Vote NOW to make Buxton an ASG starter

June 27th, 2021
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MINNEAPOLIS -- Even as Byron Buxton remained sidelined by injury for most of May and June, baseball fans around the country evidently didn't forget his incredible month of April.

Buxton is the Twins' lone finalist for the upcoming 2021 All-Star Game in Denver following his third-place finish among American League outfielders in Phase 1 of balloting, as revealed Sunday morning. Though he's currently on the injured list with a broken hand and won't be able to play in the Midsummer Classic, Buxton will still have a chance to be recognized for his performance this season with a selection to his first career All-Star team.

The Minnesota center fielder received 1,065,227 votes in Phase 1, which ran from June 3-24, trailing only Mike Trout (2,084,542 votes) and Aaron Judge (1,569,640). The top nine outfielders on the ballot advanced to Phase 2, which will pit Buxton against Trout, Judge, Michael Brantley, Adolis García, Teoscar Hernández, Cedric Mullins, Alex Verdugo and Randal Grichuk.

The only other Twins players to finish in the top 10 of balloting at their positions in Phase 1 were Josh Donaldson, who finished 10th in voting at third base, and Nelson Cruz, who finished sixth among designated hitters.

You can vote NOW until 1 p.m. CT on Thursday. Fans can vote once daily on MLB platforms and submit up to 17 unique player votes on Google per day. The top three vote-getters among outfielders will be named starters.

Buxton would likely have been a thoroughly deserving All-Star had he been healthy. He hit .369/.409/.767 with 10 homers, 11 doubles and five stolen bases through 27 games and was named the AL Player of the Month in April for his explosive performance.

Despite losing a combined 42 games so far to a hip strain and the fractured hand, Buxton still leads the Twins by a wide margin in WAR, according to both Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs.

Regardless of what happens with Buxton, the Twins will need to be represented on the AL All-Star team in Denver, with José Berríos, Taylor Rogers and Cruz appearing likely to be considered for the honor.

Berríos was an All-Star in both 2018 and '19 and currently holds a career-best 3.41 ERA and 1.08 WHIP through 15 starts, with 96 strikeouts in 89 2/3 innings. Rogers is back to his stingy self with a career-best strikeout rate (32.6 percent) and walk rate (3.9 percent), leading to a 2.53 ERA, 42 strikeouts and five walks in 32 innings.

Even as he awaits his 41st birthday later this week, Cruz once again leads the Twins in homers, with 16 and is hitting .300/.373/.557 in 66 games. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli also made the case for catcher Mitch Garver -- currently sidelined with a groin contusion -- and for Donaldson.

"We have guys all around the diamond that have played well, who I think you could look to and fill some of those spots, [guys] that are deserving and have had good, good years," Baldelli said.

The All-Star Game starters will be announced during the 2021 Google MLB All-Star Starters Reveal at 8 p.m. CT on Thursday on ESPN. The rest of the 2021 All-Star rosters will be named on Sunday, July 4, at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN.

The 91st Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 180 countries. During the game, 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. 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, including ticket information and updates, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @MLB and @AllStarGame on social media.

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Do-Hyoung Park covers the Twins for MLB.com.