SAN DIEGO -- Third baseman Justin Turner can become the fifth Dodgers player on the National League team for the 2017 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard if he wins the 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote, which teammates feel would right a wrong.
• Cast your Esurance Final Vote for Turner
Voting ends at 1 p.m. PT on Thursday. Fans can show their support for Turner by tweeting with #VoteJT, and from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, any tweet that includes #VoteJT will count toward his vote total.
All-Star shortstop Corey Seager said the oversight of Turner not making the starting lineup can be rectified through the Final Vote.
"That was a tough one to swallow, him not making it in the first place," Seager. "We're going to have to promote a lot to get him in there; he really does deserve it."
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In addition to casting ballots for the 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote on MLB.com, Club sites and their mobile devices until 1 p.m. PT on Thursday, fans can show their support for Turner by tweeting with #VoteJT. The winners, as chosen exclusively by online fan voting totals, will then be announced during "MLB Tonight" live on MLB Network and MLB.com at 6 p.m. Extensive coverage throughout the Final Vote will be provided by MLB Network and MLB.com, including interviews with the candidates, frequent updates, heat maps indicating where votes are being cast for each candidate, news on player and club campaigns, and a running countdown clock leading up to the announcement.
Now in its 16th season, with more than 680 million votes cast, the Final Vote again will include social votes on the last day of balloting, as Twitter support for the 10 candidates over the final six hours of balloting will count toward their vote totals. From 7 a.m.-1 p.m. PT on Thursday, any tweet that includes a designated player hashtag will be tabulated as part of the official vote total used to determine the winners.
On Tuesday, July 11, at 4:30 p.m. PT, tune in to the 2017 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard 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 2017 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote. The 88th All-Star Game, in Miami, will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB.com, MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.
Turner, 32, playing a position in the shadow of Rockies All-Star starter Nolan Arenado, would probably be a Gold Glove third baseman in another era. He also has turned himself into a lethal clutch hitter, flirting with a .400 average this year, along with earning the undisputed mantle of team leader in the clubhouse.
Through Sunday's games, Turner had a .382 average, .324 on-base percentage, .557 slugging percentage and 1.029 OPS. He was asked whether he would campaign to win the Final Vote.
"I feel like I've been campaigning for three months on the field, I don't know what else I can do," said Turner, who added that he would definitely accept a berth through the Final Vote or as a late addition.
"To be an All-Star would be a pretty cool deal," he said. "I can't imagine having a better first half than I have. If it's not in the cards, it's not in the cards. Of course, I'll go. I definitely would go, to be an All-Star, no matter how you get there, no one ever takes it away from you. It's not like Belly [Cody Bellinger] and Corey [Seager], I'm up there in age and whatever opportunity I get I'll take it."
Turner will compete in the Esurance Final Vote with four fellow corner infielders: the Marlins' Justin Bour, the Cubs' Kristopher Bryant, the Nationals' Anthony Rendon and the Rockies' Mark Reynolds.
Winning the Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote, only months after signing a $64 million contract, would further highlight the trajectory of a career that appeared stalled when the Mets non-tendered him after the 2013 season and he had to sign a Minor League contract with the Dodgers just before the 2014 season.