DENVER -- The Rockies won the first three games of a four-game set against the Cubs at Wrigley Field over the weekend. But third baseman Nolan Arenado -- despite having in his favor stats that can't be attributed to playing at Coors Field -- couldn't gain ground against Cubs star Kristopher Bryant, according to Monday's 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot update.
However, center fielder Charlie Blackmon is solidly in second place among outfielders; the top three outfield vote-getters and the winners at the other positions will start in the All-Star Game presented by MasterCard on July 11 at Miami's Marlins Park.
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Arenado isn't the only player for the National League West-leading Rockies hoping for a push in online balloting. First baseman Mark Reynolds wasn't even on the ballot, but he entered Monday's play with 54 RBIs, and in the top five at the position in home runs (he has 17, with 16 in the lineup as a first baseman and one as a designated hitter in Interleague Play), and his .314 batting average, .392 on-base percentage and .586 slugging percentage have fueled a candidacy that Colorado is promoting with #WriteInReynolds.
Bryant, in the lead to start at third base for the NL squad, crossed the magic million mark with 1,248,348 All-Star votes. Arenado is second at 951,747, but the gap this week grew slightly, from 282,181 votes to 296,601.
Entering Monday, Arenado is hitting .286 with 14 homers and 46 RBIs, with a .347 on-base percentage and a .556 slugging percentage in 64 games. Bryant is hitting .268 with 14 homers and 27 RBIs in 59 games (56 at third plus brief outfield appearances). Defensively, Arenado's 15 DRS are seven more than any other Major Leaguer at the position, according to Fangraphs.
Rockies players' offensive performances are often discounted because of a perceived benefit to playing at Coors Field, but Arenado entered Monday's opener of a three-game set with the Pirates at Pittsburgh with a higher batting average (.292 to .279), OBP (.361 to .328), slugging percentage (.577 to .532) and OPS (.938 to .859) away than at home.
Fans may cast votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on computers, tablets and smartphones -- exclusively online using the 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot until Thursday, June 29, at 9:59 p.m. MT. On smartphones and tablets, fans can also access the ballot via the MLB.com At Bat and MLB.com Ballpark mobile apps. Vote up to five times in any 24-hour period for a maximum of 35 ballots cast.
Following the announcement of the 2017 All-Star starters, reserves and pitchers, fans should return to MLB.com and cast their 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote for the final player on each league's All-Star roster. Then on Tuesday, July 11, while watching the 2017 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard live on FOX, fans may visit MLB.com to submit their choices for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet with the 2017 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote.
The 88th Midsummer Classic, at Marlins Park in Miami, will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage, while MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM will have comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.