Gordon seeks voting bump for All-Star start

KANSAS CITY -- Left fielder Alex Gordon continues to be the Royals' top contender for a starting spot in the American League All-Star lineup. But he's got some ground to make up before the fans stop voting on the Fourth of July.

In the second tally, announced on Saturday night, Gordon still ranked eighth among the top 15 AL outfielders with 789,488 votes.

The top three are Adam Jones of the Orioles, 1,944,450; Mike Trout of the Angels, 1,939,486; and Torii Hunter of the Tigers, 1,067,973.

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.

Gordon's credentials for the trip to New York include a .310 average and the Major League lead in hitting with two outs, .440 (33-for-75). He also has a .370 (17-for-46) average with runners in scoring position, eighth-best in the AL.

The two-time Gold Glove left fielder has six assists, tied for second in the league.

"He's a very solid, consistent producer offensively -- and defensively," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "I think he's, if not the best left fielder in the game, definitely in the top one or two and I can't even think who would be in his class. He's just a good player, an All-Star-type-caliber player. And I think players get into that level just by being consistently good."

Since 2011, Gordon has batted an even .300 and knocked in 190 runs in 370 games. His 43 outfield assists are the most in the Majors.

No Royals player is listed among the top five vote-getters at the infield positions, catcher or designated hitter.

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.

There's another attractive candidate in Kansas City -- catcher Salvador Perez, who has a .311 average to rank only behind Joe Mauer (.323) of the Twins at the position. And it's Mauer who leads the voting for AL catchers while Perez isn't in the top five.

Perez also has thrown out nine runners attempting to steal, second only to 10 by Matt Wieters of the Orioles, who happens to be second in the AL balloting for catcher.

The 2013 American League and National League 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.

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.

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 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.