MLB released the first All-Star ballot update on Monday and there’s one shocking Cubs player that is currently in position to make the team for the National League.
Star outfielders Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker are the top-two vote getters at their position with PCA way ahead of the pack after the first phase of voting.
Via MLB.com.
Outfield
1. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs: 1,126,119
2. Kyle Tucker, Cubs: 704,740
3. Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers: 685,553
4. Juan Soto, Mets: 625,618
5. Corbin Carroll, D-backs: 597,805
6. Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves: 596,363
7. Andy Pages, Dodgers: 449,707
8. Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres: 434,955
9. James Wood, Nationals: 383,294
Here’s the shocking development though as veteran Cubs catcher Carson Kelly has received the second-most votes from fans for a spot on the NL All-Star team. Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers is the clear starter at catcher for the National League in the upcoming midsummer classic, but Kelly has surprisingly surged into second place.
Kelly has more than 100,000 votes than Francisco Alvarez of the New York Mets to this point of the All-Star voting process.
Catcher
1. Will Smith, Dodgers: 1,124,629
2. Carson Kelly, Cubs: 408,081
3. Francisco Alvarez, Mets: 274,191
4. J.T. Realmuto, Phillies: 249,476
5. Hunter Goodman, Rockies: 247,914
Kelly certainly played like an All-Star through the first week of May, posting a 1.261 OPS in 86 plate appearances to begin the regular season. The 30-year-old was on a rampage, slashing .348/.488/.773, with eight home runs and 23 RBI.
He was splitting time behind the plate with Miguel Amaya, but Kelly was such a threat that he was also getting starts in the middle of the lineup as the designated hitter against left-handed pitching. It’s gone downhill for Kelly since May 9, though. The right-handed hitting catcher is only hitting .156/.226/.221, in his last 84 plate appearances.
Through 44 games so far in 2025, Kelly has a slash line of .245/.359/.476, which is still pretty damn good. But again, most of that production came in April. The catcher who should probably be getting more votes from fans is Hunter Goodman. He has 13 home runs and 37 RBI with the Colorado Rockies this season.
And that’s only based on overall offensive numbers because if you look at the leaderboard in the NL you’ll see that Gabriel Moreno of the Arizona Diamondbacks has a 2.0 fWAR, which only trails Smith for the best mark among catchers.
It’s completely understandable why Kelly did get so many votes though. The All-Star voting began on June 4, and at that time Kelly had the second-best offensive numbers at the position. But that’s why the voting keeps going. He does have a sizable lead for the backup catcher spot on the All-Star squad, and we’ll see if fans become more aware of Kelly’s recent struggles and start voting for other catchers instead.
Fan voting for the MLB All-Star Game ends at noon on June 26.
There are also three other Cubs players in third place at their respective position after the first phase of voting.
First Base
1. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers: 1,136,389
2. Pete Alonso, Mets: 895,900
3. Michael Busch, Cubs: 286,931
Second Base
1. Ketel Marte, D-backs: 850,572
2. Tommy Edman, Dodgers: 510,451
3. Nico Hoerner, Cubs: 354,745
Designated Hitter
1. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers: 1,398,771
2. Rafael Devers, Giants: 796,382
3. Seiya Suzuki, Cubs: 358,138
The second base voting is crazy. Tommy Edman second? Brendan Donovan is clearly the deserving starter right now and he’s currently in fourth place among the fan vote. Also, that trade between the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants may end up costing Seiya Suzuki an All-Star bid because Rafael Devers has switched over to the NL.
You can cast your votes here.
