Goldschmidt voted starter for All-Star Game
PHOENIX -- For the second straight year, D-backs first baseman Paul Goldschmidt will be in the starting lineup for the National League in the All-Star Game presented by T-Mobile in Cincinnati.
Goldschmidt won the fan voting at first base by collecting 9,119,375 votes to easily outdistance the Reds' Joey Votto and the Dodgers' Adrian Gonzalez.
"It's pretty cool," Goldschmidt said about his vote total. "Very appreciative of everyone's support here in Phoenix and around the state and country and maybe around the world. Very thankful for that and it definitely speaks to the fan base that we have here that they'll get out there and vote. They did a great job."
Goldschmidt is the first position player in D-backs' history to be elected as a starter more than once. In addition to his start last year, Goldschmidt was named to the team in 2013.
"It's exciting," Goldschmidt said of the All-Star Game. "It will be fun. I had fun the past couple of years. Hopefully this year will be the same and we'll go out there and try to win the game."
Heading into Sunday's games, Goldschmidt was first in the NL in batting average (.349), walks (65), tied for first in runs (57) and ranked second in hits (102), OPS (1.090) and slugging percentage (.623).
Video: Must C Crushed: Goldschmidt launches pair of homers
D-backs manager Chip Hale said that Goldschmidt, who played at Texas State University and was drafted in the eighth round in 2009, should serve as an example for others.
"He wasn't a highly sought-after guy after high school or college even, and look what he's turned into," Hale said. "A lot of kids around this country look up to him and say, 'You know what, maybe I'm not the guy everybody wants to draft or to take the major colleges, but look what he did. I could do that.'"
With a curious mind and always looking for an edge, Goldschmidt has used the past couple of All-Star Games to try to pick the brains of some of the game's best players.
"It's fun to get to meet guys from other teams," he said. "You're usually competing against them and now you get to be on the same side as them. There's not as much time as you would think at least based on the last couple of years that I've been, but it's still fun to have a few conversations or see people in a different light rather than just you trying to get a hit off them or trying to get them out."
Video: Goldschmidt talks to MLB Tonight about ASG Selection
While he will enjoy the festivities around the game, don't expect to see Goldschmidt in the Gillette Home Run Derby presented by Head & Shoulders. Despite having 20 homers this year, Goldschmidt does not believe he has a home run swing so he would have to tinker with his swing were he to try and hit them on purpose.
"Maybe they would enjoy it," Goldschmidt said of other players. "But for me it's not something I really want to do."
Fans can return to MLB.com to begin voting to select the final player for each League's 34-man roster via the 2015 Esurance All-Star Game Final Vote. Fans can cast their votes from a list of five players from each league until 1 p.m. MST on Friday, July 10.
And the voting doesn't end there. During the Midsummer Classic in Cincinnati on Tuesday, July 14, fans can once again visit MLB.com to submit their choice for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award. Voting exclusively at MLB.com, online and via their mobile devices in the 2015 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote, the fans' collective voice will represent 20 percent of the overall vote that determines the recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.
MLB.TV Premium subscribers will be able to live stream the All-Star Game via MLB.TV through FOX's participating video providers. Access will be available across more than 400 supported MLB.TV platforms, including the award-winning MLB.com At Bat app. MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage of the All-Star Week festivities, including the 2015 Gillette Home Run Derby presented by Head & Shoulders, part of Gatorade All-Star Workout Day on Monday, July 13. The Derby will feature a new format with brackets and timed rounds and will be broadcast live by ESPN and MLB.com beginning at 5 p.m. MST.
The 86th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports (4 p.m. MST air time, 5:15 first pitch), 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 of the All-Star Game. MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.