Freeman, Delabar hold leads; Puig second
Yanks' Robertson moves up a spot, dropping Boston's Uehara to third in AL Final Vote
Perhaps Freddie Freeman put it best with a tweet to Braves fans on Tuesday:
"Braves fans are amazing! Thank you all so much for your support! Now stop reading my tweet and get back to voting lol."
Teams and players are taking to Twitter to sway fan voting and using any method necessary to get the point across. Some, like Freeman, are using humor. Soliciting the help of their pro sports counterparts is very much on the table as well, as evidenced by this tweet from the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA:
"If you're an Atlanta sports fan, do your good deed & #VoteFreddie into MLB #ASG!"
The methods appear to be working. An active campaign, coupled with the ongoing efforts of the Blue Jays and Braves to solicit votes from each other's fan base, has kept Freeman in the National League lead in the 2013 All-Star Game Final Vote sponsored by freecreditscore.com. In turn, Steve Delabar, Toronto's star reliever, continues to pace the American League.
More than 33.2 million votes had been cast entering Tuesday.
Positioning hasn't changed much since Monday's update. Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig is in second place in NL voting, followed by Giants outfielder Hunter Pence, Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond and Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.
In the AL, the battle of the relievers has only one minor change. The Yankees' David Robertson is now in second place, switching positions with Boston's Koji Uehara, who is now in third. AL vote totals round out with Detroit's Joaquin Benoit in fourth and the Rangers' Tanner Scheppers. The race is so close, only 180,000 votes separate Robertson, Uehara and Benoit.
Fans are the focal point of this campaign, of course, because they ultimately will decide the fates of the two players who will complete the All-Star rosters. But teams are leaning on players, and, in the Dodgers' case, celebrities, to push for their guys.
For example, Pence: @hunterpence: Just read that Freeman is in the lead and Puig is in second. Please get on your phones and vote for me :). Text N4 to 89269! I believe!!
The Tigers and Giants have followed the lead of the Braves and Blue Jays, pairing up to encourage fans to vote for their guy -- and the other guy, too.
From #BackBenoit @Tigers: We're teaming up with the @SFGiants to #BackBenoit in the AL and #VotePence in the NL. Go to http://atmlb.com/12OE1xX and cast your vote now!
Still, the Braves and Blue Jays may have cornered the market, if only because they had a one-day head start on it. As fan Dave Astles (@astles9) eloquently stated:
"No chance Delabar doesn't go to the All-Star game. We got a whole country plus 1 state voting for him. #RaiseTheBar #VoteFreddie @BlueJays"
That said, don't count out the Dodgers, if only for their home-field advantage - home-field, as in, Hollywood:
Larry King @kingsthings: "Attention followers please go to @Dodgers website & vote Puig for All-Star team -- do it now -- that's an order! Thanks! http://atmlb.com/15s3sGE"
Alyssa Milano @Alyssa_Milano: #VotePuig Yes!!!! @YasielPuig
Still, never underestimate the blue-collar viewpoint that resonates with a large part of the fanbase. Consider this musing from Blue Jays fan:
@AnthaV: "How many players on the ballot have a steel plate and 9 screws in their pitching arm? ONE! Vote @SteveDelabar_50."
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 continues until 4 p.m. ET on Thursday. The winners will be revealed 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 NLK 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.