Alonso leads Mets in first ASG voting update
Read our FAQ on this year’s revamped balloting format, which includes two phases of fan voting to determine the All-Star starters, and the ability to vote through Google Search.
NEW YORK -- Pete Alonso may have been the Mets’ most valuable player over the first two months of the season, but he’ll need additional fan support if he’s to make his first All-Star team as a rookie.
• VOTE NOW: Google MLB All-Star Ballot
Alonso ranked fifth among National League first basemen in the initial update of All-Star balloting, released Tuesday by Major League Baseball. With 157,347 votes, Alonso trailed Pittsburgh’s Josh Bell by 464,568 votes, and was nearly a quarter million votes shy of cracking the top three at his position. He’ll need to do so to make the second round of fan voting; if Alonso doesn’t, his only way to Cleveland will be as a reserve -- or a Home Run Derby participant.
Fans may vote in "The Primary" at MLB.com and all 30 club sites, the MLB At Bat and MLB Ballpark apps up to five times in any 24-hour period. Fans in the US and Canada can also vote on Google Search for every position, or up to 17 unique players per day, by searching "MLB Vote" or the names of their favorite players. Primary voting ends at 4 p.m. ET on Friday, June 21.
The top three vote-getters at each position (including nine outfielders) per league will move on to "The Starters Election," which begins at noon ET on Wednesday, June 26. The votes will reset for a 28-hour voting window that ends at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 27. Starters for the 2019 Midsummer Classic will be unveiled on ESPN that night at 7 ET. The pitchers and reserves will be announced on Sunday, June 30, at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Then on Tuesday, July 9, during the 2019 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, fans may visit MLB.com and the 30 club sites to submit their choices for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet.
The 90th Midsummer Classic, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, 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. 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.
Alonso, 24, is the Mets’ most likely representative in Cleveland, given that he entered Tuesday’s play tied for second in the Majors with 21 home runs. Still, he faces stiff competition at first base. Bell has outpaced Alonso in average, on-base percentage, slugging, runs scored and RBIs, among other categories. Alonso also trails Chicago’s Anthony Rizzo, Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman and Los Angeles’ Max Muncy in voting.
Even if Alonso does not make the All-Star team, MLB can still invite him to participate in the Home Run Derby -- a stated goal of the rookie.
No other Mets player cracked the top five at his position in the league’s first ballot update. Robinson Cano, who is on the injured list with a left quad strain, ranked seventh among second basemen. Wilson Ramos was ninth among catchers and Jeff McNeil clocked in 18th among outfielders.