Lone Braves Star, Two Former Braves In Hunt To Start All-Star Game

The first update in the MLB All-Star voting is out. So far, one Atlanta Braves star is among the top vote-getters in the National League, joining two former teammates.

Ronald Acuña Jr. is currently sixth in the voting for outfielders with 596,363 votes, barely trailing Diamondback's Corbin Carroll (597,805) for fifth. Since it's outfielders overall, not individual spots (left, center and right) it's a race to be one of three. So he only needs to gain on three players, not five. He's fewer than 100,000 votes behind third place in the voting, Teoscar Hernández (685,553).

The top spot for outfielders is already looking like a lock. Cubs centerfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has the lead with 1,126,119 votes, making him the fourth most voted on player overall.

Acuña has been making an All-Star case in hurry. In 21 games played, he's batting .390 with a 1.179 OPS with seven home runs and 13 RBIs. He's having one of the best stretches at the plate in baseball since returning from his recovery from an another ACL injury.

The Braves start right fielder has been a starter in the All-Star Game three time (2019, 2021, 2023).

He sits behind former Braves, now Dodgers first baseman Freeman for the fourth-overall. Freeman isn't running away with the vote just yet, but he has a sizeable lead over Mets' Pete Alonso for first among National League first baseman (1,136,389 vs 895,900).

Freeman most recently started the All-Star Game in 2023, the first Dodgers first baseman since Steve Garvey in 1980. He was the starting first baseman three time with the Braves, getting the nod in 2018, 2019 and 2021.

June has not been a good month for Freeman, but his stats overall are still All-Star worthy. He's batting .330 with a .951 OPS, nine home runs and 41 RBIs. A slump isn't going to do him in at this point, at least when it comes to making the All-Star Game. Even then, there's an excited Dodgers fan base, and likely Braves fans voting him in too, that'll likely keep him ahead for the starter role.

Dansby Swanson is the second former Braves player who is a top vote getting. He's fifth in the voting for shotstop with 307,173. The two-time All-Star is well behind first place (Francisco Lindor 1,019,27) ans even second place (Mookie Betts 597,188).

Swanson is a two-time All-Star, once with the Braves in 2022 and once with the Cubs the following year. He's never started, losing out to, coincidently, his replacement, Orlando Arcia. This season, he's batting .243 with a .720 OPS with 13 home runs and 38 RBIs.

The MLB All-Star Game will be played at Truist Park in Atlanta Tuesday, July 15.

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