Voting for the 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star Game officially opened on Sunday via MLB.com and all 30 club sites. Voting is conducted exclusively online for a second consecutive year, with fans able to vote up to 35 times.
However, that number includes a maximum of five ballots cast during any 24-hour window. Voting closes Thursday, June 30 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The 87th Midsummer Classic is being held at Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, on Tuesday, July 12.
Eight Los Angeles Dodgers were named to the first ballot released — Adrian Gonzalez, Yasmani Grandal, Howie Kendrick, Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig, Corey Seager, Justin Turner and Chase Utley. Per usual, pitchers are not selected by the fans and thus don’t appear on the ballot.
Six of the eight Dodgers have previously been named to an All-Star Game, with the group combining to total 15 appearances in the annual Midsummer Classic. Utley leads with six selections, Gonzalez has five, and Grandal, Kendrick, Pederson and Puig each have one.
Gonzalez, Grandal, Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw and Pederson represented the Dodgers last year. Pederson replaced injured St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday, and became the first Dodger rookie position player to start an All-Star Game. Puig, who was selected to the 2014 All-Star Game, is the last Dodger voted in by the fans.
Utley has been a major catalyst this season — both at second base and with his bat as the club’s leadoff hitter. The veteran more than filled the void with Kendrick beginning the year on the disabled list, and Utley hasn’t given manager Dave Roberts any reason to to remove him from the lineup. Utley’s success, along with injuries, has resulted in Kendrick spending the majority of his time in left field thus far.
In line with that, Kendrick is listed as an outfielder on the All-Star ballot for the first time in his career. Gonzalez and Kershaw have been their steady selves, while Pederson and Puig continue to show signs of growth and maturity.
Grandal has made significant contributions since getting reinstated from the DL after missing the first week of the season. Seager has yet to replicate the torrid pace he set last September, but there’s little reason to worry over the consensus No. 1 prospect.
Voting can be completed by visiting dodgers.com/vote, and by texting VOTE to 89269 (USA) or 101010 (Canada), or by texting VOTA for a ballot in Spanish. Message and data rates may apply.
