Two Reds named finalists to start MLB All-Star Game

The Cincinnati Reds are on the brink of doing something they haven’t done since 2017: get a position player voted in to start the All-Star Game. And if today’s results hold, they may just have two.

The first round of voting concluded this week, with fans weighing in on their choices to start the midsummer classic through the typical online voting method. However, the new process as of 2019 includes a second round of voting for the top three finalists at each position. Those finalists were announced this morning, and two Reds made the cut: Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker, who ranked second and third respectively out of all National League outfielders.

The outfield finalists are a list of nine, with the top three earning the starting slots in the N.L. As of today, both Castellanos and Winker are in the fold. Here’s the full list of their competitors:

1. Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL
2. Nick Castellanos, CIN
3. Jesse Winker, CIN
4. Mookie Betts, LAD
5. Chris Taylor, LAD
6. Juan Soto, WSH
7. Bryce Harper, PHI
8. Joc Pederson, CHC
9. Mike Yastrzemski, SF

The second phase of voting begins at noon on Monday and runs through 2 p.m. this Thursday. The slates for each position will be wiped clean, so the leading vote-getters from the previous round have no advantage. The starters will be announced Thursday night on ESPN. These are the rest of the finalists:

Your AL and NL All-Star finalists!

Phase 2 voting starts TOMORROW at noon ET.

Who's heading to the Midsummer Classic? pic.twitter.com/3Rh2Vp1WtV

— All-Star Game (@AllStarGame) June 27, 2021

Castellanos and Winker are both in the midst of outstanding seasons for the Reds, and both are undeniably among the best outfielders the National League has to offer. Castellanos is currently leading the league with a .343 average, and his .985 OPS ranks fourth; Winker is right behind him with a .325 average and .990 OPS. The dynamic duo have already combined for 32 home runs and 89 RBIs on the young season.

If one or both of them finishes in the top three, they will be the first Red(s) since Zack Cozart in 2017 to win the fan vote. Before him, the last starter was Todd Frazier in 2015. Joey Votto, Eugenio Suarez and Scooter Gennett were the last position players to appear in the All-Star Game when they made the team as reserves in 2018.

This year’s game will take place at Coors Field in Denver on July 13. The location was chosen after MLB opted to move it away from Atlanta in response to Georgia’s new voting access restrictions. It will be the first Midsummer Classic since 2019, as last year’s game was cancelled.

Castellanos and Winker will need the full support of Reds Nation this week of they want to make the final cut, which is a pretty big deal for a small market like Cincinnati. You can vote here when the balloting opens tomorrow, or participate on Twitter with the hashtags #VoteCastellanos and #VoteWinker.