Dickerson making gains in NL ASG vote

PITTSBURGH -- Pirates left fielder Corey Dickerson moved up a spot in the latest round of the 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Game Ballot results, which were announced Monday by Major League Baseball.
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Dickerson ranks 11th among National League outfielders with 313,558 votes. Catcher Francisco Cervelli, who placed fourth among catchers in last week's update, fell out of the top five after playing in only three games due to a bruised jaw. Center fielder Starling Marte, putting together another fine all-around season, is not among the 15 leading vote-getters in the NL outfield race.
Dickerson leads the Pirates in Wins Above Replacement (1.9), average (.308), hits (77), doubles (18) and Defensive Runs Saved (nine). Dickerson hasn't hit a homer since May 4 or driven in a run since June 1, but he has continued to hit for a high average. Dickerson's batting average has not fallen below .300 since April 20, when it dipped briefly to .294.
Dickerson was an All-Star for the Rays last season and served as the American League's starting designated hitter in Miami. The Bucs acquired Dickerson at the start of Spring Training and named him their primary left fielder, an assignment met with some doubt given Dickerson's subpar career defensive numbers.

"He was a DH going to play left field -- that's what I kept hearing," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said, referring to the early skepticism from outside the organization. "'You've got work to do; you'll want to [have someone else play] defense for him late.'"
But Dickerson has proven to be well above average in PNC Park's spacious left field. He ranks fifth among all Major League outfielders in DRS. According to Statcast™, he has totaled six Outs Above Average (OAA), the 10th-best mark in the Majors.
Despite the time he has missed, Cervelli still leads the Bucs with nine homers, a .386 on-base percentage, a .494 slugging percentage and an .880 OPS. Marte is slashing .285/.339/.469 with eight homers, 32 RBIs and a team-leading 13 stolen bases while recording seven OAA, according to Statcast™, the ninth-best total in the NL.

Fans may cast votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on computers, tablets and smartphones -- exclusively online using the 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Ballot until Thursday, July 5, at 11:59 p.m. ET. On smartphones and tablets, fans can also access the ballot via the MLB At Bat and MLB Ballpark mobile apps. Each fan can vote up to five times in any 24-hour period, for a maximum of 35 ballots cast.
Following the announcement of this year's All-Star starters, reserves and pitchers, fans should return to MLB.com and cast their 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Final Vote for the final player on each league's roster. Then on Tuesday, July 17, while watching the 2018 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard live on FOX, fans may visit MLB.com to submit their choices for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet with the 2018 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote.
The 89th Midsummer Classic, at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 180 countries. FOX Deportes will provide Spanish-language coverage in the United States, while ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @MLB and @AllStarGame on social media.