If there was ever a doubt who the biggest star in baseball is, the All-Star game fan voting revealed that. MLB released its first update on the voting, with Dodgers’ two-way star Shohei Ohtani receiving 1.1 million votes, leading all players.
It makes sense for Ohtani to lead the fan voting. He’s the best player in MLB, being both a frontline starting pitcher and an elite hitter at the same time. His two-way excellence has helped make the Dodgers one of baseball’s top clubs and a favorite to win their third straight World Series championship.
Ohtani leads Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin by about 140K votes among NL players at the first update. The player who gets the most votes in each league is automatically added to the roster on June 25.
Why Shohei Ohtani Leads MLB in All-Star Voting
Even though Shohei Ohtani will likely get the automatic bid for the National League, it won’t be without merit. He’s both one of the game’s most exciting hitters and pitchers in the game. He leads all MLB players in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) at 5.6 bWAR and 5.1 fWAR.
The 31-year-old might be having the best season of his career. As a hitter, he’s slashing .302/.427/.508 with 14 home runs and a 168 wRC+. That mark ranks third among all MLB hitters.
As a pitcher, he’s 6-2 with a 1.06 ERA in 11 starts. While his strikeout rate is down compared to years past, at 27.9%, he’s still limiting loud contact with a very deep arsenal of pitches. He’s averaging more than six innings per start.
While he has the MVP award on lockdown, the bigger debate is whether the two-way star can win a Cy Young Award. He has a lower ERA than Jacob Misiorowski and Cristopher Sanchez, his two primary competitors for the award. However, peripherals tend to favor the other two pitchers, especially Misiorowski.
For Ohtani to have the best chance of factoring into the Cy Young award, he’ll need to qualify for the ERA title. He’s on track to do so if he can maintain his six innings per start average, since the threshold is one inning per game. The lowest innings total for a Cy Young winner was Corbin Burnes’ 167 in 2021, in a year where three pitchers split the first-place votes.
How Other Dodgers are Faring in Fan Voting
Shohei Ohtani isn’t the only Dodger who could start the All-Star game. Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, and Andy Pages are leading at first base, third base, and the outfield. That means Los Angeles could have four players in the National League starting lineup.
Here are their current vote totals:
- Max Muncy: 941,218
- Freddie Freeman: 870,606
- Andy Pages: 800,496
That speaks well about the Dodgers’ season to have potentially four National League starters at the All-Star game. They are currently 45-27 and looking to get a first-round bye in the NL postseason.
In addition, the Dodgers coaching staff will be at the All-Star Game. Former Dodgers manager Don Mattingly (2011-2015), who is now the Philadelphia Phillies‘ manager, will join manager Dave Roberts’ staff for the game as well.
It’s also fitting for the event that the Dodgers have a heavy All-Star presence. Los Angeles eliminated the Philadelphia Phillies, the All-Star game’s host team, in the NLDS last postseason.
Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Proves He’s Baseball’s Biggest Star in All-Star Voting