2023 MLB All-Star Ballot, Phase 1: Who Deserves It?

All-Star season is upon us, and that means it's time to draw up your ballot. Phase 1 runs until June 22, your best opportunity to vote your favorite players into the next round; it only includes position players, apparently. So, without further ado, here's my All-Star ballot so far.

American League

Yandy Diaz, 1B, TB

Hard to justify voting for anyone else here. Diaz and the Rays are on another planet. A .310 average and .990 OPS are pretty telling, and yet Diaz somehow remains underrated.

Marcus Semien, 2B, TEX

Second base is somewhat weak in the AL this year, but Semien is having a solid season, with a 134 OPS+ and a .293 average. Altuve would be in contention if he wasn't injured for so long, and if I liked him, which I do not.

Matt Chapman, 3B, TOR

This one is a bit tighter, with breakout Ranger Josh Jung solidly in the running. Hitting stats for both are close, but Chapman edges him out in OPS+ and overall WAR; his defensive pedigree earns him my vote.

Wander Franco, SS, TB

Another Ray in a loaded AL shortstop class. Corey Seager and Bo Bichette could both get the nod here, but I'll throw my support behind Franco, whose defense is better as measured by runs saved per game (admittedly a rather skewed statistic, but we're really just splitting hairs at this point). Seager is certainly third behind these two when you consider injury and playing time, but all three should represent their clubs in Seattle.

Adley Rutschman, C, BAL

The sophomore Baltimore backstop should and will earn the starting job behind the plate, and it shouldn't be much of a conversation. A 140 OPS+ tells most of the story, especially considering that no other AL catcher approaches his slash line. I love Salvador Perez, and Jonah Heim is a solid pick, but Rutschman is on another level right now.

Aaron Judge (NYY), Yordan Alvarez (HOU), & Randy Arozarena (TB), OF

Judge is a shoo-in, with 18 bombs and a ridiculous 1.089 OPS. Alvarez should also slide in easily, although I was surprised to see him listed as an outfielder; his defense is a liability, but his bat is too powerful to keep him out.

The last slot is a bit trickier. I could see Josh Lowe, Masataka Yoshida, Mike Trout, or even Ezequiel Duran winning this spot, but I'll give it to Lowe's teammate; Arozarena has the edge in WAR and only a one-point OPS+ disadvantage compared to Lowe.

Shohei Ohtani, LAA, DH

I don't know if he'll be eligible as a pitcher, but the AL DH class is somewhat weak, and Ohtani is hitting and pitching at the same time, so he should have a spot reserved for him at the ASG until his arm falls off.

National League

Freddie Freeman, LAD, 1B

I guess I didn't realize how unbelievable Freeman has been in 2023. .346 average? 1.008 OPS?? 168 OPS+??? There are a bunch of solid NL first basemen, ranging from Olson to Alonso to Goldschmidt, but none of them are having the type of season Freddie is having. Some things never change.

Luis Arraez, MIA, 2B

Maybe Arraez is just a batting average merchant. Maybe he doesn't hit for power, with just 1 homer and a great-but-not-amazing .885 OPS. Maybe Nolan Gorman is a more valuable player in terms of run production. But Arraez is probably going to become the first batter to ever win batting titles in both leagues in consecutive years. They call him "The Sprinkler." In the age of the dreaded three true outcomes, Arraez is the exception, and he should be rewarded for it.

Jeimer Candelario, WSH, 3B

Candelario probably shouldn't win the starting job, but I'm convinced that he deserves a spot in Seattle. An .814 OPS and .271 average stack up well, better than the likes of Austin Riley and Nolan Arenado. Max Muncy has 17 HRs, but he's also hitting .209. JD Davis and Ryan McMahon might deserve this spot, but Candelario is a well-rounded, underrated hitter with 2.1 WAR so far, much more than Davis's 1.2. See you in Seattle, Jeimer!

Geraldo Perdomo, AZ, SS

Did I know who Geraldo Perdomo was before this evening? No, I did not. Was I planning on voting for someone like Dansby Swanson or Francisco Lindor? Yes, I was. But as it turns out, Perdomo is raking! .278 avg., .853 OPS! Good for you, Geraldo. Until Trea Turner and Xander Bogaerts remember how to hit, you are officially the best shortstop in the National League.

Elias Diaz, COL, C

Plenty of really good catchers in the senior circuit, but I'll go with the defensive monster. There's certainly a great case to be made for Will Smith and Sean Murphy; Smith has a .311 avg. and a .958 OPS, and Murphy is hitting .286 with a .951 OPS. And, somehow, Elias Diaz has them both beat (albeit, barely) in WAR. Diaz trails only J.T. Realmuto in runners caught stealing in the NL; add in a .312 batting average and a .846 OPS and you have a recipe for success. I wouldn't fault you for picking Smith or Murphy over Diaz, but I'm a sucker for a great defensive catcher, and Elias Diaz has put on an absolute clinic thus far.

Ronald Acuna Jr. (ATL), Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (AZ), Lane Thomas (WSH), OF

One of these is not like the others. Acuna is having a fantastic bounce back year, and he should be an easy selection. After that, it gets a bit tougher; I could have voted for TJ Friedl, Mookie Betts, Corbin Carroll, Seiya Suzuki, or even Brandon Marsh if you think about it long enough. Friedl, Betts, and Carroll should probably all be above Thomas, but considering that Phase 1 of the ballot is merely to get players to the next stage, I'm sticking with my Washington bias here. Gurriel Jr., however, legitimately deserves this spot. A .309 avg. and .903 OPS are good enough to stack up with any of those guys, and he plays solid defense to go along with it. Hard to pick from such a great selection, but I'll go with Gurriel for now.

J.D. Martinez, LAD, DH

Leave it to the Dodgers to trade an old DH for another old DH and somehow get better. Martinez refuses to slow down, hitting .278 with 12 bombs and a .931 OPS. If Christopher Morel gets more plate appearances and keeps tearing the cover off the ball, he'll get the nod; until then, Martinez has this spot locked down.

Catch y'all for Phase 2!

Emory