With nine days to go until All-Star voting closes, Major League Baseball released its penultimate voting update. Compared to last week, the Padres’ two leading candidates for spots on the All-Star team dropped in voting. Outfielder Justin Upton dropped from sixth to seventh, and catcher Derek Norris dropped out of the top five after being fourth last week.
Upton’s drop in the voting may be a reflection of how he’s cooled off in June compared to May. Upton is only batting .174 this month compared to .343 last month. He’s only homered once and driven in six runs this month. He still ranks eighth among all NL position players with a 2.5 offensive WAR, according to Baseball Reference.
Norris’ drop from the top five should be more surprising as he continues to be one of the most productive catchers in the league. The Giants’ Buster Posey is the leading vote-getter among catchers. Norris has the same number of RBIs (41) as the Giants catcher and only has one fewer home run than Posey’s 10. Norris leads all catchers with 18 doubles.
(h/t U-T San Diego)
Photo credit: Jake Roth/USA TODAY Sports
