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Brandon
Phillips (pictured) along with Joey Votto are two
Cincinnati Reds gearing up for the
All-Star game. Both players lead the
way at their positions. Photo courtesy of
reds.com
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Votto, Phillips lead way at positions in NL
ASG vote
Reds first baseman far and away in front at spot; Choo within striking
distance
All season long, Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips have paced the Reds
and been two of the most exciting players in baseball. It's not
surprising, then, that the heart of the Cincinnati order and the right
side of the club's infield lead the way at their respective positions
in the first National League All-Star balloting update, released
Tuesday.
Votto, who ranked fourth in the NL with a .330 batting average to go
with his 10 homers and 28 RBIs, is the leading vote-getter at first
base by a wide margin. His 1,044,742 votes have nearly doubled that of
second-place Brandon Belt (513,371). The race at second base is closer
but still belongs to Phillips, who has 1,019,240 votes, about 2,000
more than the Giants' Marco Scutaro.
It took the NL Final Vote in 2010 and the players' vote in 2011 for
Votto to reach his first two All-Star Games, but he was selected by the
fans as a starter for last season's Midsummer Classic. After the first
update, it appears the left-handed slugger is on his way to doing so
again.
For Phillips, his current lead in the voting at second base marks the
beginning of his efforts to make up for what was seen by many as an
All-Star snub last season. Phillips has two All-Star appearances under
his belt in 2010-11, and his third is well within reach as he ranked in
the top three among all NL second basemen in batting average (.296),
home runs (nine) and RBIs (45). The fans have obviously taken notice.
Fans can cast their votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites
-- online or via your mobile device -- using the 2013 All-Star Game
MLB.com Ballot until Thursday, July 4, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Fans may submit 25 online ballots during the voting period, but 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, visit MLB.com and register in accordance with the
enrollment instructions for a free MLB.com account.
As Votto tries to become the first Reds player to earn back-to-back
fan-elected starts since Barry Larkin in 1999-2000, and Phillips looks
to be the first Cincinnati second baseman to be voted in by the fans
since Joe Morgan did it seven times (1972-78), two of their teammates
are in the mix to earn their first All-Star appearances.
Center fielder Shin-Soo Choo ranks fifth among NL outfielders with
743,755 votes, putting him within striking distance of division rivals
Carlos Beltran of the Cardinals (847,924) and the Brewers' Ryan Braun
(945,665). Choo led all NL outfielders with a .438 on-base percentage,
and his 42 runs scored trailed only Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies,
heading into Tuesday's action.
At third base, it will be significantly tougher for Todd Frazier, whose
343,201 votes put him in fifth place, while the Giants' Pablo Sandoval
leads the way with 1,094,475 votes. Frazier had a slow start to the
season, but he's come on as of late, batting .340 with seven RBIs since
May 18.
Right fielder Jay Bruce, who's gone to the last two All-Star Games,
ranks 15th as of the first ballot update, with 374,852 votes. That
could change, though, as Bruce continues to heat up, hitting nine
homers and driving in 22 runs since May 8.
The 2013 American League and National League All-Star teams will be
unveiled on Sunday, July 7, on the 2013 MLB All-Star Game Selection
Show, televised nationally on TBS. Baseball fans around the world will
then be able to select the final player on each team via the All-Star
Game Final Vote sponsored by freecreditscore.com on MLB.com.
For the rest of this article, click here
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