On Sunday (July 8), baseball fans finally learned of the official MLB All-Star Game 2018 rosters. Among the stars stepping onto the field in about a week will be the Houston Astros' Jose Altuve and New York Yankees' Aaron Judge. The National League will include several first-timers such as Nick Markakis, as well as Wilson Contreras and Javy Baez of the Cubs. With the starting lineups and reserves now known, fans are getting the chance to vote in one more player each for the American and National League squads.

AL Final Vote candidates

According to CBS Sports, there are five candidates each for the AL and NL Final Vote choices.

The American League will feature yet another Boston Red Sox player as they already have several on the starting lineup and reserves. Andrew Benintendi is playing quite well in his sophomore season with a .286 average, 14 home runs, 55 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases so far.

New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton could win the popularity contest and join Aaron Judge on the squad. Stanton is the reigning NL MVP and has 21 home runs, 51 RBIs, and a .265 average for the season. He also has the benefit of being a member of the New York Yankees this season. It's a good sub-story, as the Red Sox and Yankees battle for the AL East title again.

Other candidates for the AL Final Vote include the L.A.

Angels' Andrelton Simmons, Seattle Mariners' Jean Segura, and Minnesota Twins' Eddie Rosario. Of those players, Rosario is having a breakout season with a .306 average, 18 home runs, and 53 RBIs. Segura is one of the players who has helped lead the team to a situation where the Mariners are holding a playoff spot.

Simmons and Segura are each hitting over .300 but have the unfortunate disadvantage of playing shortstop.

Manny Machado and Francisco Lindor got the AL nods ahead of them for the All-Star team position but maybe fans will show some more love to the other star shortstops in the AL.

NL Final Vote candidates

In the National League, fans are getting to decide between a few guys who have knocked 20 long balls out of the park already this season.

They include Milwaukee Brewers' sensation Jesus Aguilar. He's hit over .300 with 20-plus homers and 63 RBIs for the team. L.A. Dodgers' first baseman Max Muncy is also among the candidates. He's not hitting quite as well as Aguilar at .270 this season but has 20 homers and 38 RBIs. The biggest thing for Muncy has been his contribution to the team in the absence of Justin Turner who recently returned.

Also among the candidates are the Giants' Brandon Belt, Cardinals' Matt Carpenter, and Nationals' Trea Turner. Carpenter has the lowest average of the bunch at .256 but is considered underrated in terms of talent, while Belt is hitting near .300 with 13 home runs and 41 RBIs in a brilliant season for San Francisco.

However, Trea Turner may just benefit from the fact that he's on the Nationals which just so happens to be the host team for this summer's game. Turner is hitting .278 and has 11 home runs with 37 RBIs for Washington so far this season. Baseball fans can vote for the American League and National League players in the Final Vote at the MLB.com website. The voting officially ends on Tuesday, July 11 at 4 PM ET.
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