NEW YORK -- Though he ranks second among National League outfielders in both Wins Above Replacement and OPS, the Mets' Michael Conforto was again nowhere to be found on Major League Baseball's second update of All-Star balloting, released Monday. Conforto is not on MLB's official ballot because he not was an Opening Day starter, undermining his chances at making the NL's starting outfield.
Bryce Harper leads NL outfielders with 1,459,235 votes, while Charlie Blackmon (979,961), Jason Heyward (498,079), Benjamin Zobrist (472,114) and Matt Kemp (457,586) round out the top five. But Conforto ranks below Milwaukee's Ryan Braun, who sits 15th with 188,192 votes.
The only way fans can change that is by writing in Conforto's name on the ballot. Otherwise, he is likely to make the team as a reserve.
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Two Mets outfielders did crack the Top 15 in the second wave of balloting: Yoenis Cespedes, who ranked ninth with 327,116 votes, and Jay Bruce, who fell from 10th to 11th with 245,634 tallies.
Cespedes in particular could make a run if he comes off the disabled list in a timely manner. Sidelined since April 28 due to a left hamstring strain, Cespedes remains one of the NL's most popular players, and an annual force in All-Star Game voting. But he has not been healthy enough to construct a strong statistical case for inclusion on the team.
The Mets did not have any other position players in the top five of balloting at their positions.