Mark Reynolds, Carlos Santana rank among leaders in first A.L. All-Star balloting update
Detroit Tigers seven-time All-Star Miguel Cabrera, who has never been an elected starter in the Midsummer Classic, leads all American League players in the first balloting figures for the 84th All-Star Game, to be played on Tuesday, July 16th at Citi Field in New York, it was announced today. The first National League balloting results will be announced tomorrow.
After becoming Baseball's first Triple Crown winner in 45 years in 2012, Cabrera sets the pace in 2013 American League balloting with 1,500,165 votes. The 2012 A.L. MVP, who is aiming to become the first-ever Tigers third baseman to be elected to start the Midsummer Classic, is followed by New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, a four-time A.L. All-Star and a three-time elected starter, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder Mike Trout, a 2012 All-Star who last year became the first rookie ever with a season of at least 30 home runs and 40 stolen bases.
Cabrera, who leads the Majors with a .367 batting average, 83 hits and 65 RBI, is followed at third base by 20-year-old Manny Machado (723,943) of the Baltimore Orioles. Cano, who is seeking his fourth consecutive All-Star starting assignment, has tallied 1,235,230 votes, and is followed at second base by two-time All-Star Ian Kinsler (656,827) of the Texas Rangers. Joining Cabrera and Cano in the infield is Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, who is bidding for his All-Star Game debut, and two-time All-Star shortstop Elvis Andrus of the Rangers. Davis, who leads the Majors with 20 home runs, would become the first Baltimore first baseman since Eddie Murray in 1985 to earn a starting nod in a Midsummer Classic. Davis, a Texas native who has garnered 1,176,016 votes, is followed at first base by four-time All-Star and 2012 starter Prince Fielder (1,059,300) of the Tigers. In the tightest race thus far, Andrus (727,555) is trying to hold off Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy (717,103) in an effort to end New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter's run of seven consecutive fan-elected starts.
Trout is joined in the outfield by Orioles center fielder Adam Jones and Tigers right fielder Torii Hunter. Jones, a two-time All-Star, has totaled 1,181,875 votes and would join Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, Ken Singleton and Brady Anderson as the only fan-elected Orioles outfielders in All-Star history. Hunter, in his first season with Detroit, is aiming for his fifth All-Star appearance and second fan-elected starting assignment (2002). Following the trio of outfield leaders are 2009 All-Star Nelson Cruz (712,320) of the Rangers, three-time All-Star and 2011 All-Star balloting leader Jose Bautista (653,475) of the Toronto Blue Jays and Jones' Orioles teammate Nick Markakis (595,698), aiming for his first All-Star appearance.
Rounding out the A.L. squad is Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, a five-time All-Star and three-time fan-elected starter, and Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, an eight-time All-Star and four-time fan-elected starter. Mauer, the 2009 A.L. MVP, has tallied 863,450 votes, and is followed by Orioles backstop Matt Wieters (715,055), who is seeking his third consecutive All-Star appearance. Ortiz, who has been voted the starter in each of the last two Midsummer Classics, is trailed by six-time All-Star Lance Berkman (672,547), who is in his first season with Rangers.
MLB's All-Star Balloting Program is the largest of its kind in professional sports, and last year produced a record-shattering total of 40.2 million ballots cast. This year, more than 20 million Firestone All-Star ballots will be distributed at the 30 Major League ballparks, each of which will have 25 dates for balloting, and in approximately 100 Minor League ballparks.
In addition, fans around the world can cast their votes for starters 25 times exclusively at MLB.com and all 30 Club web sites - online or via their mobile devices - with the 2013 All-Star Game MLB.com Ballot Sponsored by freecreditscore.com. During the voting period, the All-Star Game MLB.com Ballot Sponsored by freecreditscore.com will be available in English, Spanish, Japanese, Korean and Chinese, and will offer audio CAPTCHA functionality for visually-impaired fans. Banco BHD will sponsor online All-Star balloting in the Dominican Republic, making Spanish-language ballots available to fans in the Dominican Republic via LasMayores.com, the official Spanish-language Web site of Major League Baseball.
Every Major League Club began its in-stadium balloting no later than Tuesday, May 7th. When the in-stadium phase of balloting concludes on Friday, June 28th, fans will have the opportunity to cast their ballots exclusively online at MLB.com, the 30 Club Web sites and their mobile devices until Thursday, July 4th at 11:59 p.m. (EDT).
Firestone, the official tire of MLB, is once again the exclusive sponsor of the 2013 In-Stadium All-Star Balloting Program. The ballot features an All-Star sweepstakes, in which a winner will be rewarded with a trip for two to MLB All-Star Week, including airfare, hotel accommodations and tickets to the All-Star Game and other MLB All-Star Week events.
For the fifth consecutive year, this year's ballot features the Home Run Derby Fan Poll. Fans will have the opportunity to select the three players in each League who they would most like to see participate in the Home Run Derby. The Fan Poll is also available online at MLB.com. The 2013 Home Run Derby, part of Gatorade All-Star Workout Day, will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio in the United States beginning at 8:00 p.m. (EDT) on Monday, July 15th. The 10 American League candidates are Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays; Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers; Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers; the winner of the 2011 Home Run Derby, Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees; Adam Dunn of the Chicago White Sox; the winner of the 2009 and 2012 Home Run Derby, Prince Fielder of the Tigers; Josh Hamilton of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles; Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays; and Mike Trout of the Angels. The 10 National League candidates are Carlos Beltran of the St. Louis Cardinals; Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers; Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals; Jason Heyward of the Atlanta Braves; Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers; Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates; Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants; Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins; Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds; and David Wright of the Mets.
The 2013 American League and National League All-Star Teams will be unveiled on Sunday, July 7th on the 2013 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show presented by Taco Bell, televised nationally on TBS. The A.L. All-Star Team will have nine elected starters via the fan balloting program, while the N.L. All-Star Team will have eight fan-elected starters. The pitchers and reserves for both squads - totaling 25 for the N.L. and 24 for the A.L. - will be determined through a combination of "Player Ballot" choices and selections made by the two All-Star managers - A.L. skipper Jim Leyland of the Detroit Tigers and N.L. manager Bruce Bochy of the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants.
Immediately following the announcement of the American League and National League All-Star rosters on Sunday, July 7th, fans will begin voting to select the final player for each League's 34-man roster via the 2013 All-Star Game MLB.com Final Vote Sponsored by freecreditscore.com. Fans will cast their votes from a list of five players from each League over a four-day period and the winners will be announced after the voting concludes on Thursday, July 11th. Now in its 12th season with more than 350 million votes cast, fans again will be able to make their Final Vote selections on MLB.com, Club sites and their mobile phones.
This year's final phase of All-Star Game voting again will have fans participating in the official voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans will vote exclusively online at MLB.com and the 30 Club sites via the 2013 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote, and their collective voice will represent 20 percent of the official vote determining this year's recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.
The 2013 All-Star Game will be played at Citi Field on Tuesday, July 16th. 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. Pregame ceremonies will begin at 7:30 p.m. (EDT). ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com or mets.com/asg.