CLEVELAND — The first round of voting for this year's Major League Baseball All-Star Game has concluded, and a pair of Guardians stalwarts still have a chance to be named starters for the Midsummer Classic.
José Ramírez finished in the top two among American League third baseman, while fans also placed Steven Kwan top five among outfielders in the senior circuit. Both now advance to the second phase of balloting, where the top vote-getters at each position in the American and National Leagues will earn a spot in the starting lineup on July 16 in Arlington, Texas.
Already a five-time All-Star in his career, Ramírez led at third base for the entirety of phase 1 on the strength of his 21 homers, 72 RBIs, 61 runs scored, and 15 stolen bases. However, the 31-year-old has not grabbed the starting nod at the hot corner since 2018, and this time will go one-on-one with the Baltimore Orioles Jordan Westburg for the coveted honor.
Normally, the outfield would see six finalists competing for three starting spots, but since New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge led all players with 3.4 million votes, he automatically bypasses the second round and will head to the starting nine. That means only four competitors will advance to phase 2, and the group includes Kwan, currently leading all of baseball with a .377 average and posting a .988 OPS.
A two-time Gold Glove-winning left fielder, Kwan has yet to make the All-Star game during his three-year career. The other AL outfield finalists vying for the two remaining spots are:
- Juan Soto - New York Yankees
- Anthony Santander - Baltimore Orioles
- Kyle Tucker - Houston Astros
Among other Cleveland players, one notable snub was Josh Naylor, who leads all Al first baseman in home runs, RBIs, and OPS but was a distant third at the position. David Fry was also in the running at designated hitter, but came up short.
Phase 2 of the All-Star balloting begins at noon this Sunday and concludes at noon on Wednesday, with the starters being revealed that evening. Reserve position players along with pitchers — chosen by both players in the league as well as the commissioner's office — will be named later in the week. Fans will be able to make their picks at MLB.com/vote.
The full list of All-Star finalists is as follows:
AMERICAN LEAGUE
CATCHER
- Adley Rutschman - Baltimore Orioles
- Salvador Perez - Kansas City Royals
FIRST BASE
- Ryan Mountcastle - Baltimore Orioles
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - Toronto Blue Jays
SECOND BASE
- Jose Altuve - Houston Astros
- Marcus Semien - Texas Rangers
THIRD BASE
- José Ramírez - Cleveland Guardians
- Jordan Westburg - Baltimore Orioles
SHORTSTOP
- Gunnar Henderson - Baltimore Orioles
- Bobby Witt Jr. - Kansas City Royals
OUTFIELD
- Aaron Judge - New York Yankees (already named starter as AL's top vote-getter)
- Juan Soto - New York Yankees
- Steven Kwan - Cleveland Guardians
- Anthony Santander - Baltimore Orioles
- Kyle Tucker - Houston Astros
DESIGNATED HITTER
- Yordan Alvarez - Houston Astros
- Ryan O'Hearn - Baltimore Orioles
NATIONAL LEAGUE
CATCHER
- William Contreras - Milwaukee Brewers
- J.T. Realmuto - Philadelphia Phillies
FIRST BASE
- Bryce Harper - Philadelphia Phillies (already named starter as NL's top vote-getter)
SECOND BASE
- Ketel Marte - Arizona Diamondbacks
- Luis Arraez - San Diego Padres
THIRD BASE
- Alec Bohm - Philadelphia Phillies
- Manny Machado - San Diego Padres
SHORTSTOP
- Mookie Betts - Los Angeles Dodgers
- Trea Turner - Philadelphia Phillies
OUTFIELD
- Jurickson Profar - San Diego Padres
- Christian Yelich - Milwaukee Brewers
- Teoscar Hernández - Los Angeles Dodgers
- Fernando Tatis Jr. - San Diego Padres
- Brandon Marsh - Philadelphia Phillies
- Nick Castellanos - Philadelphia Phillies
DESIGNATED HITTER
- Shohei Ohtani - Los Angeles Dodgers
- Kyle Schwarber - Philadelphia Phillies