Major League Baseball today announced the return of the official All-MLB Team presented by Cue Health, which recognizes and commemorates the top performances by players during the 2021 regular season. The finalists for the All-MLB Team were unveiled earlier this evening on MLB Network. The selections for the All-MLB Team, which was established in 2019, will be announced on Tuesday, November 23rd on MLB Network.
Beginning today and continuing through Friday, November 19th at 5:00 p.m. (ET), fans may vote for their 2021 All-MLB choices at mlb.com/allmlb once every 24 hours. In addition, the ballot will be available in Spanish at lasmayores.com/todomlb. Fans voting on MLB.com and a decorated panel of media members, broadcasters, former players and other officials throughout the game will have equal say in determining the first-team and second-team choices who comprise the 2021 All-MLB Team.
Fans and panelists will vote for their choices at catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, three outfielders (without regard for left/center/right) and designated hitter, along with five starting pitchers and two relief pitchers on both the first and second teams. All choices should be based on the 2021 regular season, without regard for American League or National League affiliation. The list of nominees that fans and panelists will choose amongst accompanies this press release.
Among the 2021 nominees are 58 players who appeared on 2021 All-Star rosters; six rookies; 38 players age 27-or-younger; 36 internationally-born players hailing from 11 countries and territories outside the 50 United States; 16 members of the 2020 All-MLB Team, including eight first-team selections and eight second-team selections; and seven players who have been named to the All-MLB Team in each of the last two years since its inception. Additionally, Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani is a finalist for the first time in his career and becomes the first player in the brief history of the award to appear at two different positions.
All-MLB Team first-team honorees from 2020 featured on the 2021 ballot include starting pitcher Max Fried and first baseman Freddie Freeman of the World Champion Atlanta Braves; closer Liam Hendriks of the Chicago White Sox; shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. and third baseman Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres; outfielder Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers; outfielder Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals; and catcher Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals. Among the 2020 second-team winners on the 2021 ballot are starting pitcher Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees; designated hitter Nelson Cruz of the Tampa Bay Rays; and catcher J.T. Realmuto of the Philadelphia Phillies. The seven players on the ballot to be honored in each of the last two seasons include Betts, Cole, Cruz, Freeman, Hendriks, Realmuto and Soto.