MLB All-Star Game: The case for each AL Final Vote candidate

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MAY 26: Steven Souza Jr.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MAY 26: Steven Souza Jr.
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MIAMI, FL – JULY 27 (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL – JULY 27 (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images)

Which of the Final Vote candidates in the American League should head to this year’s MLB All-Star Game in Miami? Here’s a rundown of the choices.

If you didn’t adequately satisfy your voting appetite over the last couple months (really?), then Major League Baseball has you covered with the All-Star Final Vote. As always, fans will get the last word in filling out the MLB All-Star Game rosters by voting for their favorites among five players from each league.

With only four days to work with, there is a much greater sense of urgency for fans who want a particular player to nab that coveted final roster spot. The players themselves usually seem to have fun with it too as they “campaign” for their place on the All-Star team. Occasionally the fanbases of teams from different leagues will form alliances by agreeing to vote for each other’s candidate in an effort to get both to the Midsummer Classic.

MLB also gives fans more options in terms of how they get out the vote. They can submit as many ballots as they want on MLB.com until 4:00 pm ET on Thursday, July 6. They can also vote up to 35 times via text by sending each player’s alphanumeric code to a specific number. And they can vote on Twitter during the final six hours leading up to the deadline by using the unique hashtag assigned to each player.

But which players in the Final Vote deserve to go to Miami for this year’s festivities? Each candidate has a viable case, and we’ll take a closer look at them here by starting with the American League.

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