CINCINNATI -- In the second National League All-Star balloting results, revealed on Wednesday, Reds shortstop Zack Cozart has maintained his fifth-place spot and closed the gap on fourth.
Last week, Cozart trailed fourth-place vote-getter Brandon Crawford by nearly 15,000 votes. This week, Mets shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera took fourth with 311,968 votes, topping Cozart (307,616) by fewer than 4,500 votes. The rest of the top five is rounded out by Addison Russell of the Cubs (832,191), Trevor Story of the Rockies (714,160) and the Giants' Crawford (358,045).
Reds manager Bryan Price is hopeful that Cozart will somehow be recognized for inclusion on the NL squad.
"It's kind of like somebody going to the big leagues and throwing an inning of relief or getting a pinch-hit at-bat and you're forever in the baseball encyclopedia," Price said. "There's something to be said for that. This is going much further beyond that, but it's another thing you'd like to check off in your life in baseball is being a Major League All-Star. I'm not even on the fence on the voting -- you want the most deserving people to be there. I think that's the case if he continues on this pace, he'll be one of the most deserving to be on the team."
No other Reds were among the top vote getters at their positions.
Cozart has continued his resurgent 2016 campaign, hitting .301/.330/.519 with eight home runs and 23 RBIs. Over the past eight games, Cozart has bolstered his All Star resume by hitting .355/.412/.710 with three home runs and seven RBIs.
Among qualified shortstops, Cozart ranks third in the NL in hitting and fourth in slugging percentage. He's also been an above-average defender, accumulating a 3.3 UZR and nine defensive runs saved, which is tied for the NL lead.
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Following the announcement of the 2016 All-Stars, be sure to return to MLB.com and cast your 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote for the final player on each league's All-Star roster. On Tuesday, July 12, watch the 2016 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 2016 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote.
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