Will Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday be a starter in this year's MLB All-Star Game? That may actually depend on how jaded the Yankees' fanbase is. Why? Because joining Holliday as the AL finalist at second base is former Yankees infielder, and current Detroit Tigers' standout, Gleyber Torres.
Holliday's uptick in production this season already helped him surpassed for AL MVP Jose Altuve by 120,000 votes in Phase 1 of the All-Star voting, and now it's on to Phase 2. But Holliday will need some help to bypass Torres — a player who received a considerable amount of help from the Tigers' faithful.
Torres is having a phenomenal year with the Tigers and is hitting .281/.386/.430 with eight home runs, 40 RBI, and 133 OPS+. By comparison, Holliday owns a .259/.310/.411 slash line with nine homers, 32 RBI, eight stolen bases, and a 107 OPS+. By the numbers, this looks like Torres' race to lose, but stranger things have happened.
Yankees fans face brutal All-Star choice that might help Orioles 2B Jackson Holliday
After all, it's the fan vote that will decide who goes to the Midsummer Classic — at least the starters. Beginning on Monday, fans will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite players once again. The second phase runs from June 30 through July 2 and the top vote-getter will receive the starting nod in the 2025 All-Star Game which takes place on July 16 at Truist Park in Atlanta.
So just how mad are Yankees fans? Torres was an All-Star with the Bronx Bombers in 2018 and 2019, but he came crashing down during his final five years in the Bronx. After hitting .275/.338/.511 with a 125 OPS during his first two seasons in New York, Torres posted an underwhelming .261/.332/.411 slash line after that with a 107 OPS+. The Yankees fanbase expected Torres to be a cornerstone, but instead he fled to the Motor City this past winter and is now excelling with the Tigers.
Might Yankees' fans be so ticked off that Torres is having success away from New York that out of spite, they vote for Holliday? O's fans sure hope that's the case, but regardless, the Baltimore fanbase will have a three-day window to help push Holliday into the All-Star Game as the AL's starter at second base. And who knows, maybe Yankees' fans will give Jackson a little boost as well.