Major League Baseball has published the current tallies of All-Star Game votes, with Los Angeles Angels players appearing all over the ballots. Featuring a new format in 2021, players like Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani have cemented their places atop their positions.
In 2021, the first round of votes will no longer directly decide who represents the American and National League in the All-Star Game. Instead, voting will be used to determine a top three at each position — and top-nine in the outfield — who will all advance to a second round of voting. The actual representatives will be chosen from there.
Beyond Trout and Ohtani, several Angels players are encroaching near the top three at each of their positions, via Jeff Fletcher of The O.C. Register:
Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout are leading in All-Star voting. (Trout has a chance to be healthy by the game. It’ll be close.) #Angels pic.twitter.com/6k0QDleIxQ
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) June 14, 2021
Trout and Ohtani have strangleholds over the top spots at their respective positions, meaning it’s all but certain they will start at those positions. It’s unclear whether or not Trout will be healthy enough to play in the game, but it will count as a selection either way.
Kurt Suzuki currently sits at fifth among catchers, just two spots out of the final round of voting. Max Stassi, who is the Angels starting catcher and who has been on a tear since returning from the injured list, did not have enough games played to be featured on the ballot.
Jared Walsh is No. 4 among qualified first basemen, but needs to be in the top three to move to the next round. He sits 16,000 votes behind Houston Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel. Meanwhile, David Fletcher is sixth in the second base voting returns. He is likely too far out of third to be a part of the final round.
Anthony Rendon and Jose Iglesias rank No. 5 and No. 6 at their positions, but are also likely too far out of third to make things interesting. Finally, Justin Upton is 15th among outfielders, meaning he would need to move up six spots to be considered.
If Angels fans continue to vote for players like Walsh, Rendon, Fletcher, and Iglesias, we may be able to see plenty of Halos during the All-Star festivities. At the very least, it looks as though Ohtani and Trout — if healthy — will be representing.
Ohtani showing toughness and competitive spirit
Ohtani’s recent start on the mound showed exactly how pivotal a player he is for the Angels postseason efforts. He put together a great start over five innings pitched while also hitting two doubles and playing a little bit of right field.
He also fought to stay in the game after taking a foul ball off of his knee, something that did not affect his availability in the games following.