Bautista Overtakes Cruz In Latest AL All-Star Game Balloting Update!
The Texas Rangers current dominance of the American League in voting for this year’s 2012 All-Star Game lost one, as with a little over week left in balloting for this year’s game last year’s top vote-getter, slugging outfielder Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays overtook Nelson Cruz for the third and final outfield spot in the AL by 52,453 votes. This comes after he trailed Cruz by fewer than 42,000 votes just a week ago, as Cruz fell all the way down to fifth with even Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones moving ahead into fourth in voting for outfielders in the AL. With the three being separated by only 52,453 votes.
Bautista joins Cruz’s Rangers teammate Josh Hamilton and the New York Yankees Curtis Granderson in the outfield, with Hamilton ironically currently leading all vote-getters in both leagues with 5,414,880 votes and on pace to break Bautista’s All-Star vote record of 7,454,753 votes that he set only a year ago.
Other than the outfield the only other real competition in the AL among voters is at second base between the Rangers Ian Kinsler and the Yankees Robinson Cano who are separated by only 15,260 votes. Otherwise the rest of the American League’s top vote-getters so far seem almost a lock for the July 10th 83rd Midsummer Classic in Kansas City with the Chicago White Sox Paul Konerko gaining 9,435 votes but still needing a huge comeback to overtake Prince Fielder of the AL Central rival Detroit Tigers for the first base lead.
For those who still want to feel free to keep on voting to as despite the not so close races in the American League there is still a little over a week left to vote with All-Star Game Online Balloting ending next Thursday, June 28th. Lookout for the next update from the NL tomorrow afternoon before there is a final update in both leagues next week ahead of the July 1st 2012 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show presented by Taco Bell on TBS, where the starters and full rosters will be announced.
