Which players are moving up in NL ASG voting?
Dodgers making best push, while 3 Braves maintain starting spots
The Dodgers had a difficult start to the season, but they've gained meaningful momentum, going 15-5 so far this month. And that momentum extends to the National League's 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Ballot results released on Monday.
• VOTE NOW: 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Ballot
Though all of the starting-position leaders remain the same as they were in the first two updates, Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp has moved from third to second among NL outfielders, jumping past the Nationals' Bryce Harper. And three other Dodgers players -- second baseman John Forsythe, third baseman Justin Turner and outfielder Yasiel Puig -- are now listed among the top vote-getters after not appearing last week.
Meanwhile, the first-place Braves remain the only club with three projected starters and all eight of its players on the ballot appearing among the leaders. First baseman Freddie Freeman is still comfortably ahead in the NL's total vote count, with 2,199,904 votes.
Voting to decide the starters for the 89th All-Star Game presented by Mastercard on July 17 at Washington's Nationals Park continues until 11:59 p.m. ET on July 5.
Here are the latest results in the NL:
CATCHER
- Buster Posey, Giants: 1,037,368
- Willson Contreras, Cubs: 945,347
- Kurt Suzuki, Braves: 880,707
- Yadier Molina, Cardinals: 584,054
- Yasmani Grandal, Dodgers: 539,782
No changes here. Posey maintains more than a 90,000-vote edge on Contreras, putting him in good position to make his fourth straight start behind the plate for the NL. Suzuki remains in the hunt. The Marlins' J.T. Realmuto, who leads all NL catchers in OPS by a wide margin, remains outside the top five.
FIRST BASE
- Freddie Freeman, Braves: 2,199,904
- Anthony Rizzo, Cubs: 899,953
- Brandon Belt, Giants: 571,177
- Cody Bellinger, Dodgers: 472,164
- Jose Martinez, Cardinals: 303,551
With more than twice as many votes as Rizzo, Freeman will be making his first All-Star appearance since 2014 and will be starting for the first time. He entered the week third in the NL in average (.327), second in on-base percentage (.415) and fourth in slugging percentage (.565). The only change here is Martinez's arrival in the top five, bumping the Reds' Joey Votto.
SECOND BASE
- Ozzie Albies, Braves: 1,408,469
- Javier Baez, Cubs: 1,186,243
- Scooter Gennett, Reds: 1,166,288
- Joe Panik, Giants: 335,298
- John Forsythe, Dodgers: 268,236
This is still a three-player race, but Albies has widened his lead on Baez from around 148,000 last week to around 223,000 this week. So while Albies, Baez and Gennett all have strong statistical cases, Albies' impact (41 extra-base) on a reborn Braves club has definitely resonated with the voters.
THIRD BASE
- Nolan Arenado, Rockies: 1,706,923
- Kristopher Bryant, Cubs: 1,060,467
- Johan Camargo, Braves: 642,241
- Eugenio Suarez, Reds: 376,612
- Justin Turner, Dodgers: 353,693
Turner and the Giants' Evan Longoria have traded turns in the No. 5 spot in the first three updates, and Turner could solidify that position with Longoria on the shelf with a broken hand. But the top spot at third has been a constant. Arenado, who took a .997 OPS, 18 homers and 55 RBIs into the week, is in good shape to make his second straight All-Star start.
SHORTSTOP
- Brandon Crawford, Giants: 1,701,098
- Dansby Swanson, Braves: 888,077
- Addison Russell, Cubs: 771,478
- Trevor Story, Rockies: 555,788
- Trea Turner, Nationals: 380,331
Another position with no changes this week. Crawford's .308 average and .856 OPS are tops among NL shortstops, and a brief slump last week did nothing to slow his momentum in this race. He was an All-Star in 2015, but this would be his first time starting.
OUTFIELD
- Nick Markakis, Braves: 1,829,276
- Matt Kemp, Dodgers: 1,498,827
- Bryce Harper, Nationals: 1,403,335
- Charlie Blackmon, Rockies: 983,660
- Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves: 932,989
- Ender Inciarte, Braves: 828,451
- Jason Heyward, Cubs: 750,688
- Kyle Schwarber, Cubs: 706,374
- Benjamin Zobrist, Cubs: 684,377
- Christian Yelich, Brewers: 545,044
- Corey Dickerson, Pirates: 455,065
- Lorenzo Cain, Brewers: 422,252
- Andrew McCutchen, Giants: 412,708
- Odubel Herrera, Phillies: 374,540
- Yasiel Puig, Dodgers: 366,277
The projected starting outfield remains unchanged, but Kemp has surpassed Harper. But while Harper's June swoon at the plate has affected his placement (he had fallen from first to second last week), he's still well ahead of Blackmon. Last week, Harper said that he will participate in the Home Run Derby at his home park if he's selected to the NL roster. The only other changes here are Herrera dropping from 12th to 14th and Puig bumping the Nationals' Matt Adams out of the top 15.
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, visit AllStarGame.com and follow @MLB and @AllStarGame on social media.