Cleveland Guardians All-Star Update: Two Players Projected to Start
Phase 2 of the MLB All-Star Game voting is underway, and two Cleveland Guardians are in the running for a starting position on the American League squad.
The latest in #AllStarGame voting! Judge and Harper already secured their spots, but who else will join them?
— MLB (@MLB) July 1, 2024
Voting closes Wednesday at 12 pm ET, with starters announced later that day at 7 pm ET on @ESPN: https://t.co/AOTyLAgDzZ pic.twitter.com/8Sub1OuewA
Third basemen Jose Ramirez holds a commanding nine percent lead over Baltimore Orioles Jordan Westburg, while outfielder Steven Kwan is in a tight race with New York Yankees star Juan Soto and Orioles slugger Anthony Santander.
Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge punched his ticket during Phase 1 of voting, so the competition for the second and third outfield spot resumes in Phase 2. Soto will likely clinch one of two spots, as the Yankees power bat is 6-for-21 with two home runs and five RBIs in his last seven starts. Santander is the newcomer to the battle after batting .264 with 13 home runs in the month of June. Kwan is one percent of the vote away from Soto while leading Santander by two percent.
Other Guardians that were in the running in Phase 1 of voting hat did not make Phase 2 were Josh Naylor and David Fry. Both were in contention after their efforts in early June, but lost momentum during the team's long stretch of games.
Naylor's dry spell in the past few series did not look well compared to Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Orioles stud Ryan Mountcastle. Meanwhile, Fry's batting average took a hit in June, as Cleveland's utility bat finished the month with a .246 batting average and 17 strikeouts.
You can still vote for Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez to help them lock up a starting position for the 2024 MLB All-Star Game here.
Phase 2 of the voting ends Wednesday at 12 p.m. EST.
DYLAN FELTOVICH