How Does MLB All-Star Voting Work? Full Explanation & Breakdown
The 2024 MLB All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday, July 16 in Arlington, Texas, and it will feature the sport's biggest names.
The top 24 players from the National League and 23 players from the American League will make up the two All-Star teams in July. But, how are those players selected?
Fans vote on all the positions in the All-Star Game except for the starting pitchers and starting designated hitters. Otherwise, the field will be decided by the fans.
There's a multiple-step process for the players to be officially chosen for an MLB All-Star spot. Here's how the voting for fans will pan out this year.
How to Vote for MLB All-Star Rosters
All-Star voting takes place on the MLB's website. Fans interested in casting one of their five ballots per 24 hour period can do so between June 5 and June 27 here.
How Does MLB All-Star Voting Work?
Phase One of Voting
Beginning on June 5 at 12 p.m. ET, fans will be able to vote for their favorite players for a spot on the All-Star roster. When the voting ends at 12 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 27, the top three players from each position on both the National and American leagues will advance to the next round of voting. So, three first basemen from the National League will be competing for the starting position, for example.
Fans can vote up to five times every 24 hours.
Phase Two of Voting
Fans will only have a few days to vote for the starters in the 2024 All-Star Game after the initial finalists are announced on Sunday, June 30. Fans will have until Wednesday, July 3 at 12 p.m. ET to vote for their favorite MLB stars. Once the three outfield players, four infield players and the catcher are determined, the winners will be announced on social media.
Fans will be able to vote on MLB.com up to four times a day, on the MLB app or at an MLB ballpark.
The winners will be announced after 12 p.m. ET on July 3.
How Many Players Make Up the All-Star Teams?
Both the National and American Leagues will have 32 players on the team made up of 20 position players and 12 pitchers each. The fans vote for eight of the players, the players' ballot selects 16 NL players and 17 AL players. Then, the Commissioner's Office chooses eight NL players and six AL players.
The starting pitchers and designated hitters are solely selected by player ballots and votes from the Commissioner's Office.
Who Moves Into Roster if a Voted Player Cannot Compete?
If a player who was voted or selected onto the All-Star roster cannot play come July 16, whether that be for an injury or a different reason, then the player with the next most votes from the player ballot will move onto the starting roster for that position. The Commissioner's Office will choose who replaces the player who moved up into the starting roster on the reserve list.
Who Manages the Two All-Star Teams?
Each season, the managers from the teams who competed in the World Series the year prior manages the All-Star teams for the next year. This means that the reigning champion, Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, will manage the American League while Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo will lead the National League.
The managers will choose the batting orders for the teams, along with the pitching order. The NL manager, in this case Lovullo, will choose his designated hitter, too.
The 2024 MLB All-Star Game will start at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 16.