The latest All-Star tallies are in! Not surprisingly the Yankees hold down five of the coveted slots, while two members of your very own Boston Red Sox are holding down two of the four remaining spots. Though I’ll be the first to admit the All-Star voting process is nothing more than a popularity contest, it never ceases to amaze me the degree to which Yankee fans outvote their Red Sox counterparts. I’m not saying that Red Sox fans aren’t as passionate. I think we all know that’s not the case. I’m just saying that while Red Sox Nation isn’t as big as the Yankee Universe, there’s still a lot of us out there. One would think that if we were appropriately motivated, we could band together and vote a few more of our players into to the starting lineup. Then again, I’m just thinking out loud.
According to Joey Nowak of MLB.com, the latest totals show Adrian Gonzalez pulling into first place at first base with a 225K vote lead over Yankee first baseman, Mark Teixeira, for the right to start the mid-summer classic in Arizona next month. The Red Sox’s other potential starter, David Ortiz, holds a 500K vote lead over the Rangers’ Michael Young. The only other Red Sox player within shouting distance of making the team as a starter is Jacoby Ellsbury who sits in fourth place in OF voting, nearly 350K votes behind the third place holder, Josh Hamilton.
For your viewing pleasure, here are your leaders in All-Star voting through Tuesday, June 14th.
2011 AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR BALLOTING (as of June 14)
CATCHER
Russell Martin, Yankees: 1,712,156
Alex Avila, Tigers: 1,093,070
Joe Mauer, Twins: 1,041,798
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Red Sox: 763,607
Yorvit Torrealba, Rangers: 751,858
FIRST BASE
Adrian Gonzalez, Red Sox: 2,027,537
Mark Teixeira, Yankees: 1,774,024
Miguel Cabrera, Tigers: 1,295,547
Mitch Moreland, Rangers: 692,670
Paul Konerko, White Sox: 507,547
SECOND BASE
Robinson Cano, Yankees: 2,649,737
Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox: 1,518,231
Ian Kinsler, Rangers: 1,129,023
Orlando Cabrera, Indians: 732,308
Ben Zobrist, Rays: 633,533
THIRD BASE
Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: 2,063,520
Adrian Beltre, Rangers: 1,752,729
Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox: 1,381,381
Evan Longoria, Rays: 1,226,770
Maicer Izturis, Angels: 364,623
SHORTSTOP
Derek Jeter, Yankees: 1,931,670
Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians: 1,647,802
Elvis Andrus, Rangers: 1,180,962
Yunel Escobar, Blue Jays: 640,395
Jhonny Peralta, Tigers: 540,601
DESIGNATED HITTER
David Ortiz, Red Sox: 1,974,918
Michael Young, Rangers: 1,428,833
Jorge Posada, Yankees: 810,672
Travis Hafner, Indians: 691,205
Johnny Damon, Rays: 672,529
OUTFIELD
Jose Bautista, Blue Jays: 3,042,091
Curtis Granderson, Yankees: 2,406,946
Josh Hamilton, Rangers: 1,799,339
Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox: 1,447,715
Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners: 1,231,035
Carl Crawford, Red Sox: 1,222,687
Nelson Cruz, Rangers: 1,123,608
Nick Swisher, Yankees: 937,365
Brett Gardner, Yankees: 796,905
J.D. Drew, Red Sox: 778,871
Jeff Francoeur, Royals: 752,687
Grady Sizemore, Indians: 739,930
Matt Joyce, Rays: 737,377
Shin-Soo Choo, Indians: 642,387
David Murphy, Rangers: 622,160
If you’re interested in participating in the All-Star voting process, you can do so either online or via your mobile device by clicking this link. All ballots must be submitted by no later than June 30th at 11:59 P.M. to be counted. Let’s show our favorite Red Sox players our support by getting to the polls, and voting for them as much as possible. Remember, each fan can only vote up to 25 times…well, because clearly, voting 26 times is going overboard…