Culver City Observer -

Phase 1 of the voting for this year's All-Star Game is in the home stretch, and Ronald Acuña Jr. (overall leader) and Shohei Ohtani remain the leading vote-getters in the National League and American League, respectively, in our second update of the 2023 Scotts MLB All-Star Ballot.

From now until Phase 1 ends at noon ET on Thursday, you can vote as many as five times per every 24-hour period exclusively at MLB.com, on all 30 MLB club sites and on the MLB app.

Your votes will help decide who will start the 2023 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard on July 11 at T-Mobile Field in Seattle. The leading vote-getter in each league will receive an automatic spot in their team's starting lineup. Beyond those two players, the top two vote-getters at every position, and the top six outfielders, will advance to Phase 2 of the voting, which begins on Monday. If an outfielder is a league's leading vote-getter, only the next four outfield finalists will move on to Phase 2 to determine who starts at the two remaining spots.

Here's a look at the current All-Star voting results, position by position, for the AL and NL.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

FIRST BASE

1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays: 1,195,052 votes

2. Yandy Díaz, Rays: 1,124,166

3. Anthony Rizzo, Yankees: 512,833

4. Nathaniel Lowe, Rangers: 386,023

5. Ty France, Mariners: 261,874

• Full results

The Rays haven't had a position player start the All-Star Game since Corey Dickerson in 2017, but Díaz is on track to advance to the next phase along with Guerrero, who is looking to nail down his third consecutive All-Star Game start.

SECOND BASE

1. Marcus Semien, Rangers: 1,414,056 votes

2. Whit Merrifield, Blue Jays: 715,967

3. Jose Altuve, Astros: 623,829

4. Brandon Drury, Angels: 324,489

5. Gleyber Torres, Yankees: 303,164

• Full results

Semien, one of several Rangers in the running to end the team's nine-game drought without an All-Star starter, still has a sizable lead here, but Merrifield and Altuve flipped spots since the first update. Merrifield made two All-Star teams with the Royals, but he's never started the Midsummer Classic. Altuve, meanwhile, has earned eight All-Star selections and four starts.

THIRD BASE

1. Matt Chapman, Blue Jays: 929,590 votes

2. Josh Jung, Rangers: 879,096

3. Rafael Devers, Red Sox: 444,689

4. José Ramírez, Guardians: 371,656

5. Alex Bregman, Astros: 337,895

• Full results

Looking to become the first Rangers rookie to start an All-Star Game since the franchise moved to Texas in 1972, Jung is less than 51,000 votes behind Chapman, who is in search of his first All-Star start and second selection overall. The last time someone other than Devers, Ramírez or Bregman started an All-Star Game at the hot corner for the AL was 2016 (Manny Machado).

Josh Jung's solo home run (15)

Jun 19, 2023 · 0:30

Josh Jung's solo home run (15)

SHORTSTOP

1. Bo Bichette, Blue Jays: 1,561,426 votes

2. Corey Seager, Rangers: 827,499

3. Wander Franco, Rays: 478,952

4. Jeremy Peña, Astros: 302,382

5. Zach Neto, Angels: 266,814

• Full results

Bichette extended his huge lead since the first update, while Seager put some more distance between himself and Franco. Bichette would be the first Blue Jays shortstop to start an All-Star Game in the franchise's history.

OUTFIELD

1. Aaron Judge, Yankees: 1,584,254 votes

2. Mike Trout, Angels: 1,174,001

3. Randy Arozarena, Rays: 1,116,525

4. Yordan Alvarez, Astros: 1,092,322

5. Kevin Kiermaier, Blue Jays: 712,166

6. George Springer, Blue Jays: 630,313

7. Adolis García, Rangers: 594,440

8. Masataka Yoshida, Red Sox: 547,576

9. Daulton Varsho, Blue Jays: 506,774

• Full results

Judge went on the injured list with a toe ailment between the first and second voting updates, but support for the reigning AL MVP hasn't wavered. He's the AL's second-leading vote-getter behind Ohtani. The race to round out the outfield group in Phase 2 could come down to the wire, with Kiermaier, Springer and García all separated by less than 118,000 votes.

CATCHER

1. Adley Rutschman, Orioles: 895,217 votes

2. Salvador Perez, Royals: 645,650

3. Jonah Heim, Rangers: 643,471

4. Alejandro Kirk, Blue Jays: 588,544

5. Martín Maldonado, Astros: 285,469

• Full results

Rutschman, who would be the Orioles' first All-Star starter at catcher since Terry Kennedy in 1987, has added to his lead since the first update, but the race for the second spot remains incredibly close. Perez, a seven-time All-Star and six-time All-Star starter behind the plate, has pulled ahead of Heim, but less than 3,000 votes separate the two. Kirk, the AL's starting catcher in 2022, is running close behind Perez and Heim.

