Many AL ballot races will come down to the wire

With less than two weeks remaining in the online All-Star balloting, a number of races for starting spots in the American League lineup are far too close to call.

At shortstop, New York's Derek Jeter remains the frontrunner to start in his final Midsummer Classic. He leads Alexei Ramirez of the White Sox, who has the edge statistically this season over the Yankees' iconic captain, by 420,219 votes.

Seattle second baseman Robinson Cano's lead is growing. He carries an edge of nearly 700,000 votes over Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler, who is clinging to a narrow lead over Boston's Dustin Pedroia.

At the corner-infield positions, Detroit's Miguel Cabrera and Oakland's Josh Donaldson both maintain leads of over 1 million votes over the next-closest vote-getter.

Despite having to miss the All-Star Game because of Tommy John surgery, Baltimore's Matt Wieters continues to lead at catcher. Derek Norris of the Athletics has taken over the second-place spot from Yankees backstop Brian McCann since the last voting update. Norris' lead, however, is fewer than 150,000 votes.

Orioles designated hitter Nelson Cruz holds a steady lead of around 800,000 votes for the start at that position over David Ortiz of the Red Sox.

In the outfield, the race for the final starting spot is a tight one. Toronto's Jose Bautista and Los Angeles' Mike Trout both seem like locks for the Midsummer Classic at Nos. 1 and 2. But the Blue Jays could have two-thirds of the outfield, as Melky Cabrera leads Yoenis Cespedes by a mere 162,394 votes for the last nod. Adam Jones of the Orioles also lurks, trailing Cespedes by only about 20,000 votes.

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.

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 Gillette 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 National League 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.

And the voting doesn't end there. 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.

AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR VOTE LEADERS

FIRST BASE
Miguel Cabrera, Tigers -- 2,645,000
Jose Abreu, White Sox -- 1,420,294
Chris Davis, Orioles -- 1,087,112
Albert Pujols, Angels -- 1,040,316
Mark Teixeira, Yankees -- 718,367

SECOND BASE
Robinson Cano, Mariners -- 2,007,055
Ian Kinsler, Tigers -- 1,338,272
Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox -- 1,264,329
Jose Altuve, Astros -- 932,978
Brian Dozier, Twins -- 841,980

SHORTSTOP
Derek Jeter, Yankees -- 2,353,336
Alexei Ramirez, White Sox -- 1,933,117
J.J. Hardy, Orioles -- 1,259,268
Jose Reyes, Blue Jays -- 871,633
Jed Lowrie, Athletics -- 629,686

THIRD BASE
Josh Donaldson, Athletics -- 2,436,771
Adrian Beltre, Rangers -- 1,346,957
Manny Machado, Orioles -- 1,182,098
Evan Longoria, Rays -- 1,118,453
Brett Lawrie, Blue Jays -- 758,043

CATCHER
Matt Wieters, Orioles -- 1,852,770
Derek Norris, Athletics -- 1,486,850
Brian McCann, Yankees -- 1,344,076
Kurt Suzuki, Twins -- 812,865
A.J. Pierzynski, Red Sox -- 810,050

DESIGNATED HITTER
Nelson Cruz, Orioles -- 2,457,349
David Ortiz, Red Sox -- 1,652,470
Victor Martinez, Tigers -- 1,418,509
Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays -- 1,276,851
Brandon Moss, Athletics -- 796,159

OUTFIELD
Jose Bautista, Blue Jays -- 3,665,208
Mike Trout, Angels -- 3,286,511
Melky Cabrera, Blue Jays -- 1,674,232
Yoenis Cespedes, Athletics -- 1,511,838
Adam Jones, Orioles -- 1,490,000
Michael Brantley, Indians -- 1,284,901
Jacoby Ellsbury, Yankees -- 1,264,746
Nick Markakis, Orioles -- 1,170,304
Carlos Beltran, Yankees -- 1,081,686
Torii Hunter, Tigers -- 989,715
Coco Crisp, Athletics -- 748,013
Alex Rios, Rangers -- 742,780
Brett Gardner, Yankees -- 737,736
Shin-Soo Choo, Rangers -- 699,751
Josh Hamilton, Angels -- 696,991