Freeman, Braves seek All-Star votes
Slugger not among top five at first base in NL; Pierzynski fourth among catchers
ATLANTA -- Now that Freddie Freeman has homered in three of his past four games, he might start garnering the same level of support he received from All-Star voters the past few seasons. When the latest update of the 2015 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot was released Tuesday afternoon, Freeman was not listed among the top five National League first basemen.
For the second straight week, veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski stood as the only Braves player who ranked among the top five at his respective position.
Pierzynski has garnered the fourth-most votes among National League catchers. Still he sits more than one million votes behind San Francisco's Buster Posey, who holds a slim lead over St. Louis' Yadier Molina.
Freeman has regularly ranked among the top five NL first basemen over the past couple of seasons. Those spots are currently occupied by Los Angeles' Adrian Gonzalez, Arizona's Paul Goldschmidt, Chicago's Anthony Rizzo, St. Louis' Matt Adams and San Francisco's Brandon Belt.
Video: ATL@SF: Freeman cuts deficit with solo shot to center
Fans can cast their votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on their computers, tablets and smartphones -- using the 2015 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot until Thursday, July 2, at 11:59 p.m. ET. For the first time, voting is exclusively online, where fans may submit up to 35 ballots.
Fans may also receive the ballot by texting VOTE to 89269 (USA) or 101010 (Canada). Or text VOTA for a ballot in Spanish. Message and data rates may apply. Up to five messages. No purchase required. Reply STOP to cancel. Reply HELP for info.
Despite slumping during the latter part of May, Freeman has batted .297 with eight home runs and an .865 OPS. Goldschmidt leads NL first basemen with 15 home runs. Gonzalez and Philadelphia's Ryan Howard rank second with 10.
Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons is widely regarded as the game's best defensive player and he ranks sixth among NL shortstops with a .734 OPS. But like Freeman, All-Star voters have not shown him the same level of respect he received in recent years.
Following the announcement of the 2015 All-Stars, be sure to return to MLB.com and cast your 2015 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote for the final player for each league's All-Star roster. On Tuesday, July 14, watch the 2015 All-Star Game live on FOX, and during the game visit MLB.com to submit your choice for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet via the 2015 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote.
MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage of All-Star Week festivities.
The 86th 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.