Santana fourth as All-Star voting winds down

CLEVELAND -- Indians manager Terry Francona has been in Jim Leyland's position in the past. After the fan and player ballots are determined, Detroit's manager has been charged with selecting the rest of the American League All-Star roster.

The latest fan voting results for the AL's elite squad were revealed on Monday and only Tribe catcher Carlos Santana was listed as a finalist. Given the gap between Santana and the top vote-getter at his position (Minnesota's Joe Mauer), Cleveland's All-Star or All-Stars will likely come down to the player voting or Leyland's decisions

Francona knows it is unrealistic to select every deserving candidate or to make everyone happy.

That is why Francona will not say which of his players he hopes to see included.

"I'd like to keep that private," Francona said last week. "I have given it some thought, but I'd like to keep it private. Jim Leyland, I have as much respect for him as anybody in the game. And I've also been through the process, so I know how it works. I know he will leave no stone unturned, I'd be willing to bet. I also know it's an impossible job."

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 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 July 15.

Though originally scheduled for Sunday, the 2013 rosters will now be unveiled on Saturday 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 July 6-11, fans can return to MLB.com and cast their 2013 All-Star Game Final Vote Sponsored by freecreditscore.com for the final player for each League's All-Star roster.

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 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.

If Santana earns a spot on the American League roster -- whether via fan or peer voting -- it would mark his first All-Star appearance. Mauer leads AL catchers with 3,869,330 votes, and is followed in balloting by Baltimore's Matt Wieters (2,677,959), Texas' A.J. Pierzynski (1,441,827) and Santana (1,285,650).

Entering Monday's action, the switch-hitting Santana led AL catchers in walks (46) and ranked second in on-base percentage (.3378), OPS (.837) and runs( 37). He ranked third among AL catchers in batting average (.269), slugging percentage (.458), home runs (10) and doubles (20), and fourth in RBI (34).

Cleveland's other top All-Star candidates include right-hander Justin Masterson and second baseman Jason Kipnis.