Marlins' Stanton falls to 4th among NL outfielders in All-Star voting
MIAMI -- Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton fell out of a starting role in the latest National League All-Star voting released on Tuesday afternoon.
With 2,922,350 votes, Stanton, the reigning co-NL Player of the Week who leads the majors in homers (23) and RBI (59), now trails the Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper (6,059,827), the St. Louis Cardinals' Matt Holliday (3,739,181) and the San Francisco Giants' Nori Aoki (2,995,899).
A two-time All-Star in 2012 and 2014, Stanton has also bumped his average to .261. Last season, he started as the NL's designated hitter when he didn't get enough votes to man the outfield.
"I certainly hope that people who are purists and love the game recognize what this kid’s doing and what kind of year he’s having and get him in that top three where he belongs," manager Dan Jennings said. "Because he belongs in that top 3 and he deserves to start in that All-Star Game in Cincinnati."
Dee Gordon still leads all NL second basemen (3,481,830), but the Cardinals' Kolten Wong (3,124,973) continues to stay close. Gordon ranks second in average (.352) but first in hits (93) among big leaguers.
Shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria, with the second-highest average (.300) and third-best fielding percentage (.989) among shortstops in the majors, remains out of the top five in voting.
The Midsummer Classic will take place on July 14 at Great American Ball Park, home of the Cincinnati Reds.
You can follow Christina De Nicola on Twitter @CDeNicola13 or email her at cdenicola13@gmail.com.
