Will new voting format help or hurt Nats' All-Star chances?

For all their difficulties as a collective unit so far this season, the Nationals do have a host of players enjoying success on an individual level.

Which means they could wind up with much better representation at the All-Star Game than you might normally expect from a team that resides closer to the bottom of the standings than the top.

Even if their two All-Star mainstays from recent seasons don't figure into the picture the way they used to.

Bryce Harper, an All-Star in six of his seven seasons with the Nationals, will be wearing a Phillies uniform if he makes it to Cleveland on July 9. Max Scherzer, who has made six consecutive All-Star teams and started the last two games, could return again this summer but will have to overcome his team's awful record in games he has started (2-10 at this point).

But even without those two big names, the Nationals aren't lacking in worthy All-Star candidates.

Anthony Rendon has somehow never made an All-Star team despite his consistent production year after year and three top-11 finishes in MVP voting. The attention-avoiding third baseman loves to joke about his attempts to stay away from the Midsummer Classic, but he may have no choice but to spend a few days in the spotlight this summer.

Even in a star-studded class of third basemen, Rendon stands out from the pack. He currently leads all of his National League brethren, including Nolan Arenado and Kris Bryant, in OPS.

The pertinent question: Will Rendon benefit or be plagued by Major League Baseball's new All-Star voting process?

Gone are the days when the player who received the most votes at each position was named his league's starter. It has now become a two-pronged process. First up is "The Primary," in which fans vote as they always have by position. That runs until June 21, at which point the top three vote-getters at each infield position (top nine in the outfield) will qualify for The Starters Election. That second voting period lasts only 28 hours, and the finalist who receives the most votes during that brief window will earn the right to start in the All-Star Game.

So, Rendon merely needs to finish in the top three at third base to have a chance. And perhaps once the field is whittled down to three finalists, he might garner more support.

There should be plenty of support for Juan Soto as well, especially if the 20-year-old slugger keeps up the torrid pace he has established during his 13-game hitting streak. He's currently seventh among all NL outfielders on the ballot in OPS, but he's trending up.

Soto hadn't been in the majors long enough to warrant serious consideration for last year's Midsummer Classic, but he's now a bona fide star, recognized across the sport for his remarkable production at the plate at such a young age. In fact, Soto has now played in exactly 162 big league games. His total stats: a .292 batting average, 31 homers, 107 RBIs, 107 runs, 36 doubles, 108 walks, 150 strikeouts and a .921 OPS.

And what about Howie Kendrick? The 14-year veteran was an All-Star once before, in 2011 with the Angels. But his numbers so far this season (.328 average, .595 slugging percentage, .963 OPS) dwarf his numbers from that season (.285 average, .464 slugging percentage, .802 OPS).

Kendrick's not on the ballot, because he wasn't expected to be an everyday player at any one position when the season began. So for him to be voted in by fans, he'd have to make it as a write-in candidate. That's a daunting challenge, but there's always the chance Kendrick's fellow players or the commissioner's office add him to the roster as a backup after the starters have been selected.

Fans still don't have a say in the pitchers who make the All-Star team, but the players and commissioner's office will have several Nationals hurlers to consider, including Scherzer (who does lead the league in strikeouts and Fielding Independent Pitching). Stephen Strasburg, a three-time All-Star, is enjoying one of the best first halves of his career, leading the league in innings while ranking second in strikeouts and fifth in WHIP. And Patrick Corbin, a two-time All-Star, is fifth in strikeouts, sixth in ERA and WHIP, making for a strong case.