NewsCabrera loses ground in All-Star voting
Vote online, at ballpark to send Tigers to St. Louis
By Jason Beck / MLB.com
06/02/09 12:06 PM ET
DETROIT -- The Tigers are coming home, and the weather is heating up, which might be good for Miguel Cabrera at the ballot box as well as at the plate. If the Tigers are going to get their star slugger into the All-Star lineup, they could use a strong showing.
As the All-Star voting heads into June, the heart of its schedule, Cabrera has slipped from second to fourth among American League first basemen, leaving a real possibility that the reigning American League home run champion and one of this year's top hitters in batting average could be left off the field when next month's Midsummer Classic begins at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on July 14.
Cabrera and Placido Polanco (second base) are the only Tigers players in the top five at his position, according to results released by Major League Baseball on Tuesday. Curtis Granderson is 14th on the ballot among AL outfielders, three of whom will be selected to start.
Both Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira (506,339) and Twins slugger Justin Morneau (483,226) passed Cabrera (444,492) in votes in the past week. Cabrera continued his usual hit parade in Kansas City early last week, going 6-for-13 with two doubles, one home run and four RBIs before going 1-for-12 over the weekend series in Baltimore.
Cabrera's .355 average through Monday ranked third in the AL, while his .998 OPS ranked eighth, showing the combination of power and pure hitting that he's putting on display this year.
"He's a great young hitter," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said after Cabrera's four-hit game last Monday against the Royals. "When he's zeroed in and locked in, there's no telling what he can do."
The challenge Cabrera faces is that two of the other players in the top 10 in both batting average and OPS are also AL first basemen. Boston's Kevin Youkilis leads the voting at the position (600,175), while Morneau is moving up.
Now, Cabrera's returning to Detroit for a weeklong homestand at Comerica Park, where he's batting .412 (35-for-85) this season with six doubles, six home runs and 25 RBIs in 22 games, good for a 1.156 OPS. He'll also get a nationally televised game on Wednesday against Youkilis and the Red Sox.
Fans can cast their votes for starters up to 25 times with the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Online Ballot at MLB.com and all 30 club sites until July 2 at 11:59 p.m. ET. In-person balloting at Comerica Park runs through June 21.
Starting rosters will be announced during the 2009 All-Star Game Selection Show presented by Chevrolet on TBS on July 5. Baseball fans around the world will then be able to select the final player on each team via the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote at MLB.com.
And the voting doesn't end there. Fans will have the opportunity to participate in the official voting for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet at the Midsummer Classic via the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint MVP Vote at MLB.com.
The All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX and around the world by Major League Baseball International. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio play-by-play, while MLB.com will offer extensive online coverage.
Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
