Wieters leads AL catchers in All-Star voting

The first round of All-Star voting has been released by Major League Baseball, and Matt Wieters leads all American League catchers despite being on the disabled list. Wieters has garnered 540,258 votes as he vies for his third career Midsummer Classic selection (2011-12) and first career starting assignment. Wieters, who's batting .308 with five home runs and 18 RBI, would join Terry Kennedy (1987) as the only catchers in team history to earn a fan-elected start. New York's Brian McCann, a seven-time All-Star and 2011 National League starter with the Braves, is second with 373,169 votes. Nelson Cruz has received 484,186 votes to rank second behind Boston's David Ortiz (501,808) among AL designated hitters. Cruz leads the majors with 16 home runs and ranks second in RBIs with 45. J.J. Hardy is third among shortstops with 265,923 votes. Manny Machado is fourth among third basemen with 263,029 and Chris Davis is fourth among first basemen with 238,730. Adam Jones is seventh among outfielders with 285,913 votes and Nick Markakis is 10th with 248,886. The A.L. All-Star team will have nine elected starters via the fan balloting program, while the N.L. All-Star team will have eight. The pitchers and reserves for both squads - totaling 25 for the N.L. and 24 for the A.L. - will be determined through a combination of "Player Ballot" choices and selections made by the two All-Star managers - N.L. skipper Mike Matheny of the St. Louis Cardinals and A.L. manager John Farrell of the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox. Immediately following the announcement of the American League and National League All-Star rosters, fans will begin voting to select the final player for each League's 34-man roster via the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com Final Vote. The All-Star Game will be played at Target Field in Minnesota on July 15. Catchers 1. Matt Wieters Orioles 540,258 2. Brian McCann Yankees 373,169 3. Derek Norris Athletics 215,110 4. A.J. Pierzynski Red Sox 188,288 5. Kurt Suzuki Twins 187,766 First basemen 1. Miguel Cabrera Tigers 440,407 2. Albert Pujols Angels 371,193 3. Jose Abreu White Sox 367,617 4. Chris Davis Orioles 238,730 5. Mark Teixeira Yankees 201,123 Second basemen 1. Ian Kinsler Tigers 356,244 2. Robinson Cano Mariners 350,293 3. Dustin Pedroia Red Sox 343,321 4. Brian Dozier Twins 194,941 5. Howie Kendrick Angels 165,003 Third basemen 1. Josh Donaldson Athletics 464,367 2. Evan Longoria Rays 407,724 3. Adrian Beltre Rangers 281,460 4. Manny Machado Orioles 263,029 5. Nick Castellanos Tigers 157,768 Shortstops 1. Derek Jeter Yankees 602,525 2. Alexei Ramirez White Sox 472,537 3. J.J. Hardy Orioles 265,923 4. Elvis Andrus Rangers 166,907 5. Jed Lowrie Athletics 142,622 Designated hitters 1. David Ortiz Red Sox 501,808 2. Nelson Cruz Orioles 484,186 3. Victor Martinez Tigers 340,827 4. Alfonso Soriano Yankees 221,378 5. Brandon Moss Athletics 144,319 Outfielders 1. Mike Trout Angels 764,007 2. Jose Bautista Blue Jays 675,290 3. Jacoby Ellsbury Yankees 417,452 4. Carlos Beltran Yankees 401,101 5. Melky Cabrera Blue Jays 364,506 6. Torii Hunter Tigers 322,736 7. Adam Jones Orioles 285,913 8. Shin-Soo Choo Rangers 271,521 9. Yoenis Cespedes Athletics 249,674 10. Nick Markakis Orioles 248,886 11. Brett Gardner Yankees 197,577 12. Josh Hamilton Angels 188,918 13. Rajai Davis Tigers 186,913 14. Austin Jackson Tigers 175,165 15. Alex Rios Rangers 167,261 The 10 American League candidates for the Home Run Derby are Davis, Jose Bautista, Carlos Beltran, Miguel Cabrera, Robinson Cano, Yoenis Cespedes, Prince Fielder, All-Star Ambassador Joe Mauer and Mike Trout.