Cubs Slugger Best Shot at Advancing in All-Star Game Voting

The Chicago Cubs will know in a few days if any of their players will advance to the second phase of All-Star Game voting.

Jun 13, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Chicago Cubs first baseman Cody Bellinger (24) hits a base hit against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at Tropicana Field. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

If the Chicago Cubs are going to have a player that advances past the first phase of All-Star Game voting it will likely be outfielder Cody Bellinger.

The veteran slugger is outside the top six, which is necessary to advance from the first phase of outfield voting. Bellinger had 556,912 votes in the update released on Monday, which put him in eighth place.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas — who is currently at Triple-A — is ahead of him in seventh place. So Bellinger not only has to leap over Rojas but another Phillie, Nick Castellanos, who is in sixth with 857,186 votes.

It may be difficult to overcome the strength of the vote in Philadelphia. Ahead of Castellanos is another teammate, Brandon Marsh, giving the Phillies three of the top seven vote-getters.

Bellinger is hoping to make the All-Star Game for the third time. His other appearances were with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The top two vote-getters at each position, along with the top six vote-getters in the outfield, by noon eastern on Thursday move onto the second stage of voting to determine the starting lineup. Second stage voting starts on June 30.

This year’s All-Star game is on July 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, the home of the Texas Rangers.  

The rest of the Cubs involved in voting are well out of the running.

Second baseman Nico Hoerner is in ninth place, with Arizona’s Ketel Marte and San Diego’s Luis Arraez the top two vote-getters.

In the outfield Seiya Suzuki was in 13th place. San Diego Padres’ Jurickson Profar, Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Teoscar Hernandez and San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. joined Marsh and Castellanos in the top six.

Cubs that slid out of the Top 10 after the first release of voting included shortstop Dansby Swanson and third baseman Christopher Morel.

Without a starter, the Cubs will rely on the reserve and pitching selection processes, which happen after the starting lineup is settled in early July.

Last year three Cubs were selected as reserves — Swanson, pitcher Justin Steele and pitcher Marcus Stroman, who is now with the New York Yankees.

The Cubs opened a four-game series at San Francisco on Monday, followed by a three-game series at Milwaukee to end June. After that, the Cubs return home to host the Philadelphia Phillies, including a series finale on July 4.

The Cubs then host the Los Angeles Angels, followed by spending the final week before the All-Star Break on a road trip that takes them to Baltimore and St. Louis.