Votebook: All-Star hopefuls swinging hot bats
Nine hit over .400 last week as they seek Midsummer Classic votes
As the races for starting spots in the 2014 All-Star Game heat up, a handful of Major League stars showed over the last week that it's not all about power when putting up big numbers and helping your team win.
Nine Major Leaguers -- led by National League Player of the Week Seth Smith, who hit .500 (12-for-24) -- hit over .400 in the last week. Smith, Ike Davis, Yangervis Solarte, Eric Hosmer, Giancarlo Stanton, David DeJesus, Asdrubal Cabrera, A.J. Pollock and Elvis Andrus combined for 96 hits, and only seven of them (one each from Smith, Solarte, Stanton, DeJesus and Pollock; and two from Cabrera) were long balls.
Matt Dominguez, Gordon Beckham, Ian Kinsler, Jose Altuve, Victor Martinez, Miguel Cabrera, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Robinson Cano and Jose Abreu round out the 18 Major Leaguers who recorded double-digit hit totals in the last seven days.
Each of these players, and many more, are hoping some big May performances can help propel them to the All-Star Game on July 15 at Target Field.
Voting is already underway for this year's Midsummer Classic. Fans can cast their votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- online or on a mobile device -- using the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com Ballot Sponsored by Experian until Thursday, July 3, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Of those nine players with averages of at least .400 this week, four also drew at least three walks. Each had an OPS of at least 1.022. Of players with at least 25 plate appearances, no one had more RBIs than two-time reigning American League Most Valuable Player Award winner Cabrera (11), with AL Player of the Week Encarnacion (10) just behind.
Encarnacion and Mike Olt each homered four times, leading all of baseball.
Meanwhile, Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki continues to put up astronomical numbers to lead Colorado's torrid offense, with a .395 average to go along with 11 homers and 33 RBIs on the season.
Fans may submit up to 25 online ballots, but they can also earn a one-time bonus of 10 additional online ballots. To access these additional online ballots, you must be logged into your MLB.com account when you submit any online ballot. If you do not have an MLB.com account, register on the site in accordance with the enrollment instructions for a free MLB.com account.
Fans this year once again can participate in the Home Run Derby Fan Poll. Fans will have the opportunity to select three players in each league who they would most like to see participate in the Home Run Derby. The 2014 Home Run Derby will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio in the United States beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 14.
The 2014 AL and NL All-Star teams will be unveiled on the 2014 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show during the weekend of July 5-6, with further details to follow on MLB.com. Immediately following the announcement of the AL and NL All-Star rosters, fans can begin voting to select the final player for each league's 34-man roster via the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com Final Vote Sponsored by Experian. Fans will cast their votes from a list of five players from each league over the balloting period.
And the voting doesn't end there. The final phase of All-Star Game voting will again have fans participating in the 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 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote Sponsored by Pepsi, and their voice will represent 20 percent of the overall vote that determines the recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.
MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage of the All-Star Week festivities.
The 85th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX, 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 will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.