NEWSLETTER
Although the Cubs will certainly have a reliever (Craig Kimbrel) … or three (Andrew Chafin, Ryan Tepera) in the All-Star game by way of player ballot selections and choices made by the Commissioner’s Office, we want to see a couple of their starting position players voted in by fans, as well. And on that front, so far, so good.
Here’s the early results, with a reminder that the top-3 players at each position will advance to the next round of voting:
The first All-Star ballot standings have been released!
𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫: top 3 players at each position, plus 9 outfielders, will advance to the next round of voting so let's #CubTogether and vote 5x/day at https://t.co/iq0lKgoH7i. pic.twitter.com/4L6zZN8bJG
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 14, 2021
That means that Willson Contreras (3rd), Anthony Rizzo (3rd), Javy Baez (2nd), and Kris Bryant (1st) are all on pace to make it to the next round, with Bryant the front-runner at his position. I think Baez will ultimately have a tough time overtaking Fernando Tatis Jr., Nico Hoerner has missed too much time, and none of the outfielders are in a position to make their case, but Contreras and Rizzo certainly have some arguments.
Willson Contreras is leading all NL catchers in plate appearances (226) and runs scored, and is tied for the lead in homers (11). He’s t-2nd in RBI (26), and is second in stolen bases (3) and ISO (.220). As of today, he’s 5th in WAR (1.3).
Anthony Rizzo has the lowest strikeout rate among all NL first baseman and the second highest OBP. He’s also tied for the lead in stolen bases (4) and is tied for second with 1.0 WAR. He could certainly use a bit of a hot streak/spurt of power, but we obviously know he has that in him.
So get out there and get voting. The Cubs should have at least two All-Stars this season (Bryant, Kimbrel), but I want MORE.
