NEW YORK -- The latest National League All-Star balloting update was released Monday by Major League Baseball, and the Pirates remain without a representative among the leading position players.
There were no Pirates to be found on the list of the top five vote-getters at each position or among the top 15 in the outfield -- not even infielder Josh Harrison, who is currently hitting .308/.371/.466 with seven home runs. Harrison is tied with right-hander Ivan Nova for the team lead in Wins Above Replacement, according to FanGraphs, with 1.8.
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Harrison is tied for second in WAR among NL second basemen. He is trailing only the Nationals' Daniel Murphy, who leads the pack at second base with 1,149,130 votes. Murphy is followed by Javier Baez (715,928), Brandon Phillips (185,862), DJ LeMahieu (175,435) and Kolten Wong (171,848).
The Pirates, Phillies and Padres are the only three teams without a leader in the latest balloting update.
While several Pirates have struggled through slumps at various points of the season, Harrison has consistently been productive. The 29-year-old slashed .304/.378/.430 in April and .288/.341/.449 in May. Over the last two weeks, he is hitting .368 with a .911 OPS. Harrison believes he is benefitting from good health this season after being derailed the last two years by thumb and groin injuries.
Aside from Harrison, a 2014 All-Star, the Pirates' most likely candidates to appear in the MLB All-Star Game presented by MasterCard are on the mound: Nova and lefty reliever Felipe Rivero. The Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot does not include pitchers, however.
Nova is 5-4 with a 2.92 ERA in 77 innings over 11 starts for the Bucs. The veteran right-hander ranks fourth in the NL in innings, fifth in ERA and seventh in WHIP. Rivero's 0.63 ERA is the best among NL relievers with at least 20 innings pitched. The flame-throwing lefty has 30 strikeouts and only six walks in 28 2/3 innings over 29 appearances.
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 11:59 p.m. ET. 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.