Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across Major League Baseball. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Yankees fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The New York Yankees’ offense has looked solid all year, and currently ranks second in MLB with a 115 wRC+. Cody Bellinger has been a big part of that success, and second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. has been able to overcome a rough start to his season and remains a key
cog in the Bombers’ World Series dreams.
A few days ago, we asked you, the Yankees fan reading this piece, whether Bellinger and Chisholm have done enough to make the All-Star roster in the American League. The response was clear.
A whopping 98 percent of Yankees fans believe Bellinger should be in Philadelphia next month, playing the Midsummer Classic with the American League. And to be fair, the numbers don’t lie: he is definitely deserving of a spot on the team.
Only four outfielders in the Junior Circuit have a higher wRC+ than Bellinger’s 136: Byron Buxton (149), Aaron Judge (148), Randy Arozarena (139), and Mike Trout (139). Bellinger is also second in fWAR with 2.6, right behind Buxton’s 2.8. These stats tell you that Bellinger, who is slashing a cool .275/.369/.479 with 11 homers and eight stolen bases, is among the very best outfielders in the American League and can’t be left out of the party. The Yankees re-signed him to a five-year, $162.5 million deal primarily with the hope that he could help them win right away; he’s absolutely done that in the first half of 2026.
The first MLB All-Star voting update had Bellinger and Judge among the top five vote-getters in the AL outfield, so they would both be in position to at least advance to the more run-off-focused Phase 2 of the process. Regardless of whether or not he gets a starting spot, he’s likely in good shape to make his third career All-Star team—and first since his MVP-winning 2019—in some capacity. (It’d be a stunner if teammates Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler weren’t there with him, but their cases are clear-cut enough that we did not ask about them or Judge, who might also make it despite his injury).
Now, let’s examine Chisholm’s case.
Yankees fans aren’t so confident that Chisholm deserves to play in the Midsummer Classic. Roughly one-third of them think he should be an All-Star, and to be fair, it wouldn’t be right to proclaim a 102-wRC+ hitter an automatic entry.
Chisholm wasn’t himself in the first month of the year, with a 73 wRC+. Then, he turned things around in May with a 124 mark and has kept playing at a high level in June, with a 122 wRC+. He does have 10 homers and 20 stolen bases, though, and his defensive performance depends on which stat you prioritize: his -5 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) says he has been a disaster, yet his 5 Outs Above Average (OAA) think the world of him.
In other words, Chisholm has lacked consistency this year, and the majority of fans don’t think he is an All-Star at this juncture. That can still change, though, especially since the AL field as a whole at the keystone is, to be kind, underwhelming. Someone has to be the All-Star second baseman. It could still be Jazz.
In the MLB-wide survey, we asked you who will win the World Series. The results are not surprising:
A plurality of the public—roughly 39 percent—believe that the Los Angeles Dodgers will get the three-peat. As of Friday morning, they boast an MLB-best 48-27 record and a nine-game lead in the NL West. They still have plenty of offensive and pitching weapons, and they are run by the same people with the same successful philosophy. They have as good a chance as anyone in the league to win it all.
The Atlanta Braves checked in at second place in the survey, and the Yankees were third. They will need to shore up a shaky bullpen to reach those heights, though, not to mention getting Judge back healthy in time. The rebuilding White Sox actually being in the top five is definitely cool to see.
These survey results are sponsored by FanDuel.
