AL All-Star Cocktail: First Returns

Aaron Judge and his 26 Home Runs lead the way in the first return of MLB All-Star voting. Two players in the AL are tied for third in WAR.

Before we begin: This is the first return of votes, and this list does not reflect a consensus of the best players, rather, it is strictly from ballot results. Otherwise, guys like Jose Ramirez would be talked about below.

The nine All-Star hopefuls leading the charge at their respective positions are all worthy of a starting spot in Los Angeles for the midsummer classic.

Let's take a look at some key figures from these stars:

Raffy and Trout are more valuable to their squads than almost anybody in baseball. The only two players ahead of them in WAR are Manny Machado (#2) Tommy Edman (#1).

Not surprisingly, each of these players is above league average in OPS and BA, with Trout, Judge, Alvarez, and Devers existing on another planet.

Now we'll have a look at each players individual stats up to this point in the season.

Catcher: Alejandro Kirk

Batting Splits: .307/.395/.487

8 Home Runs, 26 RBI, 27 BB

First Base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Batting Splits: .264/.357/.500

17 Home Runs, 42 RBI, 34 BB

Second Base: Jose Altuve

Batting Splits: .269/.345/.510

13 Home Runs, 24 RBI, 21 BB

Third Base: Rafael Devers

Batting Splits: .328/.383/.599

16 Home Runs, 43 RBI, 20 BB

Shortstop: Bo Bichette

Batting Splits: .260/.306/.427

11 Home Runs, 38 RBI, 19 BB

Left Field: George Springer

Batting Splits: .260/.333/.489

13 Home Runs, 34 RBI, 23 BB

Center Field: Mike Trout

Batting Splits: .284/.385/.640

21 Home Runs, 43 RBI, 33 BB

Right Field: Aaron Judge

Batting Splits: .302/.379/.655

26 Home Runs, 51 RBI, 34 BB

Designated Hitter: Yordan Alvarez

Batting Splits: .315/.406/.658

21 Home Runs, 51 RBI, 32 BB

While Aaron Judge is getting most of the hype as the very early leading MVP candidate, Yordan Alvarez has a case as his numbers are better overall. Rafael Devers should be in the conversation, too.