Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES – Major League Baseball has released the early returns in the fan voting for this year’s All-Star Game, and it looks like there will be plenty of your 2021 Los Angeles Dodgers vying for spots on this year’s squad. The game will be held on July 13 in Denver, Colorado, and if Coors Field does its usual magic, it figures to be quite the showcase for baseball’s best talent.
Mookie and Corey score high, but…
When you are the World Champs, you’re going to get a bunch of votes just on name recognition alone. And indeed, some Dodgers who are having less than stellar seasons are still getting some support from fans in the early going. Mookie Betts is fourth among outfielders, but I think he’d be the first to tell you that he’s been disappointed in his performance this year. His .250/.366/.455 slash line is far below where he’d like it to be, and quite frankly where I think he’ll end up by October.
Similarly, Corey Seager is currently third among NL shortstops with 9% of the vote, but a lot of that is probably hangover from last year’s amazing playoff run. After being hit by a pitch, he hasn’t played this season in over a month, and his numbers weren’t all that great even before he went down. Certainly, Fernando Tatis Jr. will end up being the NL starter at this position since he’s already getting 40% of all the votes in the category.
JT and Gavin Lux both third in early voting
Also in the infield, Justin Turner and Gavin Lux are getting some support as well. Turner is now third at the hot corner for the NL, trailing the Cubs’ Kris Bryant and the Cards’ Nolan Arenado in this first phase of voting. That sounds about right. Bryant is having a monster bounce-back season for the Cubbies and deserves the start this year.
It was nice to see that people are starting to notice Gavin Lux as well. He’s currently third at second base, which ironically he hasn’t played in quite some time. He trails both the Braves Ozzie Albies and the Pirates Adam Frazier in that category. Like Turner, Lux is having a good year, but he’s not really playing All-Star level baseball this season, so it won’t be too big a deal if he doesn’t make the team.
Smith makes a decent showing
The Giants’ Buster Posey is running away with the voting at catcher this year, and deservedly so. After taking a year off during the Covid season, he is having a monster 2021. Still, our own Will Smith is making a decent showing, garnering 11% of the vote, good enough for fourth place in that category.
Muncy leads all NL first basemen
The one category where a Dodger is in first place in the voting in this first phase is the one guy I would say absolutely deserves to be on the team. Max Muncy is currently leading all NL first basemen with 23% of the vote. The next closest player is the Braves’ Freddie Freeman, who is still riding the fumes of his 2020 MVP. Though struggling this season, he still managed to get 16% of the vote at first.
To be honest, the only National Leaguer that could be mentioned in the same conversation with Muncy this year is Eric Hosmer, who is having a quiet, solid season in San Diego. Before he got banged up with injuries this month, the funky Muncy was on quite the tear. In his last 30 games, he’s hitting .306 with an OPS north of 1.000. Sadly, with Muncy out nursing his oblique injury, he may not be available to play in the mid-summer classic. Still, it’s good to see he’s getting the credit he deserves this year.
#VoteCT3
The final Dodger who made the list is the one that it would be nicest to see on the team this year. Chris Taylor has been a rock in the Dodger lineup this year, and has carried the team on more than a few nights. His defensive versatility is the stuff of legend and his consistency at the plate has been a thing to behold. His OPS was .875 in April and then .900 in May, and is .765 so far in June. He is seventh in the league in On-Base Percentage and ninth in overall OPS. I know that I don’t have to make this case to Dodger fans, but it would be nice if we could get a little momentum going for a very deserving player.
The final Phase 1 results will be announced on Sunday, June 27, at noon ET on the 2021 Google MLB All-Star Ballot Finalists Show on MLB Network. Phase 2 will last for four days, concluding on Thursday, July 1, at 2 p.m. ET. Later that night, the starting teams will be announced at 9 p.m. ET on the 2021 Google MLB All-Star Starters Reveal on ESPN.
With close races at every position, there’s still time to ensure that your favorite Dodgers make it to the next phase. Fans can cast their votes exclusively online and via mobile devices at MLB.com, all 30 club websites, the MLB At Bat and MLB Ballpark mobile apps and on Google Search in the U.S. and Canada until the voting period for Phase 1 concludes at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 24. Let’s keep Max in first and push CT3 to the front of the line. Go Dodgers!
