After months of voting, only two spots remain unfilled for the 87th annual MLB All-Star Game, which will be played Tuesday, July 12, at 7:30 p.m. ET in San Diego's Petco Park. Fans have until Friday, July 8, at 4 p.m. ET to vote for the players they believe deserve to join the festivities.
For the first time since 2009, a pitcher doesn't appear on the ballot, which is comprised of both seasoned veterans with previous All-Star experience and up-and-coming youngsters looking for their first taste of the Midsummer Classic.
Per MLB.com, this year's nominees are:
American League
- 2B Ian Kinsler, Detroit Tigers
- 3B Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
- 2B Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox
- OF Michael Saunders, Toronto Blue Jays
- OF George Springer, Houston Astros
National League
- 1B Brandon Belt, San Francisco Giants
- OF Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
- 3B Jake Lamb, Arizona Diamondbacks
- OF Starling Marte, Pittsburgh Pirates
- SS Trevor Story, Colorado Rockies
While a player's performance over the first half of the regular season was taken into account when coming up with the odds that follow, the vote is a popularity contest. That doesn't bode well for players like Lamb and Longoria.
We'll start with the players facing the longest odds of winning this year's final vote, alternating between leagues, until we get to the overwhelming favorites to represent their teams and earn the right to be called All-Stars.
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