Freese wins NL Final Vote, Harper gets a breather

Instead of heading to Kansas City over the All-Star break, Bryce Harper will be going to Las Vegas. Despite plenty of fan support in the voting on MLB.com and on Twitter, Harper came up short in a bid to earn the final spot on the National League All-Star team. Cardinals third baseman David Freese won the NL portion of the Final Vote, while Rangers starter Yu Darvish was the American League choice. Harper ended up coming in third in the NL voting, behind Freese and Atlanta's Michael Bourn. That means that instead of participating in the All-Star Game and all the festivities that come along with it, Harper will get a chance to go back home to Las Vegas and relax for a few days. This pleases both the rookie and his manager, Davey Johnson. Before the actual winners of the Final Vote were announced, Johnson was informed that Harper looked like he wouldn't be emerging as the winner. The Nationals skipper smiled and simply said: "Good." "I think he could use the time off, catch his breath, rather than have the all-day excitement of the All-Star Game," Johnson added. "I think it's an honor to go. One year, I about had a broken back. I couldn't go, but I always liked to go. I think it's fun. It's gotten a little more complicated. I think there's a few more parties and a few more events, so it's a little more difficult. And there's more riding on it, too." Harper has played in all 59 games since his call-up to the majors, starting 58 of those games.