2 Brewers in strong position to start All-Star game after ballot update, 1 needs help

The Milwaukee Brewers sit atop the National League Central with a record of 46-33, five games ahead of the St Louis. Cardinals, and the third best record in the whole of the NL. In recent weeks they have been gaining more and more recognition in the media but also from fans as shown in the most recent All-Star voting ballot released on June 24.

Offensively they have been rolling (something not often said about the Brewers in recent years) with many position players standing out. That success with the bat is being reflected in the All Star voting.

Voting for the All-Star Game has been ramping up with the Phase 1 deadline of June 27 rapidly approaching as fans look to help their favorite players advance. Phase 2 begins June 30th and fans have until July 3 to decide on who they want to see starting at Globe Life Field come July 17.

1. William Contreras clear leader in catcher voting

The Brewers quality is not going unnoticed and William Contreras stands alone at the top of the catcher voting with 1.47 million votes, almost 400 thousand votes ahead of J.T. Realmuto in the National League. In terms of catchers across both leagues he is just short of the Orioles' Adley Rutschman.

Contreras is having a stellar season with him hitting nine homers and 49 RBIs with a slash line of .293/.353/.444 with a .797 OPS. This consistency has been shown in his 76 starts in the Brewers' 79 games. Rutschman is the only catcher with a better batting average than him but Contreras takes the top spot in on-base percentage across those behind the plate.

Even with a collision against the Chicago White Sox at the beginning of June and then being evaluated for a concussion during the series with the Reds, Contreras has continued playing at this high level and his durability and production have been up there with the best and he is deservedly getting his flowers.

2. Christian Yelich second among outfielders

It has been a running theme throughout the Brewers fanbase and social media in recent seasons to say that Christian Yelich is back. But Christian Yelich is well and truly back and his hard work has paid off. His performances are being recognized across the baseball community. The former MVP sits second in the outfielder voting, around 140,000 votes behind Jurickson Profar and 100,000 ahead of the Dodgers' Teoscar Hernandez.

Having crossed the 1.5 million vote mark, Yelich looks in a strong position to move into phase two and potentially start in Texas. This is the best version of him since the MVP campaigns and he is hitting .317/.396/.482 with an OPS of .878. Add to that his 15 stolen bases and he is close to passing some of his career years in base running with just over half the season still to play.

Yelich's last All-Star appearance came back in 2019 so to see him back in the mid-summer classic would be a brilliant sight for the Brewers fanbase. This has been a great season for him and it is easy to forget he missed around a month of baseball earlier on this season and it is like he hasn't missed a beat at the plate or in the outfield.

3. Joey Ortiz needs help, on the outside looking in

There is still a few days of voting left but Joey Ortiz has fallen 60 thousand votes behind second-placed Manny Machado for a spot as a third baseman. Despite the rookie being better across BA, OBP, SLG and a huge 2.3 to 0.3 difference in WAR, the name of Machado looks more likely to see him progress to phase 2 of the voting.

Ortiz deserves his flowers though with his .278/.383/.449 slash line with six home runs and 27 RBIs. It's brilliant for a first season in the Majors. If Ortiz does miss out, it shows the Brewers and him are being recognized more widely and should see him in a good position for future All-Star games.

With Contreras and Yelich likely to make the All-Star game, it will be the first time the Brewers have had a position player in the game since Omar Narvaez back in 2021, the first time multiple Brewers position players have played since Yelich, Mike Moustakas and Yasmani Grandal all made it in 2019. If both Contreras and Yelich start for the National League, it will be the first time the Brewers have had multiple position players starting since the 2014 All-Star game when Jonathan Lucroy and Carlos Gomez took their places behind the plate and in the outfield.

There are still a few days left to keep pushing those votes for Brewers players and then starters votes will be big as well. It is not long now until the All-Star festivities but it is good to see the Brewers fans voting and the players getting wider recognition in the community.