Mets' Juan Soto Deserves More All-Star Love Than These 4 NL Outfielders

MLB fans should be giving Mets star Juan Soto more love based on how he's performed this season. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The MLB All-Star voting system is absolutely flawed. If voting were to end today, Juan Soto wouldn’t be an All-Star for the second straight season. Yes, the same 26-year-old perennial superstar who is one of the best hitters in the sport. 

Soto's stats speak for themself. Although he’s missed 17 games, he still holds a .290 BA along with 15 home runs and 34 RBIs—along with an elite .944 OPS(7th in baseball) while holding an absurd .389 OBP—which somehow would be the lowest through his career. He dominated his way through the weekend series against the Braves, going 8-for-17 with two HRs and four RBIs.

Yet, the MVP-like numbers put Soto in ninth place among outfielders in the National League, with just 421,513 votes (h/t TalkinBaseball_). This is a product of Mets fans not showing up to the voting polls and the fan system creating biased results in favor of their favorite teams.

First National League All-Star ballot update pic.twitter.com/dY4pRob98q

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 15, 2026

With six slots reserved for outfielders, only two of the players actually make a real case for being over the Mets' superstar: Andy Pages and Jordan Walker. What will be Soto’s saving grace is the fact that all 30 teams will have an automatic representative on the roster, meaning Soto would make the roster without a doubt.

However, it is still very fair to point out to players who stand ahead of him due to fan voting. With that, it’s time to play a bit of a comparison game. 

Juan Soto deserves more All-Star votes than these NL outfielders

Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves

Ronald Acuña Jr. doesn't deserve more All-Star votes than Juan Soto. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Likely the most ridiculous result so far, Ronald Acuña Jr stands second in NL voting for the outfield at a whopping 693,472 selections. That’s enough to put him over James Wood, Corbin Caroll, and Soto, all deserving players for at most a starting role. 

Not only has the 28-year-old underperformed, but he’s also missed time, playing in just 53 games this season while recently hitting the IL with a hamstring injury. Acuña's stats are mediocre, batting .251 with seven HRs and 22 RBIs, along with a .793 OPS and .373 OBP. It’s likely the product of the Braves being the best team in baseball, currently holding a 46-25 record. 

The crushing blow: Soto has a 2.1 WAR, that’s 1.3 better than what Acuña holds. 

Brandon Marsh, Phillies

There’s a common trend among the All-Star selections above Soto: they all reside on some of the most popular teams in the league. While Brandon Marsh has produced an exceptional season, it’s merely not enough to be ahead of Soto. 

Marsh has excelled this season in producing solid contact to get on base. The production from the 28-year-old has been huge for the Phillies, batting .324 with a .850 OPS, while tallying 76 hits. His OBP sits at .357, which is .32 worse than Soto's, who also has a .96 advantage in the OPS department. 

Michael Harris II, Braves

The second Brave on the list, Michael Harris II has finally started to produce as he was expected to following his rookie season. In 2025, Harris was among the most disappointing players in baseball, batting .249 with a .268 OBP. 

Michael Harris II is another Brave who shouldn't be getting as much All-Star love as Juan Soto. | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

However, 2026 has served as a “get right” season for the Braves center fielder, as one of many players to produce offensively, batting .303 (11th-best in baseball) with 14 HRs and 41 RBIs, an .850 OPS and .337 OBP. Yes, Harris most definitely deserves a spot on the NL All-Star team, and likely over his teammate, Acuña, but Soto has been better in 13 fewer games. 

Teoscar Hernandez, Dodgers

Last but not least, the Dodgers effect.

Teoscar Hernández is most definitely a talented baseball player, but his absence from the lineup due to injury speaks for itself. In 51 games played this season, the Dodgers left fielder holds a .276 BA with seven HRs and 31 RBIs, along with a.785 OPS. Solid numbers, but most definitely not deserving of the 100,000 more votes than the three other outfielders behind him.

Hernández hasn’t played since May 27, going down with a hamstring strain similar to Acuńa’s, having an initial timeline of a month, but nothing has been released just yet. The same goes for the Braves star and Hernández—if both were to make the All-Star team, they’d quickly be replaced, meaning anyone behind them would get their spots.