Tulo drops a spot in NL Final Vote balloting
DENVER -- Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is campaigning with his play. Tulowitzki, who extended his hitting streak to 20 games Wednesday, is one of five National League candidates for the 2015 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote. Fans can cast their votes from a list of five players from each League until 2 p.m. MT on Friday.
• Cast your Esurance Final Vote for Tulowitzki
As of Thursday morning's second voting update, Tulowitzki dropped from second to third on the NL Final Vote ballot behind only the Reds' Johnny Cueto and Cardinals' Carlos Martinez.
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Tulowitzki's streak, which dates back to June 15, is the Majors' longest active run, and he has reached base in a career-best 35 straight games.
"Can I have fun with it?" said Tulowitzki, who would join Colorado third baseman Nolan Arenado and second baseman DJ LeMahieu at the All-Star Game if he wins the Final Vote. "You guys, knowing me, probably not. I'm not a big fan of it. I won't be sitting here campaigning for myself. I won't be shooting any texts, myself, trying to get myself in. If I gather enough votes from the fans, obviously, it'll be much appreciated. It'll be an honor, but I don't think I'll do much campaigning on my part."
A strong performance during the weekend put Tulowitzki ahead of the Cardinals' Jhonny Peralta, the fans' pick to start, in batting average and OPS (.845), and into the lead among NL players at his position. Yet, NL players selected the Giants' Brandon Crawford (third among NL shortstops in OPS at .860) to the squad as a reserve, and Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who will manage the NL squad, submitted Tulowitzki as a Final Vote candidate and not as a squad member.
However, Tulowitzki refused to enter a debate.
"I'll let you guys go ahead and compare the stats," Tulowitzki said. "My job is to go out here and play, play hard every single day, and help the Rockies win games. That's what I'm concentrating on."
Video: Tulo tangles with four pitchers in NL Final Vote
Tulowitzki was headed for NL Most Valuable Player Award consideration last year before he suffered a season-ending left leg injury just after the All-Star Game -- one he started, after leading NL players in voting. The standard he set during the first half of last season might have hurt him in this year's voting.
"I don't know who the campaign manager is, but we've got to get one," said Colorado manager Walt Weiss. "Tulo got off to a relatively slow start by his standards, but over the last month, even five weeks, he's leading all of Major League Baseball in hitting. Slowly but surely, he's returning to form here. I'd like to see him get in there. It would certainly say something about the strength of our infield, having three guys in that game.
"In Tulo's case, he has set the bar so high for himself that anything short of an MVP-type season, maybe people look down upon. He's in a good place right now, been there for a while now."
Here is official information on his fans can vote for Tulowitzki:
• Fans can vote online now at Rockies.com/FinalVote or simply by texting N5 to 89269. Voting is unlimited during the Final Vote. The Rockies encourage the text-to-vote for its speed and ease in casting multiple votes.
• On Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. MT, voting will be expanded to Twitter. Every use of #Tulo will count as one official vote for Tulowitzki,
During the All-Star Game presented by T-Mobile in Cincinnati on Tuesday, fans can once again visit MLB.com to submit their choice for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. Voting exclusively at MLB.com, online and via their mobile devices in the 2015 All-Star Game MVP Vote presented by Chevrolet, the fans' collective voice will represent 20 percent of the overall vote that determines the recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.
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