Trout poised for All-Star start; Pujols, Hamilton in mix
CLEVELAND -- Mike Trout remained second among American League position players, Albert Pujols stayed third among first basemen and Josh Hamilton was ranked 15th among outfielders when the latest voting results for the All-Star Game were unveiled Monday.
Trout, riding an 11-game hitting streak, has compiled 2,544,658 votes, which is less than 400,000 shy of Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista. The Angels' 22-year-old center fielder nonetheless looks primed to start his second straight Midsummer Classic, leading the fourth-place outfielder -- Yoenis Cespedes of the A's -- by more than 1.4 million votes.
Trout would be the first Angels position player to start back-to-back All-Star Games since Vladimir Guerrero did it four straight times from 2004-07.
Pujols, coming off a three-game series in Atlanta that saw him notch six hits and drive in six runs, has 869,164 votes, which is nearly 1.2 million shy of Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera and 300,000 short of White Sox rookie Jose Abreu. Hamilton, batting .300/.352/.420 in his first 12 games since returning from thumb surgery, has 538,928 votes and trails the third-place Melky Cabrera of the Blue Jays by nearly 1 million.
Shortstop Erick Aybar (.290/.326/.436 slash line heading into Monday) and second baseman Howie Kendrick (.269/.338/.362) still aren't among the leaders at their respective positions.
Fans can cast their votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- online or on a mobile device -- using the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com Ballot Sponsored by Experian until Thursday, July 3, at 11:59 p.m. ET. The 2014 All-Star Game will be played at Target Field on Tuesday, July 15.
Fans may submit up to 25 online ballots, but they can also earn a one-time bonus of 10 additional online ballots. To access these additional online ballots, you must be logged into your MLB.com account when you submit any online ballot. If you do not have an MLB.com account, register on the site in accordance with the enrollment instructions for a free MLB.com account.
Fans this year once again can participate in the Home Run Derby Fan Poll. Fans will have the opportunity to select three players in each league who they would most like to see participate in the Home Run Derby. The 2014 Home Run Derby will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio in the United States beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 14.
The 2014 AL and NL All-Star teams will be unveiled on the 2014 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show during the weekend of July 5-6, with further details to follow on MLB.com. Immediately following the announcement of the AL and NL All-Star rosters, fans can begin voting to select the final player for each league's 34-man roster via the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com Final Vote Sponsored by Experian. Fans will cast their votes from a list of five players from each league over the balloting period.
The final phase of All-Star Game voting will again have fans participating in the 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 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote Sponsored by Pepsi, and their voice will represent 20 percent of the overall vote that determines the recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.
MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage of the All-Star Week festivities.
The 85th 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.