Goldschmidt picked for 4th All-Star Game; Lamb in Final Vote
Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt was named to his fourth consecutive NL All-Star team on Tuesday, but he will have to wait until Friday to find out whether teammate Jake Lamb will join him at Petco Park in San Diego for the July 12 Midsummer Classic.
Lamb, who leads the National League in slugging percentage, is one of five players involved in the Final Vote, along with San Francisco first baseman Brandon Belt, Colorado shortstop Trevor Story, Pittsburgh outfielder Starling Marte and Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun. Fans can vote at mlb.com until 1 p.m. (Arizona time) on Friday.
Goldschmidt, the NL's starting first baseman in 2014 and '15 in voting by the fans, will make this year's game as a reserve, selected in voting by players. Anthony Rizzo won the fan voting to be the NL's starting first baseman.
Rizzo's teammate, major-league home run leader Kris Bryant, was voted the starting third baseman, and Lamb, despite his breakout season, was not among the top five in fan balloting. Voted onto the team as Bryant's backup were Colorado's Nolan Arenado and St. Louis' Matt Carpenter.
Lamb's case for inclusion isn't a difficult one to make. Entering Tuesday's play, he ranked first in the NL in slugging percentage (.609), second in OPS (.974), tied second in extra-base hits (44), tied for fifth in RBI (59) and tied for seventh in home runs (19). The tricky part is that he plays a position that is rich in talent -- Bryant, Arenado and Carpenter all rank among the league leaders in multiple categories.
"There's some really good third basemen around the league," Lamb said. "It's just cool to be on that list."
Jake Lamb is one of five players in the Final Vote to be added to the NL All-Star roster. Paul Goldschmidt will play in his fourth consecutive Midsummer Classic.
Lamb said being voted onto the roster would be "a dream come true."
"I can't say it was a goal for the beginning of this year," he said. "I was just trying to help the team. It's definitely going to be an extreme honor if I get the vote.
"I know how it works. It's my second year, I didn't have a great year last year. Obviously my numbers weren't nearly like this last year, so not a whole lot of guys know about me."
Goldschmidt, hitting .290 with a .412 on-base percentage, 15 home runs, 56 RBI and 11 stolen bases, is one of three first basemen on the NL roster, joining Rizzo and Wil Myers.
"I had fun the last few years, so it'll be fun to go again," Goldschmidt said. "I'm disappointed for a couple of our other guys who aren't in right now."
Goldschmidt said there's no question in his mind that Lamb is worthy.
"The production he's had at third base this first half is right up there with any of the other third basemen in the league. He's been doing it quietly, and we see it on a daily basis.
"Trying to get that first All-Star Game nod is really tough, and I think once you do it once, then you've gained a little of that notoriety."
The NL starting lineup includes five Cubs: Rizzo, Bryant, second baseman Ben Zobrist, shortstop Addison Russell and outfielder Dexter Fowler. They're joined by San Francisco catcher Buster Posey, Washington outfielder Bryce Harper and New York outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.
The AL starting lineup is dominated by four Red Sox: Designated hitter David Ortiz, shortstop Xander Bogaerts and outfielders Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. They're joined by catcher Salvador Perez and first baseman Eric Hosmer of Kansas City, second baseman Jose Altuve of Houston, third baseman Manny Machado of Baltimore and outfielder Mike Trout of Los Angeles.
The American League Final Vote comes down to second basemen Dustin Pedroia of Boston and Ian Kinsler of Detroit, third baseman Evan Longoria of Tampa Bay and outfielders George Springer of Houston and Michael Saunders of Toronto.
The complete All-Star rosters can be found here.
