Beltre gains ground in last All-Star voting results
Rios having solid season at plate but is in 12th place among outfielders
OAKLAND -- Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre and outfielder Alex Rios are surging at the plate but are still not in contention to star this year's All-Star Game.
Beltre took over the No. 2 spot from Evan Longoria (904,638) but is a distant second among American League third basemen in the latest update of the All-Star Game voting released Monday. Beltre, who is ninth in the league in hitting, has 953,318 votes while Josh Donaldson of the Athletics has 1,953,423 votes.
Rios is fourth in the league in hitting with a .322 average but is 12th among outfielders. Teammate Shin-Soo Choo is 11th. Rios has been selected to the All-Star Game twice in his career.
"It would be nice, but I really don't care if I make it or not," Rios said. "If I make it, I make it. If I don't, I don't. I just want to play good."
The Rangers representatives at the All-Star Game will likely be decided by the players vote. In addition to selecting the reserves at each position, the players also select five starting pitchers and three relievers. Rangers starter Yu Darvish, who is 7-2 with a 2.11 ERA, and closer Joakim Soria, who has 15 saves and a 1.80 ERA, are prime candidates.
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 10:59 p.m. CT. The 2014 All-Star Game will be played at Target Field on Tuesday, July 15.
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 Home Run Derby will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio in the United States beginning at 7 p.m. on Monday, July 14.
The 2014 American League 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.