Altuve among leaders at second base in voting

HOUSTON -- Jose Altuve of the Astros moved into the leaders among American League second baseman in the second round of All-Star Game fan balloting released this week, coming in fifth place with 488,466 votes.

Altuve, who made the National League All-Star team last year, trails Robinson Cano of the Yankees (1,851,371), Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox (1,106,949), Ian Kinsler of the Rangers (900,950) and Omar Infante of the Tigers (621,202) at the position.

Altuve entered the weekend hitting .297 with three homers and 22 RBIs and ranked tied for sixth in the Majors in three-hit games with seven. He has reached base safely in 49 of his first 56 games this year.

While Altuve is the only Astros player among the voting leaders, catcher Jason Castro continues to have an All-Star-caliber season. He entered the weekend hitting .272 with eight homers and 19 RBIs and was tied for first among AL catchers with 16 doubles and second with a .500 slugging percentage.

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 10:59 p.m. CT.

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 7 p.m. CT on Monday, July 15.

The 2013 AL and NL All-Star teams will be unveiled on Sunday, July 7, on the 2013 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show, televised nationally on TBS. Baseball fans around the world will then be able to select the final player on each team via the All-Star Game Final Vote sponsored by freecreditscore.com on MLB.com.

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. MLB.com will have 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 8)

CATCHER
Joe Mauer, Twins: 1,492,396
Matt Wieters, Orioles: 1,153,795
Carlos Santana, Indians: 723,119
A.J. Pierzynski, Rangers: 697,403
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Red Sox: 509,712

FIRST BASE
Chris Davis, Orioles: 2,084,274
Prince Fielder, Tigers: 1,469,537
Mike Napoli, Red Sox: 552,845
Albert Pujols, Angels: 531,138
Mitch Moreland, Rangers: 513,722

SECOND BASE
Robinson Cano, Yankees: 1,851,371
Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox: 1,106,949
Ian Kinsler, Rangers: 900,950
Omar Infante, Tigers: 621,202
Jose Altuve, Astros: 488,466

THIRD BASE
Miguel Cabrera, Tigers: 2,355,128
Manny Machado, Orioles: 1,170,108
Adrian Beltre, Rangers: 845,540
Evan Longoria, Rays: 657,056
Josh Donaldson, Athletics: 355,693

SHORTSTOP
J.J. Hardy, Orioles: 1,231,843
Elvis Andrus, Rangers: 1,045,885
Jhonny Peralta, Tigers: 915,400
Jed Lowrie, Athletics: 803,972
Derek Jeter, Yankees: 529,234

DESIGNATED HITTER
David Ortiz, Red Sox: 1,716,410
Lance Berkman, Rangers: 957,618
Mark Reynolds, Indians: 622,977
Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays: 554,337
Mark Trumbo, Angels: 551,942

OUTFIELD
Adam Jones, Orioles 1,944,450
Mike Trout, Angels 1,939,486
Torii Hunter, Tigers 1,067,973
Nick Markakis, Orioles 1,030,653
Jose Bautista, Blue Jays 1,021,813
Nelson Cruz, Rangers 1,011,198
Nate McLouth, Orioles 918,359
Alex Gordon, Royals 789,488
Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox 714,716
Yoenis Cespedes, Athletics 652,702
Coco Crisp, Athletics 643,532
Josh Hamilton, Angels 564,417
Austin Jackson, Tigers 538,178
Shane Victorino, Red Sox 499,413
Ichiro Suzuki, Yankees 477,870