Merrifield eyeing first All-Star appearance in '19

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.

CHICAGO -- Royals super utility man Whit Merrifield remembers the first time that he saw his name on the All-Star Ballot in 2017.

• VOTE NOW: Google MLB All-Star Ballot

“It was just cool seeing your name listed with all the other great players in the game,” Merrifield said. “Now, I’m kind of past that and just want to get over the hump [and make the team].”

All-Star ballot voting officially opened Tuesday for the 2019 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, which will be held in Cleveland on July 9. MLB has teamed up with Google to give fans an easy way to vote, by simply searching “MLB Vote” or the name of a player.

Royals third baseman Hunter Dozier is one of three Royals appearing on the All-Star Ballot for the first time -- first baseman Ryan O’Hearn and shortstop Adalberto Mondesi are the others.

“Yeah, just seeing your name next to guys like [Alex] Bregman and [Matt] Chapman is pretty special,” Dozier said. “I consider those guys the best third basemen in the league, so it’s pretty cool.”

The other Royals on the ballot are outfielders Jorge Soler, Alex Gordon and Billy Hamilton, and catcher Martin Maldonado.

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.