DESIGNATED HITTER

1. Shohei Ohtani, Angels: 1,885,144 votes

2. Brandon Belt, Blue Jays: 497,887

3. Robbie Grossman, Rangers: 270,223

4. Harold Ramírez, Rays: 269,941

5. Corey Julks, Astros: 206,059

• Full results

The amazing Ohtani, who leads the Majors in homers, RBIs and OPS+, is on track to earn an automatic starting nod as the AL's leading vote-getter. It would be the two-way superstar's third straight start in the All-Star Game.

FIRST BASE

1. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers: 1,649,166 votes

2. Matt Olson, Braves: 638,984

3. Pete Alonso, Mets: 633,498

4. Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals: 330,767

5. Trey Mancini, Cubs: 159,312

• Full results

Freeman, who started three All-Star Games with the Braves, is MLB's third-leading vote-getter behind Acuña and Ohtani, earning more than 1 million votes more than the next-closest NL first baseman. Olson, Freeman's successor as Atlanta's starting first baseman, has moved ahead of Alonso since the first update, but the Polar Bear's surprisingly quick return from the injured list on Sunday could give him the momentum to take back the No. 2 spot.

SECOND BASE

1. Luis Arraez, Marlins: 1,056,439 votes

2. Ozzie Albies, Braves: 884,328

3. Nolan Gorman, Cardinals: 382,285

4. Miguel Vargas, Dodgers: 328,608

5. Thairo Estrada, Giants: 220,337

• Full results

Arraez's pursuit of a .400 batting average has captured the attention of fans everywhere, and the NL second-base voting reflects that, as he's opened up a lead of more than 172,000 over Albies. If Arraez is still in the lead after Phase 2, this would actually be the second straight year a Marlins second baseman won the fan vote. Jazz Chisholm Jr. did it last year, though an injury prevented him from playing in the game.

THIRD BASE

1. Nolan Arenado, Cardinals: 936,057 votes

2. Austin Riley, Braves: 832,996

3. Max Muncy, Dodgers: 629,180

4. J.D. Davis, Giants: 443,199

5. Manny Machado, Padres: 429,390

• Full results

Arenado, Riley and Muncy were all tightly bunched in the first voting update, but the first two have separated themselves a bit as we head toward the end of Phase 1. This would be the fifth career All-Star start for Arenado, while Riley is looking to earn his first starting nod.

THIRD BASE

1. Nolan Arenado, Cardinals: 936,057 votes

2. Austin Riley, Braves: 832,996

3. Max Muncy, Dodgers: 629,180

4. J.D. Davis, Giants: 443,199

5. Manny Machado, Padres: 429,390

• Full results

Arenado, Riley and Muncy were all tightly bunched in the first voting update, but the first two have separated themselves a bit as we head toward the end of Phase 1. This would be the fifth career All-Star start for Arenado, while Riley is looking to earn his first starting nod.

OUTFIELD

1. Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves: 2,201,468 votes

2. Mookie Betts, Dodgers: 1,411,557

3. Corbin Carroll, D-backs: 673,880

4. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., D-backs: 672,779

5. Juan Soto, Padres: 600,962

6. Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres: 495,231

7. Michael Harris II, Braves: 493,282

8. Nick Castellanos, Phillies: 452,508

9. Marcell Ozuna, Braves: 426,991

• Full results

Acuña, who just became the first player in AL/NL history to produce 15-plus homers and 30-plus steals in his team's first 70 games of a season, is MLB's leading vote-getter by more than 316,000 votes. He's on track to earn the automatic starting nod in the NL after Phase 1, which would mean only four NL outfielders would advance to Phase 2 to determine the final two starting spots. Carroll, Arizona's rookie star, has surged into the third spot behind Acuña and Betts. He's now ahead of his teammate, Gurriel, as well as a pair of Padres superstars, Soto and Tatis.

CATCHER

1. Sean Murphy, Braves: 1,320,838 votes

2. Will Smith, Dodgers: 836,754

3. J.T. Realmuto, Phillies: 352,806

4. Francisco Álvarez, Mets: 335,043

5. Elias Díaz, Rockies: 305,304

• Full results

The 28-year-old Murphy is one of six Braves either currently leading their positions or positioned to advance to Phase 2. Realmuto has jumped from fifth to third since the first update, but he's still more than 480,000 votes behind Smith, who hasn't made an All-Star team yet despite consistently ranking among the best hitting backstops since his 2019 debut.

DESIGNATED HITTER

1. J.D. Martinez, Dodgers: 879,474 votes

2. Bryce Harper, Phillies: 722,285

3. Travis d'Arnaud, Braves: 568,343

4. Jorge Soler, Marlins: 339,478

5. Christopher Morel, Cubs: 219,941

• Full results

With Harper still rounding into form after missing the first 30 games of the season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, the resurgent Martinez now has a lead of more than 157,000 votes. This would be the sixth All-Star nod and third career start for the veteran slugger.