Five Pirates Showing Up on Early All-Star Balloting
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have had one of their better seasons up to this point in a long time and it's shown up in the early All-Star ballotting.
The Pirates have five players that are receiving significant votes on the early All-Star ballotting for the National League, which includes the entire infield in first baseman Spencer Horwitz, second baseman Brandon Lowe, third baseman Nick Gonzales and shortstop Konnor Griffin, plus center fielder Oneil Cruz.
Gonzales ranked the highest for his position, fifth amongst NL third baseman, while both Lowe and Horwitz ranked sixth for second baseman and first baseman, respectively. Griffin ranked ninth at shortstop and Cruz ranked 17th amongst 20 outfielders.
Lowe was the highest vote-getter, with Gonzales not too far behind and Cruz also breaching more thn 200,000 votes, while Griffin and Horwitz were towards the lower end of the 100,000 mark.
Player | Position/Ranking | Votes |
|---|---|---|
Nick Gonzales | 3B/Fifth | 267,518 |
Brandon Lowe | 2B/Sixth | 271,228 |
Spencer Horwitz | 1B/Sixth | 112,349 |
Konnor Griffin | SS/Ninth | 100,114 |
Oneil Cruz | OF/17th | 214,819 |
What This Means for the Pirates Making the All-Star Game
Fan votes aren't the end all, be all of whether players make the All-Star Game, but it does have some significance.
Phase 1 concludes at Noon EST on June 25, which sees the top vote getter in each league, currently designated hitters in Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers (NL) and Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros (AL), will receive a starting spot in the All-Star Game.
The top two vote earners at each position, plus the top six outfielder vote getters, move to Phase 2, that starts on June 29.
Gonzales and Lowe are the closest to being able to make it to Phase 2, just about 100,000 votes off of the second-highest vote getter at third base and second base, respectively. Horwitz, Griffin and Cruz are simply too far behind to make the All-Star game via fan voting.
Fan voting isn't the only way that players make it to the All-Star Game, with 16 players making it via player voting, the manager of each All-Star team adding eight players and then the fans have one more player they can vote for, totaling 34 players on each team.
The Pirates may not get a player on the roster via fan voting, but it's likely they'll all have chances with their fellow players and if the manager thinks they deserve a shot.
Why These Pirates Players Received Votes
All five of these players have had great seasons so far and helped the Pirates have one of the best offenses in MLB.
Gonzales has slashed .301/.352/.370 for an OPS of .722 in 66 games, with 74 hits, 11 doubles, two home runs and 31 RBI.
He leads the Pirates in batting average, while ranking seventh in the NL and 13th in MLB, serving as a top hitter in the game right now.
Lowe joined the Pirates via trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and it's clear that he's been one of the best offseason additions in recent franchise history.
He has slashed .240/.325/.512 for an OPS. of .837 in 66 games, with 61 hits, 16 doubles, 17 home runs and 46 RBI, while also greatly improving defensively at second base, after he was one of the worst at the position last season.
Lowe's best play comes with his power, with his 17 home runs the most on the Pirates and for any second baseman, sixth in the NL and tied 12th in baseball. He also leads all second baseman in RBI, slugging percentage and OPS
Horwitz was the Pirates' best hitter last season and he's been even better in a fully healthy 2026 campaign.
He has slashed .281/.382/.452 for an OPS of .834 in 66 games, with 61 hits, eight doubles, nine home runs, 31 RBI and 34 walks to 37 strikeouts.
Horwitz is second on the Pirates in walks and on-base percentage (.382) and also ranks sixth in the NL and 13th in baseball in on-base percentage, with his OPS also 22nd best in the NL.
Griffin and Cruz are currently on the injured list, with Griffin healing from a forearm flexor strain, which is preventing him from playing shortstop, and Cruz dealing with a left hand fracture, but both have had good seasons so far.
The rookie slashed .270/.327/.402 for an OPS of .729 in 51 games, with 51 hits, nine doubles, two triples, four home runs, 22 RBI and 14 stolen bases on 15 attempts.
Cruz slashed .264/.350/.472 for an OPS of .822 in 64 games, with 66 hits, 45 runs scored, 10 doubles, 14 home runs, 44 RBI and 21 stolen bases on 25 attempts.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.