Former Twins slugger Justin Morneau will get his Target Field reunion after all, just not as a member of the National League All-Star roster.
Morneau, playing in his first season with the Colorado Rockies, fell short of winning the Final Vote to earn a spot on the National League roster for next week's All-Star Game. The game, of course, is being played in Minnesota, where Morneau spent the first 11 seasons of his career. He was edged in the voting by Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo.
Though he didn't make the All-Star roster, Morneau was selected as one of the final participants in the Home Run Derby. Morneau, who won the derby in 2008, is the only left-handed batter in the event.
Many throughout Twins Territory lobbied to get Morneau back to Target Field. Former teammate and good friend Joe Mauer filmed a video, while other Twins did their part to encourage fans to vote. Players from other professional teams in town -- including Greg Jennings of the Vikings, Zach Parise and Josh Harding of the Wild, and Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio -- also campaigned via Twitter using the hashtag #VoteMorneau.
According to a map on Major League Baseball's website, Morneau had the majority of fan votes in all but one county in Minnesota. The outlier? Yellow Medicine County on the western border of the state. Morneau also won 68.6 percent of the votes in his native Canada.
In 86 games with the Rockies this year, Morneau is batting .313 with 13 homers and 59 RBI.
The 24-year-old Rizzo joins fellow Chicago athlete Chris Sale -- a left-handed pitcher for the White Sox -- as the Final Vote winners. Rizzo has 20 home runs and is batting .280 with 49 RBI in 89 games for the Cubs.
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