LOS ANGELES -- The Cubs woke up on the West Coast Sunday morning to the news that five players on the team are finalists for the 2021 All-Star Game in Colorado, tying the Dodgers for the most in the National League.
MLB Network announced the top vote-getters of Phase 1 in the Google MLB All-Star voting, which included Kris Bryant, Javier Báez, Anthony Rizzo, Willson Contreras and Joc Pederson as contenders to be starters in the Midsummer Classic July 13 on FOX.
You can vote NOW up until 1 p.m. CT on Thursday. Starters for the All-Star Game will be revealed July 1 at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN, followed by roster announcements on July 4 at 4:30 p.m.
Bryant leads the pack of Cubs with over 1.5 million votes at third base. The three-time All-Star entered Sunday with a slash line of .268/.355/.514 in 71 games while clubbing 15 home runs. Bryant is one of three finalists at the hot corner for the National League, along with Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers veteran Justin Turner.
Báez has been one of the league’s most fascinating players to watch this season and may have the chance to show off his defensive skills at shortstop. He joins San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. and San Francisco’s Brandon Crawford in the top three with 830,649 votes.
Báez was selected to the 2018 and ‘19 All-Star games. In his eighth season with the Cubs, Báez has recorded 17 home runs while batting .227 with a slugging percentage of .462.
A three-time All-Star, Rizzo’s patience at the plate has paid dividends with 30 walks and 40 strikeouts in 240 at-bats entering Sunday.
A two-time All-Star, Contreras is in the mix with two future Hall of Famers in Buster Posey and Yadier Molina to be the starting catcher. The 29-year-old caught his first career no-hitter on Thursday and hit his 13th home run of the season.
In his first season with Chicago, Pederson is one of nine finalists for the National League’s starting outfield. Pederson has driven in 33 runs in 61 games, while hitting seven leadoff home runs.
Fans can cast their votes exclusively online at mlb.com/vote, via mobile devices at MLB.com, all 30 club websites, the MLB At Bat and MLB Ballpark mobile apps and on Google Search in the U.S. and Canada by searching "MLB All-Star vote" or "Vote" along with a player's name. (Fan voting determines the starters at first base, second base, third base, shortstop, catcher and the three outfield spots in each league, plus the designated hitter spot in the AL. Pitchers and reserves for both teams will be determined through a combination of Player Ballot choices and selections made by the Commissioner’s Office.)