Shea Langeliers could be first A’s catcher to start All-Star game since 1989

Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers holds a commanding early lead to become the American League’s starting All-Star catcher, while superstar teammate Nick Kurtz is a distant fourth among first basemen, according to early results released by MLB.com Monday.

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Langeliers had received 715,625 votes as of Monday’s update, more than 400,000 ahead of the second-place candidate. If Langeliers earns the starting job, which is determined by fan voting, he would be the first A’s catcher to start an All-Star Game since Terry Steinbach in 1989.

Despite having the third-best OPS in the AL and making a strong MVP case, Kurtz has received just 269,658 votes, more than 300,000 behind first-place Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and well behind New York Yankees slugger Ben Rice and Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami.

It would be the first All-Star selection for both Kurtz and Langeliers if they are elected or selected for the July 14 contest in Philadelphia.

On the pitching side, starter J.T. Ginn, who has a 3.15 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 15 appearances this season, appears to be the A’s most likely candidate. Pitchers are selected by player balloting and the Commissioner’s Office rather than fan voting, and those selections will be announced closer to the All-Star break.

Last season, then-rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson became the first fan-elected A’s All-Star since 2014 after narrowly beating out Kansas City Royals defensive standout Bobby Witt Jr. Designated hitter Brent Rooker, who was added as a reserve, was the only other Athletic to make the game.

How does the selection process work?

Though the first voting results are out, it remains too early to know whether either Kurtz or Langeliers will start, or even make the game.

Last year, the top vote-getters in each league received about 4 million votes in the first phase of All-Star voting, while only Shohei Ohtani and Yordan Alvarez have eclipsed 1 million votes so far this cycle.

Voting for the MLB All-Star Game is currently in Phase 1, which determines the finalists for the fan-elected starting spots. Phase 1 voting continues through noon June 25 on MLB.com’s website. Fans can vote up to five times per day at every position in both leagues.

After the first phase, the top vote-getters in the National and American leagues — currently Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros, respectively — automatically earn starting spots. The top two vote-getters at the other positions — and the top six outfielders — advance to Phase 2.

The player with the most votes at each position — or the top three outfielders — in Phase 2 earns the starting spot, while the remaining 23 roster spots, including pitchers, are selected by a combination of the Commissioner’s Office and a player ballot — a process that could help Kurtz’s odds despite his low fan turnout so far.

Could Langeliers make A’s history?

Langeliers, 28, has established himself as one of the league’s best-hitting catchers since his breakout finish to 2025, though that second-half surge came too late for serious All-Star contention.

This season, Langeliers leads all AL catchers with 18 home runs, 15 doubles and 75 hits, while all qualified AL catchers with a .883 OPS.

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While no catcher is particularly close to Langeliers, Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk currently sits in second place with just under 300,000 votes.

Kirk, however, has only played in seven games this season, although strong name recognition and the Blue Jays’ large fan base have kept him in the hunt. Toronto players rank near the top of the voting at nearly every position, though several would be considered surprising selections based solely on statistics.

Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles and Dillon Dingler of the Detroit Tigers have the statistical cases that come closest to Langeliers, though both have roughly 261,000 votes.

Does Kurtz still have a chance?

Playing at one of the most hotly contested positions in the AL has created a more difficult path for Kurtz to earn a starting spot.

Kurtz, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, leads baseball with 66 walks and a .438 on-base percentage in a campaign that has vaulted the 24-year-old first baseman into superstar status.

He leads AL first basemen with 72 hits and 52 RBIs, while ranking second in OPS at .974, behind only Rice’s .998. Rice’s advantage is driven largely by his superior power production. Kurtz has 16 home runs and 13 doubles this season.

This season, Kurtz has also notably tied the A’s longest on-base streak with his 48-game run that lasted much of April and May, won the AL Player of the Month award in May and hit the longest home run in the MLB this season — a 471-foot moonshot last week.

Of the top four AL first basemen in fan voting, Guerrero, who leads with 603,014 votes, has posted the weakest offensive numbers this season, ranking 10th among qualified AL first basemen with a .738 OPS. Murakami, who has more than 437,000 votes, has the fourth-best OPS among AL first basemen but has not matched the production of Kurtz or Rice.

Kurtz and Rice have excelled in different areas this season — Kurtz with on-base ability and Rice with power — but both have put together outstanding all-around campaigns. Along with Alvarez and Witt Jr., they are the four frontrunners for the AL MVP award, according to multiple sportsbooks. Rice ranks second in the fan voting with 509,830 votes.

However, both Kurtz and Rice appear likely to earn All-Star selections through the players’ ballot or the Commissioner’s Office, assuming their production continues through the break.

With about a month until the All-Star Game and Phase 1 voting still underway, Kurtz, Langeliers and the rest of the A’s open a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at 6:40 p.m. Monday at Sutter Health Park.

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