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Ivan Rodriguez leads all N.L catchers in
All-Star voting.
January 27, 2003 -- Ten-time All-Star Ivan Rodriguez of the Florida Marlins currently leads all National League catchers in balloting results for the 74th All-Star Game, to be played Tuesday, July 15 at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, it was announced today.
For the first time, the outcome of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game will impact postseason play, as the winning League in this year's All-Star Game will have home field advantage in the 2003 World Series.
Rodriguez played in ten straight All-Star Games (1992-2001) for the American League as a member of the Texas Rangers and was elected to start in nine straight (1993-2001), an AL-record for catchers. If elected this season, he would become only the second player to have been selected as the starting catcher for both the American and National League since 1970 (Ted Simmons -- St. Louis (NL), 1979 and Milwaukee (AL), 1983).
Rodriguez, who has collected 332,013 votes thus far, would also be the first catcher other than Mike Piazza to be elected as the National League starter since Darren Daulton of the Philadelphia Phillies led all NL backstops in 1993. The ten-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner is currently batting .266 with eight home runs, 32 RBI and nine stolen bases.
Other National League position leaders are: First Baseman Jeff Bagwell (311,234) and Second Baseman Jeff Kent (302,865) of the Houston Astros; Third Baseman Scott Rolen (572,872) and Shortstop Edgar Renteria (380,878) of the St. Louis Cardinals; and Outfielders Sammy Sosa (479,875) of the Chicago Cubs and Gary Sheffield (385,223) of the Atlanta Braves. Outfielder Barry Bonds (608,340) of the San Francisco Giants is currently the leading vote-getter in the National League.
The Major League Baseball All-Star Balloting Program, the largest in professional sports, encompasses RadioShack In-Stadium Balloting at the 30 Major League ballparks and Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico; Topps Online All-Star Balloting powered by Nexl at the Official Website of Major League Baseball (www.MLB.com); Pepsi Retail Balloting at Subway Restaurants and Albertsons grocery stores; and International Retail Balloting throughout Puerto Rico, Canada, Japan and the Dominican Republic.
While the fan balloting program will determine the eight starting position players in each league and the Designated Hitter in the American League, a separate ballot of managers, coaches, and players (the Player Ballot) will be conducted by Major League Baseball during the final week of fan balloting to select an additional nine position players in the AL, eight position players in the National League, and eight pitchers in each league.
The two All-Star Team managers -- Mike Scioscia of the Anaheim Angels and Dusty Baker of the Chicago Cubs -- and Major League Baseball will select the final five AL spots (four pitchers and one position player) and seven NL spots (four pitchers and three position players).
Following the conclusion of voting and the announcement of the starters, pitchers and reserves, fans will have the opportunity to select the final position player for each league's 32-man roster at MLB.com. The "etopps All-Star Final Vote" recorded more than three million votes in the two-day voting period for last year's inaugural program.
The 74th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports and televised around the world by Major League Baseball International, with pre-game ceremonies beginning at 8:00 p.m. (EDT). ESPN Radio will provide exclusive, national radio coverage, while MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage and MLB.com Radio will provide exclusive play-by-play coverage of the game on the Internet.
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