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MLB: Brandon Belt and Michael Saunders Win All-Star Final Vote

By Conner Grant

Jul 3, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (9) and second baseman Grant Green (38) celebrate after scoring a run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the third inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 3, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (9) and second baseman Grant Green (38) celebrate after scoring a run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the third inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Michael Saunders and San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt won the MLB All-Star Game Final Vote on Friday.

After a week of intense voting across the nation, America (and Canada) has spoken.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Michael Saunders and San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt are going to the MLB All-Star Game thanks to the Final Vote.

Full National League Results:

  1. Brandon Belt – San Francisco Giants
  2. Starling Marte – Pittsburgh Pirates
  3. Trevor Story – Colorado Rockies
  4. Jake Lamb – Arizona Diamondbacks
  5. Ryan Braun – Milwaukee Brewers

Brandon Belt ran out to an early lead and maintained it until polls closed. Belt has hit the ball well this year and is deserving of the votes. On top of leading the National League in doubles with 27, Belt has a .300 average with 10 home runs. And did you know that his nickname is “Baby Giraffe” according to Baseball Reference? Now that is an All-Star nickname. This will be his first All-Star game.

Trailing behind him is hot-hitting Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Starling Marte. His .318 batting average speaks for itself. He boasts a .829 OPS with six home runs on the season. He also has had a nice year in the field, only having three errors with nine assists.

Full American League Standings:

  1. Michael Saunders – Toronto Blue Jays
  2. George Springer – Houston Astros
  3. Dustin Pedroia – Boston Red Sox
  4. Ian Kinsler – Detroit Tigers
  5. Evan Longoria – Tampa Bay Rays
Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports
Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports /

Along with Belt, Michael Saunders will be going to his first All-Star Game as well. The Blue Jays outfielder has a .298 average with 16 home runs along with 25 doubles. Saunders dominated the vote in Canada with a crazy 98.6 percent of Canadians voting for him. On top of being from Canada, he has now also earned the nickname “Captain Canada.”

Behind him was the youngster George Springer from the Houston Astros. Springer is batting only .266, but has 19 home runs on the season. The outfielder has only one error on the season, and eight assists in the Houston outfield.

The fan vote this week made for some fun times on social media, including a lamb in the the locker room and a Bigfoot campaigning.

Next: HR Derby Preview and Predictions

The MLB All-Star game will be played in San Diego on Tuesday July 12th at 8:00 PM EDT on FOX. The Home Run Derby will be on Monday at 8:00 PM EDT on ESPN.

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