WASHINGTON -- Bryce Harper, the National League's home run leader, also stands at the top of the leaderboard among outfielders in the first 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Ballot update. Harper is aiming to make the NL All-Star team for the sixth time in his career and start the game for the fourth consecutive season.
• VOTE: 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Ballot
Harper leads all NL outfielders with 498,189 votes, outpacing Nick Markakis (494,206) from the Braves and Matt Kemp (351,780) from the Dodgers, who round out the starting outfield. Harper is the third-highest vote-getter in the NL, with Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman (633,342) leading the charge.
Harper is the lone Nationals player at the top in his position. Two others appear on the ballot leaderboard, with Trea Turner (158,252) coming in at fourth among NL shortstops and Matt Adams (106,317) at No. 14 among outfielders. Meanwhile, the Nats' NL East rivals dominated Monday's initial ballot update, as a trio of Braves players stood at the top for their respective positions.
Not only is Harper one of baseball's biggest stars, but he has earned a spot as one of the leading vote-getters with his display of power through the first half of the year. He began Monday setting the pace in the NL in home runs with 19 and in walks with 48. His OPS+ is 131 and he is on pace to hit a career high in home runs.
Fans may cast votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on computers, tablets and smartphones -- exclusively online using the 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Ballot until Thursday, July 5, at 11:59 p.m. ET. On smartphones and tablets, fans can also access the ballot via the MLB At Bat and MLB Ballpark mobile apps. Each fan can vote up to five times in any 24-hour period, for a maximum of 35 ballots cast.
Following the announcement of this year's All-Star starters, reserves and pitchers, fans should return to MLB.com and cast their 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Final Vote for the final player on each league's roster. Then on Tuesday, July 17, while watching the 2018 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard live on FOX, fans may visit MLB.com to submit their choices for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet with the 2018 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote.
The 89th Midsummer Classic, at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., 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 SiriusXM 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 @MLB and @AllStarGame on social media.