Major League Baseball's 2019 All-Star Game is just three weeks away. That means voting is getting down to the nitty gritty -- how nitty, and how gritty, you ask? So nitty and so gritty that the first phase of voting is set to conclude on Friday at 4 p.m. ET. From there, the top three vote getters at each position will partake in a 28-hour runoff beginning on June 26, with the winners of that round winning the honor of surviving baseball's biggest popularity contest. Oh, and they get to start the All-Star Game, which is cool as well.
On Monday, MLB released updated voting totals. Let's trot out the current lineups for both teams, beginning with the host American League:
Here are our three takeaways from this side of the ballot:
Cleveland is the host city this summer, but it looks like its team won't be well represented. Carlos Santana is the only Cleveland player in position to advance to the second round of voting.
The Astros, meanwhile, have a chance to dominate the lineup. They're projected to have finalists at catcher, second base, third base, shortstop, and three in the outfield. Houston is doing its part to make sure the Astros' first-half dominance is rewarded.
Shohei Ohtani, for those wondering, is within 150,000 votes of Nelson Cruz for the right to advance at DH.
Now, onto the National League:
Again, some takeaways:
The Braves are dominating the polls lately, with Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna Jr. leading their respective positions in votes, while Atlanta could also have finalists at catcher, first base, shortstop, third base, and another in the outfield.
The Cubs are also likely to be well represented: they could have finalists at catcher, first base, third base, and three in the outfield. Daniel Descalso also remains within shouting distance of qualifying at second base.
Cody Bellinger and Christian Yelich are the top two overall vote-getters, with Mike Trout checking in at third.
Here's a link to the 2019 MLB All-Star Game ballot. Remember, you can vote for anyone until Friday. From there, you'll have to wait until June 26 to vote for the starters.
