MLB All-Star Game: Cardinals have three in tight races
With the MLB All-Star Game just over a month away, several St. Louis Cardinals players are locked in tight races for spots on the National League roster.
Boasting the best record in Major League Baseball, it’s little wonder the St. Louis Cardinals have several players in consideration for spots in the 2015 MLB All-Star Game.
Catcher Yadier Molina and second baseman Kolten Wong came in second at the respective positions in the latest vote update, with the injured Matt Holliday not out of the picture in a crowded outfield race.
Both players trail the leaders by roughly 1.2 million votes. Wong, who has been a bright spot for the St. Louis offense, trails Dee Gordon of the Miami Marlins, while Molina trails perennial fan favorite Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants.
Wong is in the midst of the best season of his very young career, batting .283/.337/.449 with eight home runs and 14 doubles – which ties his career-high he set last season with the Cardinals.
The 24-year-old infielder has performed well across-the-board for Mike Matheny‘s club, but Gordon has been one of the only bright spots for a Miami ball club that has languished in a weak National League East.
Gordon entered play on Tuesday batting over .350, tied with Paul Goldschmidt for the league lead. He’s also added 24 stolen bases and leads the league with 106 hits in just 67 games. His .802 OPS would be a new career-high and it’s easy to see why he’s leading the vote-getting so far.
That being said, Wong has been impressive and should Gordon fade down the stretch, he could be a dark horse candidate to start the Midsummer Classic for the NL.
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Meanwhile, per usual, the top two catchers in the National League are Molina and Posey. The latter, a three-time World Series champion, extended his lead over Molina by roughly 400,000 votes this week as the Giants continued to battle the Dodgers for first in the NL West.
Molina, meanwhile, remains one of the game’s best backstops on both sides of the game. Defensively, there’s not a better game-caller in baseball. At the dish, he’s done his usual work – which says a lot.
The St. Louis backstop is batting .295/.341/.374 in 60-plus games this season with just two home runs and 24 RBI. He hasn’t been the power hitter he once was, but he’s still force-to-be-reckoned with on a daily basis.
The injured Holliday, who is batting over .300 yet-again is projected to start should voting end today. However, with him sidelined with an injury, his 400,000-vote edge over the Giants’ Nori Aoki could diminish quickly.
To vote, Cardinals fans can visit mlb.com and cast their ballots. The 2015 MLB All-Star Game is set for July 14.