With the 2018 MLB All-Star Game taking place on July 17, the second update of fan voting for who will start has been announced for both the American and National Leagues.
There isn’t a lot of suspense in many of the positions as the voting hasn’t been all that close in them. There are a few that are relatively close though that should have an eye kept on them as fan voting comes closer to being completed.
The American League fan voting results were taken from ESPN while the National League results were taken from MLB.com. All stats are from games were received from Baseball-Reference and are from games played through June 18.
Closest American League All-Star fan voting races
- Starting catcher - Wilson Ramos, Rays (678,159 votes) with a 59,260 vote lead over Gary Sanchez, Yankees (618,899 votes)
Ramos has had the clear advantage from an offensive standpoint between the two, but he has only thrown out 12 percent of attempted base stealers. The 30-year-old is hitting .286 with nine home runs, nine doubles, and 35 RBIs.
Meanwhile, the 22-year-old Sanchez has gone through struggles at the dish as he is sporting just a .194 batting average. He does have 13 homers, 14 doubles, and 39 RBIs thus far though.
- Starting first baseman - Jose Abreu, White Sox (636,666 votes) with a 164,421 vote lead over Mitch Moreland, Red Sox (472,245 votes)
Abreu has never been a Gold Glove-caliber first baseman, he continues to be a stellar offensive performer.
So far in 2018, he owns a .283 batting average with 11 homers, 26 doubles (second in the majors), and 41 RBIs.
Moreland is the better defender (won a Gold Glove in 2016) and has improved offensively. He is hitting .276 on the year to go along with ten homers and 13 doubles.
Closest National League All-Star fan voting races
- Starting catcher - Buster Posey, Giants (686,253 votes) with a 90,142 vote lead over Willson Contreras, Cubs (596,111 votes)
Posey, the 2012 National League MVP, has been named an All-Star five of the last six seasons.
While his power numbers continue to drop (just four home runs in 224 at-bats), he is still batting .290 with 15 doubles. He has nearly as many walks (24) as strikeouts (29).
The 26-year-old Contreras also only has four homers after hitting 21 in 2017. He otherwise has been a solid contributor at the plate with a .276 batting average, 15 doubles, and four triples.
- Starting second baseman - Ozzie Albies, Braves (915,736 votes) with a 148,319 vote lead over Javier Baez, Cubs (767,417 votes) and a 171,757 vote lead over Scooter Gennett, Reds (743,979 votes)
After hitting .328 in his first 15 games of 2018, the 21-year-old Albies has cooled off with just a .229 batting average in his last 56 appearances. He still is tied for the National League lead with 21 doubles and 53 runs while also clubbing 16 homers.
Baez is sporting a .255 batting average but just ten walks on the year gives him a subpar .293 on-base percentage. He makes up for it though with 14 homers, five triples, 12 stolen bases, and 46 RBIs so far on the year.
Gennett should be in line for his first All-Star season as he is having a wonderful year. His .336 batting average currently sits third in the National League. He also has 12 home runs, 16 doubles, and 48 RBIs.
