MLB All-Star voting: early fan surge lifts Walker as Phase 1 leaderboard takes shape

Major League Baseball’s first fan-voting update for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, posted on June 15, rewarded a standout early push from Walker, spotlighting a “red-hot” start as the long voting period moves into its next stretch. The league’s Phase 1 tabulations offer the earliest look at who fans are backing, and they already show some significant gaps between the top names and the rest of the field.

The most detailed leaderboard provided in MLB’s release came in the catcher category, where Drake Baldwin of the Atlanta Braves sits first with 972,813 votes. Behind him, Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith has 662,883 votes, followed by Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto at 446,915. Those three lead a pack that drops more noticeably after the top positions, with William Contreras of the Milwaukee Brewers at 303,240 and Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman at 110,450.

MLB’s Phase 1 update also lists the next group of catcher candidates and their vote totals, including Carson Kelly (Cubs) at 109,628, Liam Hicks (Marlins) at 105,065, and Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno at 92,127. The list continues with Daniel Susac of the Giants at 79,442 and Pedro Pagés of the St. Louis Cardinals at 70,641, rounding out the names shown in the early catcher breakdown.

While the vote totals are still early in the overall All-Star process, this first checkpoint is meaningful because it can shape public perception of what a final roster might look like. Fan voting typically determines the final shape of starting lineups, so early leaders can build momentum, especially as team fan bases mobilize around the players they want to see in the Midsummer Classic.

At the same time, a June leaderboard is not destiny. Vote totals can shift quickly as players gain attention, teams run promotional pushes, and late-season narrative begins to form. What fans see in Phase 1 is best treated as a snapshot of engagement, not a guarantee of who ultimately starts or even makes the final roster.

For teams represented at or near the top of the early vote list, the subtext is about visibility. Players with large fan vote margins often become focal points in their club’s marketing and fan outreach, and that can carry into the remainder of the voting window. The Braves, Dodgers, Phillies, and Brewers, based on the catcher totals shown, are already getting that kind of attention in their respective fan communities.

The next voting updates will matter most for two reasons: whether Walker’s early surge sustains and whether the later vote totals at each position tighten or widen. If the early gaps at catcher begin to compress in upcoming phases, it could report a more competitive final race. If they stay large, the leaders could solidify quickly as voting moves toward the final returns. Meanwhile, the league’s continuing rollout of the full leaderboard across positions will determine how closely this early picture matches what players and teams eventually become the center of attention.