Shohei Ohtani Is Leading All-Star Voting. So Is Yordan Alvarez. What That Tells Us About 2026 Baseball
The first MLB All-Star ballot update is out. Two players are running away with their leagues, and both are fully deserving.
Shohei Ohtani leads the National League in fan voting. Yordan Alvarez leads the American League. Together they represent the best of what baseball looks like in 2026, which is power-hitting, high-contact, generational sluggers carrying their respective teams toward October.
Ohtani’s numbers this year are insane even by his own standards. He is hitting .312 with 28 home runs, 64 RBIs, and a .992 OPS. Oh, and he is back on the mound. Ohtani has pitched 38 innings with a 2.45 ERA and 56 strikeouts. That is two seasons in one again, and somehow this version of him might be better than the MVP versions.
The Dodgers are 44-26 and leading the NL West. They are stacked. They are healthy. They are the team to beat in the National League. Ohtani is the engine of all of it.
Alvarez is a different kind of dominant. The Astros designated hitter is hitting .329 with 21 homers, 67 RBIs, and a major league leading 1.075 OPS. He has been the most consistent pure hitter in baseball since opening day. Houston was supposed to be in transition this year after losing Alex Bregman in free agency. Alvarez has refused to let the team slide.
The fan voting is interesting because it tells you who the casual baseball audience is paying attention to. Ohtani is a global icon. He is going to win every fan voting category he is eligible for, basically forever. The fact that he is doing it again as a two-way player makes the moment even more special.
Alvarez leading the AL is more surprising. Aaron Judge is having a great year for the Yankees. Bobby Witt Jr. is putting up MVP numbers for the Royals. Juan Soto is in New York with the Mets but does not qualify for the AL ballot. The fact that Alvarez is on top of the AL means the fans recognize the bat speed and consistency at a level that surprises even his own organization.
The starting lineup picture is starting to take shape. The NL outfield will likely feature Ohtani as the designated hitter, with Ronald Acuña Jr., Christian Yelich, and Mookie Betts in the starting nine. The AL will probably feature Alvarez at DH and a hotly contested outfield race between Judge, Witt, and Yankees rookie Jasson Domínguez.
The infield votes are also tight. Freddie Freeman leads at first base for the NL. Pete Alonso is making a late run. Bryce Harper is hurt and slipping out of the picture.
The pitching staffs will be announced separately, and that is where things get interesting. Tarik Skubal is the AL Cy Young favorite. Paul Skenes is the NL favorite. Spencer Strider would have been in the conversation before his elbow scare last week.
The All-Star Game itself is in Philadelphia on July 14. The Phillies are the host city for the first time since 1996, and the festivities should be spectacular. Bryce Harper will play. So will Ohtani. So will Alvarez. The Home Run Derby field is reportedly locked, with Aaron Judge, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. all confirmed.
This is shaping up as one of the best All-Star Games in years. Baseball needed a reset, and Ohtani and Alvarez are leading it.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
