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By David Ferraro
July 10, 2009
The votes have been counted and Shane Victorino and Brandon Inge won the Sprint Final Vote contest to become the 33rd player on their respective leagues rosters to make the all-star team.
Third baseman Pablo Sandoval of the San Francisco Giants and second baseman Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers both finished second in the NL and AL voting.
Major League Baseball reported that an impressive 68.6 million votes were cast, making it a record and 43.5% increase over last years vote totals.
In the NL, Victorino and Sandoval were followed by Diamondbacks third baseman Mark Reynolds, Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp, and Nationals shortstop Christian Guzman.
On the American League side, Inge and Kinsler were followed by Angels infielder Chone Figgins, Rays first baseman Carlos Pena, and Adam Lind of the Toronto Blue Jays.
It is the first all-star game for both Victorino and Inge. The Philadelphia Phillies outfielder is hitting .309 with 6 home runs and 15 stolen bases, along with an impressive 61 runs scored. Inge is currently hitting .264 with 19 home runs and 54 RBI for the Detroit Tigers.
The vote adds the last players to each all-star team, barring any add-ons due to injuries from selected players. With Raul Ibanez and Carlos Beltran injured, there is a strong chance that Sandoval will get chosen to replace them.
For the National League the starters are catcher Yadier Molina, first baseman Albert Pujols, second baseman Chase Utley, shortstop Hanley Ramirez, third baseman David Wright, and outfielders Carlos Beltran, Ryan Braun, and Raul Ibanez.
The all-star game is slated for July 14th in St. Louis at Busch Stadium.
David Ferraro is the administrator of baseball-now.com
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