Abreu can add All-Star to rookie credentials

CHICAGO -- Jose Abreu has already experienced a handful of firsts since joining the White Sox as a high-profile free-agent acquisition this past offseason.

First game. First hit. First home run. First RBI, to name a few.

Could first All-Star appearance also be on the list for the 27-year-old rookie from Cuba? Fans have a chance to vote for the White Sox first baseman as one of the nine representatives on the All-Star Game ballot.

In-stadium voting begins at U.S. Cellular Field on May 8 and ends on June 18.

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.

"I definitely think there's a lot of guys on this team that if not now, than definitely in the future," White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers said of the All-Star potential of his teammates. "I mean, obviously, a couple of them have the ability and have shown early in the season that it's definitely a possibility."

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. CT 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.

Alexei Ramirez also joins Abreu on the All-Star ballot, representing the White Sox at shortstop. Ramirez has never been selected as an All-Star during his six previous seasons but has been one of the AL's top shortstops over the first month of the season. Ramirez set a franchise record by hitting in 17 straight games to start the 2014 campaign.

Conor Gillaspie (3B), Tyler Flowers (C), Adam Dunn (DH), Adam Eaton and Dayan Viciedo (OF) are other White Sox on the ballot. Viciedo was not in the White Sox Opening Day lineup, giving way to Alejandro De Aza, who is not on the ballot. But Viciedo has hit the ball consistently since being inserted into the everyday lineup.

"I hope a lot of guys go," manager Robin Ventura said. "But I hope we win more games and we send more guys to the All-Star Game."

The White Sox representation is rounded out with Gordon Beckham at second base and Avisail Garcia as the club's third outfielder.

Beckham has not played in the Majors this season due to a strained left oblique that put him on the disabled list from the outset, and Garcia's season came to an end in Colorado on April 9, when he sustained a torn labrum and an avulsion fracture in his left shoulder after diving for a fly ball in right. Garcia subsequently had season-ending surgery on his injured shoulder.