NewsKinsler holds narrow lead in All-Star vote
Rangers second baseman slightly ahead of Boston's Pedroia
By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com
06/30/09 6:52 PM ET
ARLINGTON -- Ian Kinsler is still leading the All-Star voting among second basemen in the American League, but Boston's Dustin Pedroia is close behind.
Kinsler had been leading in every update, but the vote between him and Pedroia, who was the American League's Most Valuable Player in 2008, will likely go down to the wire.
Tuesday's update revealed that Kinsler, who led by almost 59,000 votes last week, holds a lead of only 6,830 with only a few days remaining in the balloting."That's awesome," Kinsler said of still maintaining a slim lead. "I'm still up. I'm sure there will be 2,000 people in Boston who will vote for Dustin. Hopefully 8,000 more will vote for me. We need New York but they've got their own second baseman. Who knows? I'd love to be in St. Louis rather than the lake, whether I'm a starter or not."
Kinsler remained humble, though, when asked if he deserved to be ahead in the voting.
"It's tough to say," he said. "There are a lot of second basemen who have had very good first halves. I'm not saying anybody deserves or doesn't deserve to go. I want to go. I don't know what else to say." Josh Hamilton, despite being on the disabled list, still has a strong chance of making the team as a starting outfielder. He is holding on to third place behind Jason Bay of the Red Sox and Ichiro Suzuki of the Mariners and is about 145,000 votes ahead of Torii Hunter of the Angels.
Hamilton, who started for the American League last year, is expected to be activated off the disabled list before the All-Star break and hopes to be able to play in the game. He had surgery on June 9 to repair a torn abdominal muscle. Rangers third baseman Michael Young slipped in the voting. He is in fourth place at his position behind Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria, Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees and Mike Lowell of the Red Sox. Young has been to five straight All-Star Games and usually gets in on the vote of the players. In-stadium voting has ended, but fans can still vote online for starters up to 25 times with the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Online Ballot at MLB.com and all 30 club sites until Thursday at 10:59 p.m. CT. Starting rosters will be announced during the 2009 All-Star Game Selection Show presented by Pepsi on TBS on July 5. Baseball fans around the world will then be able to select the final player on each team via the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote at MLB.com. The voting doesn't end there. Fans will have the opportunity to participate in the official voting for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet at the Midsummer Classic via the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint MVP Vote at MLB.com. The All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX and around the world by Major League Baseball International. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio play-by-play, while MLB.com will offer extensive online coverage. Among other Rangers players, Elvis Andrus is third at shortstop and Jarrod Saltalamacchia is fourth among catchers. Nelson Cruz is ninth among outfielders.T.R. Sullivan is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
