshela of the Yankees (269,716) and Hunter Dozier of the Kansas City Royals (216,809). Martinez, who was chosen by fans as the designated hitter last year, is holding on against Hunter Pence of the Texas Rangers (329,321) and Nelson Cruz of the Twins (21,702).
How to Vote, When Voting Windows Close
The voting period for “The Primary” concludes at 4:00 p.m. ET on Friday, June 21. Later that evening the top three vote-getters at each infield position and the top nine outfielders in each league will be revealed on MLB Network. They will move on to the second phase of voting. During the initial voting period, fans can submit up to five ballots per 24-hour period on MLB platforms, and can vote for every position, or up to 17 unique players per day on Google.
“The Starters Election” will begin at 12:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, June 26. Vote totals will reset, meaning vote totals from “The Primary” do not carry over. Fans will vote among the finalists at each position during a 28-hour window that concludes at 4:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 27. The results of “The Starters Election” will be announced at 7:00 p.m. ET that night on ESPN. During this second phase of voting, fans can vote once on MLB platforms and submit up to 17 unique player votes on Google. The winner at each position, including three outfielders per league, will be named a starting position player for the 2019 Midsummer Classic.