The first round of MLB All-Star fan voting is complete, and the Los Angeles Dodgers made out like bandits.
Seven Dodgers advanced to the second round of fan voting and Shohei Ohtani earned his expected guaranteed spot on the National League roster. The leading vote-getter in both leagues earns an automatic starting spot on their respective roster. Ohtani is arguably MLB's biggest star and a lock for the NL's guaranteed roster spot, with his .291/.392/.633 slash line and 1.025 OPS over 80 games. He also just made his return to pitching to continue making history as the best two-way player in MLB history.
Fans around the NL haven't taken well to LA's dominance in the first round of fan voting. Freddie Freeman has advanced as the top choice among first basemen, Will Smith as catcher, Tommy Edman, Max Muncy and Mookie Betts are the No. 2 vote getters in their respective positions, and Teoscar Hernández and Andy Pages are among the six outfielders to advance to round two.
Freeman and Smith are absolutely deserving of their top spots in their positions. Freeman is slashing .309/.380/.500 with an .880 OPS and a defensive range above the league average over 70 games. Smith has been arguably the best hitting catcher in the NL, with a .325/.422/.533 line (.955 OPS) in 64 games. His defense leaves something to be desired, but his offensive dominance totally cancels it out.
Dodgers fans thrilled after LA dominates first round of All-Star fan voting
Moving on to Phase 2!
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 26, 2025
We still need your help to send the Boys in Blue to the All-Star Game. Voting starts again on 6/30! pic.twitter.com/mrtTsOFw9j
The other five Dodgers who advanced past the first round are more debatable, but that's the beauty of fan voting — majority rules. Not only is Los Angeles massive, but there are Dodgers fans all over the country who vote multiple times a day to ensure their favorite players make the roster. The Dodgers are also the reigning World Series champions and have better name recognition than a lot of other players in the NL race.
Still, some players who didn't advance deserve credit for their work in the first half. Elly De La Cruz (.277/.351/.511, .862 OPS) has been elite and definitely could have won the nomination over Betts (.256/.335/.392, .727 OPS). Edman is also questionable among the top choices at second base (.248/.290/.442, .732 OPS) and Nationals outfielder James Wood deserves more hype in the outfield. But what the fans say goes, and Dodgers fans dominated the voting.
NL fans outside of LA can take solace in the fact that the elected Dodgers won't all be starters, and the team doesn't have many healthy pitchers to send to the Midsummer Classic. Until other fanbases want to step up and stuff the ballot boxes, the Dodgers will reign supreme.