MLB announced its first All-Star Game voting update on Monday, and one deserving Twins All-Star is receiving fewer votes than his peers despite his statistics suggesting he should be receiving more.

All-Star Game voting update proves MLB fans underrate Twins star center fielder Byron Buxton
Buxton, who has posted 2.1 bWAR with an .840 OPS (131 OPS+) this season, ranked 13th among American League outfielders in Monday’s All-Star ballot update with 219,808 votes.

Aaron Judge deservedly ranked first among outfielders in the update with 1,568,527 votes, but the next two vote-leading outfielders, Riley Greene and Mike Trout, do not deserve the nod over Buxton.

Greene, an All-Star last year, has 1.5 bWAR and an .822 OPS (130 OPS+), which is great but not on par with Buxton’s stats, and Trout, although he is a future hall-of-famer, has had a lackluster injury-shortened season, posting 0.2 bWAR with a .768 OPS (114 OPS+).

Voting leaders through the first MLB All Star ballot update! pic.twitter.com/TJH7MOU5MK

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 16, 2025

On top of being more deserving of an All-Star nod than Greene and Trout, Buxton has a higher bWAR than every outfielder ahead of him in voting besides Judge, Steven Kwan and Julio Rodriguez. There is an argument for the outfield to consist of those three players, with Buxton close behind.

However, Buxton has been a better hitter than Rodriguez (115 OPS+) and Kwan (122 OPS+) while also boasting elite defense in center field. Regardless, Buxton should be among the top four in votes received among outfielders.

Buxton ranking 13th suggests that voters as a whole do not fully recognize the greatness of Buxton’s season, while bigger market players and those on the best teams, such as the Tigers, are receiving more favoritism among fans.

Twins set to compete in series against Cincinnati Reds this week

The Minnesota Twins and Cincinnati Reds are set to square off in a three-game series this week at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Game 1 is scheduled to start at 6:10 p.m. CT on Tuesday, featuring probable starting pitchers righty David Festa and lefty Andrew Abbot. Game 2 is supposed to start at 6:10 on Wednesday, and Game 3 is slated to start at 11:40 a.m. on Thursday.