Posey, Upton & Harper Lead First N.L. All-Star Balloting Figures

San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, the 2012 National League Most Valuable Player, leads all N.L. players in the first balloting figures for the 84^th All-Star Game, to be played on Tuesday, July 16^th at Citi Field in New York, it was announced today.

      Posey, who helped guide the Giants to their second World Series title in three years last fall, has received 1,275,956 votes as he aims for his second consecutive fan-elected start after becoming the first-ever Giants catcher to earn a fan-elected starting nod in 2012. The 2010 N.L. Rookie of the Year, who set a new N.L. All-Star balloting record with 7,621,370 votes in 2012, is followed in overall N.L. voting by two-time All-Star Justin Upton of the Atlanta Braves and 2012 All-Star Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals. Posey, who leads all Major League catchers with a .514 slugging percentage, is followed behind the plate by four-time All-Star and two-time fan-elected starter Yadier Molina (938,911) of the St. Louis Cardinals.

      Upton, in his first season with the Braves, leads N.L. outfielders with 1,184,249 votes as he seeks his first fan-elected start. The top overall selection in the 2005 MLB Draft, who is tied for second in the N.L. with 14 home runs, is followed in the outfield by Harper, the top overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft and last season's N.L. Rookie of the Year. Harper, who has garnered 1,182,532 votes, was the youngest All-Star position player in history and the third-youngest Major League All-Star ever in 2012. Joining Upton and Harper in the outfield is five-time All-Star and four-time fan-elected starter Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers. Braun, who has totaled 945,665 votes, would become the ninth N.L. outfielder in history to earn at least five fan-elected starting assignments. The outfield trio is followed by seven-time All-Star and five-time fan-elected starter Carlos Beltran (847,924) of the St. Louis Cardinals, Shin-Soo Choo (743,755) of the Cincinnati Reds and two-time All-Star Hunter Pence (624,972) of the Giants.

      Giants third baseman and three-time All-Star Pablo Sandoval, who has 1,094,475 votes, has a slight lead over six-time All-Star David Wright (967,299) of the hometown New York Mets. Sandoval (2012) and Wright (2006-07, 2009-10) have claimed five of the last seven fan-elected starting assignments at third base for the Senior Circuit. The 2012 World Series MVP, who leads N.L. third basemen with 37 RBI, would become the first Giants infielder to earn consecutive fan-elected starts since second baseman Jeff Kent (2000-01), and the first Giants third baseman since Matt Williams (1994-96).

      Joining Sandoval on the left side of the infield is two time All-Star Troy Tulowitzki (1,025,844) of the Colorado Rockies. Tulowitzki leads all Major League shortstops with 43 RBI, a .401 on-base percentage and a .602 slugging percentage, and leads all N.L. shortstops with 12 home runs and 32 runs scored. Tulowitzki is aiming for his first fan-elected start, and would join Dante Bichette (1996), Larry Walker (1997-99) and Todd Helton (2001-03) as the only players in Rockies history to earn a fan-elected starting assignment. He is followed in the voting by Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford (668,140). 

      Rounding out the N.L. infield is Reds first baseman Joey Votto, a three-time All-Star and the 2012 fan-elected starter, and his teammate and two-time All-Star Brandon Phillips. Votto, who has received 1,044,742 votes, leads the Majors 47 walks and a .454 on-base percentage, and is tied for first with 46 runs scored. The 2010 N.L. MVP, who would become the first Reds player to earn consecutive fan-elected starts since Hall of Famer Barry Larkin (1999-2000), is followed at first base by Brandon Belt (513,371) of the Giants. Phillips, who has tallied 1,019,240 votes, is attempting to become the first Reds second baseman to earn a fan-elected start since Joe Morgan claimed seven consecutive fan elections from 1972-78. Phillips, who leads Major League second basemen with 45 RBI, is trailed by Marco Scutaro (801,754) of the Giants.

      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 7^th. When the in-stadium phase of balloting concludes on Friday, June 28^th, 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 4^th 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 15^th. 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 7^th 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 7^th, 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 11^th. Now in its 12^th 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 16^th. The 84^th 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.