WASHINGTON (CBSDC) – Major League Baseball has released the first wave of results in its All-Star final vote, revealing Anthony Rendon of the Washington Nationals to be ranked fourth on the National League’s final ballot.
Teammates have campaigned hard for Rendon on Twitter, although, as he revealed Tuesday, he hasn’t noticed. Not because he doesn’t care. Well, maybe.
Rendon’s words, via Adam Kilgore: “I don’t have social media, so I can’t keep up with it.”
Regardless, Rendon has put up All-Star caliber numbers. His .284 batting average (3rd), .340 on-base percentage (5th), 13 homers (T-2nd — he added another last night), 52 RBI (2nd), 8 runs (1st) and 8 stolen bases (2nd) all rank among the National League’s top third baseman (where Rendon’s played 71 games).
“If anyone watched the game last night, you should have seen enough,” said teammate Jordan Zimmermann, to 106.7 The Fan’s Bill Rohland and Danny Rouhier, of why Rendon deserves to be in. “The defense he was playing, and that 2-run homer. He’s been playing great all year — second base, third base — doesn’t matter where you put him, he’s playing great defense and his offensive numbers are right up there with anyone else.”
The moral to this story?
Even with a meticulous three-step selection process — including fan voting, player balloting and All-Star managerial selections — Major Leagues Baseball still can’t get it right, all the time, and Nationals fans will really have to step it up to give Rendon that final push he needs for his first All-Star selection.
Rendon doesn’t seem to care either way. It remains to be seen whether Nationals fans do or do not.
Voting ends Thursday at 4 p.m.
STANDINGS: NL #FinalVote sponsored by Experian
Justin Morneau
Anthony Rizzo
Justin Upton
Anthony Rendon
Casey McGehee
atmlb.com/1qS0ZBv—
#FinalVote (@MLB) July 08, 2014
