Molina takes over top spot in NL All-Star voting
Backstop remains in tight race with Posey while Beltran also gets starter's votes
After three weeks of trailing the Giants' Buster Posey, Yadier Molina has climbed atop the National League catcher voting in the latest round of All-Star ballot rankings.
Molina leads all NL players with 3,596,858 votes, and Posey isn't far behind at 3,506,402, good for second in the league.
With 3,472,030, Carlos Beltran is now more than 1 million votes ahead of all other outfielders and is the third leading vote-getter in the NL. Fellow outfielders Matt Holliday and Jon Jay rank sixth and 12th at the position, respectively.
Matt Carpenter is still very much in the mix at second base with 2,251,248 votes. Carpenter, who leads the NL with 30 multi-hit games, needs help to catch the Reds' Brandon Phillips (2,597,742) and the Giants' Marco Scutaro (2,272,484).
David Freese and Allen Craig both remained at third for their respective positions. Craig, whose 57 RBIs are second in the NL, came in at 1,801,138 votes and Freese totaled 1,728,322. Pete Kozma (1,354,974) also stayed put at fourth in shortstop voting.
For the third week in a row, every Cardinals position player is represented on the ballot's leaderboard.
Fans can cast their votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- online or via a mobile device -- using the 2013 All-Star Game MLB.com Ballot until Thursday, July 4, at 10:59 p.m. CT.
Fans may submit 25 online ballots during the voting period, but can also earn a one-time bonus of 10 additional online ballots. To access these additional online ballots, fans must be logged into an MLB.com account when submitting any online ballot. To obtain an MLB.com account, visit www.mlb.com and register in accordance with the enrollment instructions for a free MLB.com account.
Fans can also once again participate in the Home Run Derby Fan Poll. Fans will have the opportunity to select three players in each league whom they would most like to see participate in the Home Run Derby. 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 7 p.m. CT on Monday, July 15.
Though originally scheduled for July 7, the 2013 rosters will now be unveiled Saturday, July 6, at 5:30 p.m. CT on the 2013 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show presented by Taco Bell. The show will be televised nationally on FOX.
From Saturday, July 6 to Thursday, July 11, be sure to return to MLB.com and cast your 2013 All-Star Game Final Vote Sponsored by freecreditscore.com for the final player for each League's All-Star roster.
And the voting doesn't end there. The final phase of All-Star Game voting will again 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 via the 2013 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote, and their voice will represent 20 percent of the official vote determining the recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.
The 2013 All-Star Game will be played at Citi Field on Tuesday, July 16. Come to MLB.com for extensive online coverage of the All-Star Week festivities.
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.
NATIONAL LEAGUE ALL-STAR VOTING
(as of June 23)
FIRST BASE
Joey Votto, Reds 2,677,813
Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks 2,270,886
Allen Craig, Cardinals 1,801,138
Brandon Belt, Giants 1,323,511
Freddie Freeman, Braves 1,181,657
SECOND BASE
Brandon Phillips, Reds 2,597,742
Marco Scutaro, Giants 2,272,484
Matt Carpenter, Cardinals 2,251,248
Chase Utley, Phillies 1,136,890
Daniel Murphy, Mets 1,088,224
SHORTSTOP
Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies 3,104,285
Brandon Crawford, Giants 1,757,255
Jean Segura, Brewers 1,625,753
Pete Kozma, Cardinals 1,354,974
Andrelton Simmons, Braves 965,016
THIRD BASE
David Wright, Mets 2,917,819
Pablo Sandoval, Giants 2,788,988
David Freese, Cardinals 1,728,322
Chris Johnson, Braves 1,008,552
Aramis Ramirez, Brewers 881,559
CATCHER
Yadier Molina, Cardinals 3,596,858
Buster Posey, Giants 3,506,402
John Buck, Mets 1,087,519
Jonathan Lucroy, Brewers 845,519
Miguel Montero, Diamondbacks 799,837
OUTFIELD
Carlos Beltran, Cardinals 3,473,030
Justin Upton, Braves 2,453,531
Bryce Harper, Nationals 2,363,965
Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies 2,060,388
Ryan Braun, Brewers 2,010,310
Matt Holliday, Cardinals 1,947,864
Andrew McCutchen, Pirates 1,777,568
Hunter Pence, Giants 1,732,843
Shin-Soo Choo, Reds 1,566,597
Angel Pagan, Giants 1,541,055
Carlos Gomez, Brewers 1,393,464
Jon Jay, Cardinals 1,321,149
Gregor Blanco, Giants 1,210,892
Domonic Brown, Phillies 1,107,632