Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper leads all of Major League Baseball in fan balloting for the 2017 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard. The first National League balloting update was announced earlier today on MLB Network. The first American League update will be announced tomorrow. The 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot, which is available exclusively online via MLB.com, Club sites and mobile devices, will be accessible until the voting period ends on Thursday, June 29th at 11:59 p.m. (ET).
Harper, who led the NL in fan balloting in 2015, has received 900,079 total votes. The 2015 NL Most Valuable Player is aiming for his fifth career All-Star selection and fourth fan-elected start. The 24-year-old is bidding for his third consecutive start after topping NL outfielders in voting in each of the last two seasons (also started in 2013). With a starting nod, Harper would match Hall of Famer Gary Carter for the most starting assignments in Expos/Nationals franchise history. The 2012 NL Rookie of the Year already owns the most starting roles in Nationals history. The Las Vegas, Nevada native leads the NL with 44 runs scored and is tied for the league lead with 15 home runs. In addition, Harper is batting .331 with 41 RBI, a .443 on-base percentage and a .663 slugging percentage. Harper is followed in the NL outfield by Colorado's Charlie Blackmon (520,479) and Jason Heyward (344,166) of the Chicago Cubs. Heyward's Cubs teammates Ben Zobrist (327,231) and Kyle Schwarber (305,449), along with Atlanta's Matt Kemp (284,420), are close behind in a tightly contested race.
Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (399,347) paces Cubs shortstop Addison Russell (379,640) in the NL's closest infield race. Seager, the 2016 NL Rookie of the Year, is bidding for his second All-Star nod and would become the first Dodgers shortstop to earn a starting assignment since Bill Russell in 1980.
The remaining NL leaders include: first baseman Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs (452,620); second baseman Daniel Murphy of the Nationals (669,643); third baseman Kris Bryant of the Cubs (632,900); and catcher Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants (559,428). Rizzo is followed by Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals (359,055) in a field of well-deserving first basemen. Murphy, who has the second-highest total in the NL, is trailed at second base by Javier Báez of the Cubs (474,119). Colorado's Nolan Arenado (392,051) follows Bryant at third base, while Cubs backstop Willson Contreras (355,289) chases Posey behind the plate.
The Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot, the largest program of its kind in professional sports, is being conducted exclusively online for the third consecutive season. Fans around the world can cast their votes for starters a total of 35 times with the 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot, including a maximum of five valid ballots cast in any 24-hour period. The 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot is available in English and Spanish, and offers audio CAPTCHA functionality for visually impaired fans. Banco BHD León once again sponsors 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.
Details regarding the unveiling of the 2017 American League and National League All-Star Teams will be available in the coming weeks. The AL All-Star Team will have nine elected starters via the fan balloting program, while the NL All-Star Team will have eight fan-elected starters. The pitchers and reserves for both squads - totaling 23 for the NL and 22 for the AL - will be determined through a combination of "Player Ballot" choices and selections made by the Commissioner's Office.
Following the announcement of the American League and National League All-Star rosters, fans will begin voting to select the final player for each League's 32-man roster via the 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote. Fans will cast their votes from a list of five players from each League over the balloting period. Now in its 16th season with over 680 million votes cast, fans again will be able to make their Final Vote selections on MLB.com, Club sites and their mobile devices.
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 can vote exclusively at MLB.com and the 30 Club sites - online or via their mobile devices - with the 2017 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.
MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at Marlins Park (July 11th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 10th), All-Star Sunday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (July 9th), All-Star FanFest at the Miami Beach Convention Center (July 7th-11th), plus a lineup of additional events taking place around the city. The 88th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 180 countries. FOX Deportes will provide Spanish language coverage in the United States, while 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 about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.