ST. PETERSBURG -- Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts had a strong showing from his fans in the Esurance Final Vote for the American League but finished second to Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas in his quest to join teammates Chris Sale, Craig Kimbrel and Mookie Betts at the All-Star Game presented by Mastercard.
Didi Gregorius, Elvis Andrus and Logan Morrison finished third through fifth, respectively. Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner won in the National League.
It was a familiar feeling for Bogaerts, who also fell short in the 2015 Final Vote, missing out that year to Moustakas as well. Two years ago he finished fourth in the Final Vote.
But this time, Bogaerts was in the mix for the entire voting period, and had the most Twitter votes of the five AL candidates.
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"It was close," Bogaerts said. "It's always fun. It's definitely an honor to be up there. I know the fans tried their best, the people back at home tried hard, and I'm definitely blessed to have them on my side. You never know what will happen next year or even this year [if they need an injury replacement]. You never know."
Last season, Bogaerts started at shortstop for the AL, and the 24-year-old likely has more All-Star Game appearances in his future.
The Red Sox pushed hard for Bogaerts, forming an alliance with the Cubs, who had reigning NL Most Valuable Player Kristopher Bryant on the ballot. Bryant also finished second.
Bogaerts is having a third straight solid season for the Red Sox.
In 79 games entering Thursday, he had a .306/361/.455 slash line with six homers and 41 RBIs. He has nine stolen bases and has been caught just once. He leads the Red Sox in hits (96) and doubles (20), and has played strong defense for the team that leads the AL East.
On Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET, tune in to the 2017 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard live on FOX, and during the game visit MLB.com to submit your choice for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet via the 2017 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote. The 88th All-Star Game, in Miami, will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB.com, MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.