MLB All-Star voting 2021: How it works, updated vote totals for Midsummer Classic

The MLB All-Star Game is back, after the coronavirus pandemic necessitated the cancellation of the 2020 game during the shortened 60-game MLB season. The 2021 contest was moved from Atlanta to Denver in early April, a controversial move spurred by a controversial voting bill passed in Georgia. But that’s a topic for another column.

Today, let’s look at how the 2021 All-Star Game voting is happening; it’s easy to forget that MLB changed the voting format a bit before the 2019 game, which was held in Cleveland. A few things have happened in the world — baseball and otherwise — since that change. 

Let’s look at that, along with the first batch of voting results.

How does the MLB All-Star voting process work?

As a refresher, here’s how MLB’s relatively new voting process works, with dates for 2021: For Phase 1, teams submit player names, one per position and three outfielders. And the voting, which started June 3, rolled out as usual. Fans vote, in a number of ways, for their favorite players or the players they felt deserved the nod (it’s always been vague and that’s part of the charm of a fan vote, I guess). There will be a second vote-total reveal on June 21. 

Phase 1 voting ends at 4 p.m. ET on June 24. On June 27, during an MLB Network show, the top three vote-getters at each position (the top nine outfielders) will be revealed.

Then, vote totals for those players all go back to zero. A new ballot will go live at noon ET on June 28, with only those three players at each position (and nine outfielders). Phase 2 voting does not last long; it ends July 1 at 2 p.m. ET. That’s just 98 hours of voting time to determine the starters at each position. 

The starters will be revealed later in the day on July 1. Details for that broadcast will be revealed at a later date. The full teams — including pitchers and reserves — will be revealed on a July 4 broadcast (again, details to come). 

Key dates ahead for the MLB All-Star Game

All-Star Balloting Update No. 2: June 21st 

Phase 1 Balloting Ends: June 24 at 4 p.m. ET

2021 Google MLB All-Star Ballot Finalists Show: June 27 at noon ET on MLB Network

Phase 2 Voting Begins: June 28 at noon ET

Phase 2 Voting Ends: July 1 at 2 pm. ET

2021 Google MLB All-Star Starters Reveal: July 1 (details TBA)

2021 Google MLB All-Star Selection Show: July 4 (details TBA)

Futures Game: July 11, at 3 p.m. ET

MLB All-Star Celebrity Softball Game: July 11, at 6 p.m. ET

MLB Draft: July 11, at 7 p.m. ET

Home Run Derby: July 12, at 8 p.m. ET

MLB All-Star Game: July 13, at 7:30 p.m. ET

First 2021 All-Star ballot update 

American League

National League