The 2023 All-Star voting is well underway. Let's fill out a ballot … but not the one you'd expect.

We already know that Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuña Jr. are All-Star favorites. But we want to shine a light on some of the other players on the ballot who are worth a closer look.

• VOTE NOW: 2023 Scotts MLB All-Star Ballot

So let's take this opportunity to fill out a ballot highlighting the players who it might not even cross your mind to vote for, but who'd be deserving All-Stars if they made the team.

There are some clear frontrunners at each position as of this week's ballot update, so those leaders in the voting are off the table here.

Here's a wild -- but defensible -- 2023 All-Star ballot. (All stats are entering the weekend.)

AMERICAN LEAGUE 

First base: Andrew Vaughn, White Sox

Vaughn's clutch hitting has been a bright spot for the White Sox in a disappointing season. The 25-year-old slugger is batting .386 with a 1.166 OPS in high-leverage situations, .340 with a 1.186 OPS with runners in scoring position and .400 with a 1.389 OPS with two outs and runners in scoring position. All those marks rank among the best in the AL.

Second base: Whit Merrifield, Blue Jays

Call it old school, but Merrifield is thriving in Toronto as a contact hitter and stolen base guy. The 34-year-old veteran has a .308 batting average and 18 steals, leading AL second basemen in both categories.

Third base: Isaac Paredes, Rays

It's hard to call Rafael Devers or José Ramírez a "crazy" pick even though they trail in the voting, so let's go with Paredes, a critical part of the juggernaut Rays' offense. His +1.79 Win Probability Added is second only to Ramírez among third basemen, so Paredes is making a real impact for Tampa Bay. He has a .983 OPS in games the Rays win … which is a lot.

Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr., Royals

Witt is starting to turn things around on the stat sheet (he now has 11 home runs and 21 stolen bases), but his numbers still don't reflect his dynamic talent. Based on his quality of contact this season, Witt's expected batting average is .282. His expected slugging percentage is .523. And his power/speed combo remains electric. The 23-year-old has 87 combined barrels and bolts this season -- barrels are elite contact, bolts are runs at elite speed -- way more than any other player (Corbin Carroll is 20 behind him). Besides that, he's been a defensive highlight reel at shortstop this season. That's all a fancy way of saying: Witt would just be a fun player to watch in the All-Star Game.

Catcher: Matt Thaiss, Angels

Thaiss hasn't been getting enough love in the early All-Star voting for what's been a really good offensive season -- he's batting .285 with a .390 on-base percentage, and his 127 wRC+ is right behind Adley Rutschman (131) for the best mark among AL catchers. The 28-year-old has a .905 OPS in Angels wins and a 1.027 OPS with runners in scoring position.

Outfield: Kevin Kiermaier, Blue Jays

Maybe this is a bit of a lifetime achievement award, but Kiermaier is cementing himself as one of the best defensive outfielders of all time, and he's never been an All-Star. He deserves to be one. Not only is he once again at the top of the outfield Outs Above Average leaderboard, Kiermaier is also having a career offensive year, with a 125 OPS+.

Outfield: Masataka Yoshida, Red Sox

Let's get an international star in here. Some people doubted Yoshida's ability to succeed in the Major Leagues, but he's proving the doubters wrong, following up a stellar World Baseball Classic with a stellar debut season for the Red Sox. He's a disciplined hitter who's extremely tough to strike out, with just a 10.7% strikeout rate and nearly as many walks as K's. And he can hit for contact and power, with a .297 batting average, .835 OPS and 124 OPS+.

Outfield: Julio Rodríguez, Mariners

We need one hometown star in this lineup. How can it not be J-Rod? So maybe his numbers aren't quite what they were as a rookie. The All-Star Game should get the most exciting players in baseball on the field, and Rodríguez is absolutely that. We know he can put on a show during All-Star Week -- everyone remembers the 2022 T-Mobile Home Run Derby -- so let him do it again in Seattle.

Designated hitter: Gunnar Henderson, Orioles

OK, so this one should probably just be Ohtani. But if we're going crazy, let's get Henderson to the All-Star Game. We want MLB's young stars to shine, and the 21-year-old has been red-hot lately (.325 batting average, .990 OPS over the last month) and showing exactly why he was the preseason No. 1 prospect in baseball. We want to see what he can do against the best of the best on a national stage.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

First base: Christian Walker, D-backs

Corbin Carroll is the dynamic star sparking the surprising first-place D-backs, but Walker has been a rock in their lineup. He's started 64 of Arizona's 69 games in the cleanup spot and knocked 13 home runs, and he's easily the best defensive first baseman in the game, with +8 Outs Above Average.

Second base: Thairo Estrada, Giants

The Giants don't have tons of star power, but they have great contributors up and down the lineup, and Estrada is one of them. Not only is he batting .296 with nine homers and 15 steals, he's actually leading NL second basemen with 2.7 Wins Above Replacement, even though Luis Arraez's quest for .400 has him (deservedly) atop the voting.

Third base: Elly De La Cruz, Reds

We're going off the ballot on this one and writing in De La Cruz. Who cares that he's only been in the big leagues for a week and a half? He's one of the most exciting players in baseball already. The 21-year-old is the fastest player in the Majors today and he's doing ridiculous things on the baseball field.

Shortstop: Matt McLain, Reds

The usual suspects at shortstop in the NL -- Francisco Lindor, Trea Turner and so on -- just haven't been up to their normal standards, but you know who's been a breath of fresh air? McLain, the Reds' 23-year-old rookie, who was just called up in mid-May but is batting .328 with a .516 slugging and an .895 OPS, all the best among NL shortstops.

Catcher: Gabriel Moreno, D-backs

Moreno has been the best catcher in baseball this year at controlling the run game -- more important than ever with the new rules in 2023 encouraging base-stealing. Moreno leads all catchers in Statcast's Caught Stealing Above Average metric at +6, and he leads the NL in total caught stealings (14) and caught stealing percentage (48%).

Outfield: Jack Suwinski, Pirates

Suwinski really knows how to put a charge into the baseball. He leads MLB in no-doubt home runs, with 12, one more than Ronald Acuña Jr., Shohei Ohtani and Matt Olson. The 24-year-old is having a breakout year with an .894 OPS and 143 OPS+.

Outfield: Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres

Tatis is on an absolute tear right now. He's up to 14 home runs and 11 stolen bases in his 48 games, with a .902 OPS and 149 OPS+. He ranks in the top 5% of MLB or better in expected batting average, expected slugging percentage, sprint speed, Outs Above Average and arm strength -- in other words, he's an elite five-tool player again.

Outfield: Brandon Nimmo, Mets

Nimmo, at least, has been a constant for the Mets in a topsy-turvy season. He's started 65 of New York's 68 games in the leadoff spot, and is one of the best in the business in that role, with a .303 batting average when he leads off an inning. He's been on base 114 times this season, tied for fourth among all outfielders. Nimmo is also batting .326 with runners on base and .364 in high-leverage situations.

Designated hitter: Christopher Morel, Cubs

If you're going the "dominant performance in limited games" route, you could pick Bryce Harper here, but everyone knows Bryce Harper. How about Morel, though? Since making his season debut on May 9, the 23-year-old has slugged 11 home runs with a 1.016 OPS. He's tied for third in the NL in homers and sixth in OPS over that time.