CLEVELAND — Indians first baseman Carlos Santana is a finalist in the MLB All-Star Starters Election, and the only Cleveland player to advance to the final round of voting ahead of the All-Star game next month.
This year, the Starters Election hosted by MLB and Google features “The Primary,” which ran from May 28 to 4 p.m. Friday, according to a news release from the MLB. The top three vote-getters in each league for each position — and the top nine outfielders — will be featured in the Starters Election, which begins at 12 p.m. Wednesday. Fans will have a 28-hour window to vote during this second round of voting.
Luke Voit with the Yankees edged out Santana for the top first baseman spot with 1,205,706 votes to Santana’s 1,180,719. C.J. Cron with the Twins came in third with 1,045,120 votes.
Francisco Lindor came in fourth for the American League shortstop election with 962,899 votes, short of Gleyber Torres with the Yankees at number 3 with 976,163 votes, the Astros’ Carlos Correa in second place with 1,115,469 and the Twins’ Jorge Polanco in first position with 1,450,913 votes.
Other Indians players who were in contention included catcher Roberto Perez who came in ninth place with 455,570 votes, second baseman Jason Kipnis at eighth place with 341,003 votes, third baseman Jose Ramirez with 332,821 votes coming in tenth, designated hitter Jordan Luplow in tenth with 320,401 votes, and outfielder Jake Bauers earning an 18th-place spot with 348,360 votes.
The results of the Starters Election will be announced on Thursday night at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
The elections are just for starters - other Tribe players may end up on the AL All-Star team or in the reserves. All-Star reserves and pitchers will be revealed at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 30, determined through a combination of player ballot choices and the commissioner's office.
The American League All-Star Team will be managed by Alex Cora of the defending World Series Champion Boston Red Sox.
The MLB All-Star Game at Progressive Field on July 9 will round out a week of All-Star activities, including the Home Run Derby, Celebrity Softball Game, and the baseball-themed Play Ball Park at the Huntington Convention Center.
