Four Orioles on pace to start All-Star Game
BALTIMORE -- The Orioles are no longer a secret around the country, as the fourth balloting update released on Saturday night had four Baltimore players on pace to start in the 84th All-Star Game in New York.
With three All-Stars last season, the Orioles have a chance to add to that this year. Chris Davis, J.J. Hardy and Adam Jones are all the leading vote-getters at their respective positions, and Nick Markakis is slotted in as the third starting outfielder behind the Angels' Mike Trout.
Davis, who is on a home-run binge lately and leads the Majors in the category, is vying to become the first Orioles first baseman to earn a starting nod for the AL team since Eddie Murray in 1985. He trails only Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers for the most AL votes.
Machado is in second place at third base, but he trails Cabrera, last year's Triple Crown winner.
Wieters, who appeared in the past two All-Star Games, lost a little ground on Minnesota's Joe Mauer, but remains in second place for catchers in the AL. He trailed by about 500,000 at the time of the previous update, but Mauer has added about 200,000 votes to that cushion. Still, Wieters is within striking distance if he gets a late surge, and he owns a healthy lead over third-place A.J. Pierzynski of the Rangers.
Nate McLouth moved up to sixth among AL outfielders and is behind fourth-place Jose Bautista by about 200,000 votes, so Baltimore's outfield is well-represented.
In all, 12 players topped 2 million votes at the time of the latest release, and five of them were Orioles.
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 11:59 p.m. ET.
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 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 15.
Though originally scheduled for July 7, the 2013 rosters will now be unveiled Saturday, July 6, at 6:30 p.m. ET 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.
AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR VOTING
(as of June 22)
FIRST BASE
Chris Davis, Orioles 3,960,299
Prince Fielder, Tigers 2,579,031
Mike Napoli, Red Sox 902,562
Albert Pujols, Angels 872,602
Mitch Moreland, Rangers 750,674
SECOND BASE
Robinson Cano, Yankees 3,032,183
Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox 2,135,499
Ian Kinsler, Rangers 1,329,136
Omar Infante, Tigers 1,191,119
Jose Altuve, Astros 850,577
SHORTSTOP
J.J. Hardy, Orioles 2,548,682
Jhonny Peralta, Tigers 1,838,500
Elvis Andrus, Rangers 1,616,834
Jed Lowrie, Athletics 1,207,486
Derek Jeter, Yankees 819,175
THIRD BASE
Miguel Cabrera, Tigers 4,337,223
Manny Machado, Orioles 2,097,804
Adrian Beltre, Rangers 1,334,195
Evan Longoria, Rays 1,106,984
Josh Donaldson, Athletics 635,581
CATCHER
Joe Mauer, Twins 2,788,972
Matt Wieters, Orioles 2,068,032
A.J. Pierzynski, Rangers 1,054,093
Carlos Santana, Indians 1,029,674
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Red Sox 966,196
DESIGNATED HITTER
David Ortiz, Red Sox 3,247,462
Lance Berkman, Rangers 1,519,503
Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays 1,091,593
Victor Martinez, Tigers 959,646
Mark Trumbo, Angels 919,036
OUTFIELD
Adam Jones, Orioles 3,571,693
Mike Trout, Angels 3,548,195
Nick Markakis, Orioles 1,915,860
Jose Bautista, Blue Jays 1,867,367
Torii Hunter, Tigers 1,851,657
Nate McLouth, Orioles 1,660,080
Nelson Cruz, Rangers 1,595,371
Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox 1,289,195
Alex Gordon, Royals 1,239,771
Yoenis Cespedes, Athletics 1,183,926
Coco Crisp, Athletics 1,115,204
Austin Jackson, Tigers 983,469
Josh Hamilton, Angels 897,181
Shane Victorino, Red Sox 823,363
Ichiro Suzuki, Yankees 759,154