Shohei Ohtani is among the early leaders in voting for this year's Major League Baseball All-Star Game, according to the first batch of fan ballots released Monday.
With 526,608 votes so far in the first phase of balloting, the Los Angeles Angels two-way star is the leading candidate to become the American League's starting designated hitter in the July 13 All-Star Game at Denver's Coors Field.
The AL's second-most popular DH candidate, J.D. Martinez of the Boston Red Sox, is some 230,000 votes behind Ohtani with 293,757.
Should he be selected for his MLB All-Star debut, Ohtani will become the fourth Japanese position player or DH to feature in the showcase game, following in the footsteps of Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui and Kosuke Fukudome. The 26-year-old also has a chance to pitch for the AL in Denver.
After staying off the mound for nearly two full seasons following elbow surgery in the 2018 off-season, Ohtani has bounced back with a vengeance this year as a two-way player.
Through 60 games, he has batted .269 with 17 home runs, 45 RBIs and nine stolen bases. In nine pitching starts, he has a 2-1 record with a 2.85 ERA and 68 strikeouts.
Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. -- a favorite in the AL MVP race -- is the overall leader in All-Star voting, with 857,956 votes in the early balloting returns. The Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr. ranks second with 834,287 votes.
Each league's top three vote-getters at each position and top nine outfielders will advance to the second phase of voting, beginning June 28, to determine the All-Star starters. Starting teams will be announced on July 1.
Pitchers and reserves will be picked through a combination of player ballots and selections by the MLB commissioner's office, with the final teams to be named on July 4.
