With voting for next month’s All-Star Game in full swing, it has become clear that the position of American League first baseman is the deepest and most talented in baseball. The number of players posting elite numbers at that position will make selecting and excluding players for the game difficult. A case could be made for as many as five available players who are putting up numbers worthy of an All-Star Game selection.
Ben Rice Is The American League’s Frontrunner For All-Star Starter, But Then Who?
The New York Yankees’ Ben Rice has put up the most impressive numbers of any AL first baseman this season. He currently leads all others at his position in batting average, slugging percentage, OPS, and runs scored. Given his performance and the nationwide fandom of the Yankees, it would be surprising to see anyone eclipse him for the All-Star Game’s starting spot.
After acknowledging Rice for the starting role, things start to get complicated. The Athletics’ Nick Kurtz currently leads the position in on-base percentage, and is tied for the lead in RBIs. The player Kurtz has equaled in RBI’s, Christian Walker of the Houston Astros, is trailing only Rice in total bases. Jonathan Aranda of the Tampa Bay Rays is currently tied with the Yankee first baseman in RBIs, and is a vital part of a team with one of the best records in baseball. Boston Red Sox star Willson Contreras is second in batting average, and third in both on-base percentage and slugging.
More Than One Of These Stars Is Going To Get Left Out
Each year, there is only a maximum of three players from a position who will make that season’s All-Star Game. In fact, in the past two seasons, the AL has only selected two first basemen for the Midsummer Classic. If that remains the case this year, Rice and Kurtz will most likely get the nod. Making room for a third will open up a three-way race between Walker, Aranda and Contreras. With no clearly superior performer among those three, things could get interesting as the final weeks of voting approach.
If Not For An Injury, Things Would Be Even More Complicated
Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami has been out with a right hamstring injury since late May. Despite not playing for over a week, he still leads all AL players at his position with 20 home runs. At the time of his injury, he was leading all players in the league in runs scored and was second in RBIs. If Murakami were still healthy, a case could be made for him to not just be an All-Star, but to be the game’s starter.
Voters Don’t Have To Worry About Considering Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Aside from the Murakami injury, the voting for the first baseman in the AL is also made easier by the struggles of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Although the Blue Jays’ star was the starter at the position last season, he has experienced a remarkable reduction in power numbers in 2026. So far this season, Guerrero has hit only three home runs and knocked in 25 RBIs. Those totals don’t even put him in the top 10 among AL first basemen this year.
Despite the injury to an All-Star-caliber player in Murakami and the abrupt decline of former All-Star Guerrero, the first base position remains an incredibly competitive one in the AL. As fan voting enters its final two weeks, expect heated debate and close outcomes to define the selection process for who is sent to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as representatives of the American League.
