Freeman narrowly ahead of Puig; Delabar also leads
Dodgers sensation sitting a close second in NL Final Vote, while relievers battle in AL
When it comes to the Final Vote, apparently, there's strength in numbers.
Not just the numbers that comprise the vote totals for each individual candidate up for election. There's also a subplot working, through which teams have partnered to garner votes from not only their own fans, but those of another one as well.
The Blue Jays and Braves have teamed up to implore their fans to vote for their guys. Both of them. That has likely helped the cause of Toronto reliever Steve Delabar, who's leading the American League in 2013 All-Star Game Final Vote balloting sponsored by freecreditscore.com, and Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman, who's leading the National League.
More than 16 million ballots had been cast as of Monday morning, and the lead in each league has changed several times.
Boston's Koji Uehara is second in AL voting, followed by the Yankees' David Robertson, Detroit's Joaquin Benoit and the Rangers' Tanner Scheppers.
In the NL, Yasiel Puig is in second place, followed by Giants outfielder Hunter Pence, Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond and Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.
The Blue Jays are using the hashtag #raisethebar, which was trending in Canada late Sunday night with a flood of tweets supporting the Jays right-hander. But they were also making a push for #VoteFreddie, and vice versa. The dual campaign appears to be working.
In Los Angeles, the Dodgers have two players they're pushing for, although Gonzalez (#voteTitan) has made it clear he's going to #VotePuig. From the initial voting results, it's apparent the Dodger faithful have followed his lead.
The Red Sox have opted for a #HighFiveCiti hashtag to push for Uehara, while the Tigers are going with #BackBenoit. In Arlington, the Rangers are asking for fans to #TakeTanner, while in Washington, Desmond's nickname is on display with a #DesiIn13 campaign.
The Giants have changed their username to #VotePence and tweeted a Vine video showing a fan watching the Giants game while simultaneously texting multiple Final Votes for the popular outfielder.
Now in its 12th year, the 2013 All-Star Game Final Vote sponsored by freecreditscore.com gives baseball fans around the world the opportunity to select the final player on each All-Star team. Balloting began immediately following Saturday's Major League All-Star Selection Show presented by Taco Bell and will continue until Thursday at 4 p.m. ET. The winners will be announced on MLB.com shortly thereafter.
There will be an extra treat for fans who participate in the Final Vote online. If you are not a current MLB.TV subscriber (MLB.TV or MLB.TV Premium), you are eligible to receive a 14-day free trial of MLB.TV from July 12-26. If you are a current MLB.TV subscriber (MLB.TV or MLB.TV Premium), you will receive a 15-percent discount to the MLB.com Shop. MLB.com will send an email on July 12 to all Final Vote voters with instructions on how to redeem the applicable offer.
Mobile voting in the U.S. and Canada is open to everyone. In the U.S., to receive the 2013 All-Star Game Final Vote sponsored by freecreditscore.com mobile ballot, text the word "VOTE" to 89269. To vote for a specific player, simply text message your choice using the codes below to 89269 (Example: Text "A1" to vote for Joaquin Benoit). In Canada, fans should text their choices to 101010. Standard message and data rates may apply. To vote for your player via text message, use the codes below.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
A1 - Joaquin Benoit, Detroit
A2 - Steve Delabar, Toronto
A3 - David Robertson, New York Yankees
A4 - Tanner Scheppers, Texas
A5 - Koji Uehara, Boston
NATIONAL LEAGUE
N1 - Ian Desmond, Washington
N2 - Freddie Freeman, Atlanta
N3 - Adrian Gonzalez, Los Angeles
N4 - Hunter Pence, San Francisco
N5 - Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles
For the second consecutive year, the 2013 All-Star Game MLB.com Final Vote sponsored by freecreditscore.com (#FinalVote) will include a social balloting element as Twitter support from the candidates' fans over the last six hours of balloting will count toward their final vote totals. From 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, any tweet that includes a designated player hashtag will be tabulated as part of the overall vote total used to determine the AL and NL winners. Fans may follow @MLB on the popular social networking service for the latest standings updates in advance of the 4 p.m. ET balloting deadline.
The fun doesn't end there, however. Fans, having already decided the starters and final player on each team, once again will have the opportunity to participate in the official voting for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player presented by Chevrolet via the 2013 All-Star Game MVP Vote on MLB.com during the All-Star Game.
The 84th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 200 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network and SiriusXM also will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.