In the latest National League All-Star fan voting announced Sunday, Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and second baseman Dee Gordon have an uphill battle to climb if they’re going to start in the 85th All-Star game July 15th at Target Field in Minnesota.
Gonzalez is now second behind Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (1,291,052 votes) for the starting spot by 241,830 votes.
The Dodgers first baseman led in the first two rounds of ballots, but he’s taken a nose dive at the plate the last two months. In May Gonzalez hit .231/.332/.380. In June he’s done even worse - 163/.241/.224 - and he hasn’t hit a home run in three weeks.
In roughly the same time frame Goldschmidt has found his stride. Since April 28, the 26-year-old has hit .312 with 12 homers and 35 RBIs. Four of his home runs have come against the Dodger pitching, the most versus any team this season.
Gordon has fallen to third in the voting for starting second baseman and sits at 898,226 votes. Neil Walker (997,347 votes) of the Pirates has leap-frogged Gordon for second place. But, Chase Utley of the Phillies has left both of them in the dust with his 1,678,843 votes. So, Gordon and Walker are really jockeying for a backup All-Star roll.
Yasiel Puig is still sitting pretty atop the leaderboard for N.L. outfielders. His 1,942,701 votes put him ahead of reigning N.L. Most Valuable Player Andrew McCutchen (1,727,534) of the Pirates and Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton (1,659,430), who fans will likely see in the Home-Run Derby at the Mid-Summer Classic anyway.
In-stadium voting at all 30 Major League parks will continue through June 26, but fans can cast online ballots at MLB.com and every team website until July 3rd at 11:59 p.m.
