On Wednesday, Major League Baseball launched the 2015 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot, opening up fan voting for the starting positions at the 86th All-Star Game on July 14. But it won’t be business as usual with paper ballots at ballparks this year. For the first time ever, ballots will be cast online only. Welcome to the New Age.
The MLB All-Star balloting program is larger than any other All-Star voting program in professional sports. Making the process digital saves a lot of trees.
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Mark Teixera, Yankees first basement and two-time All-Star agrees. “Probably better for the environment,” he said Tuesday on the eve of the first votes. And it needs to be. In 2012, there were a record 40.2 million ballots cast, and last year, there were over 300 million votes submitted.
“As we launch our annual tradition of All-Star fan voting, Major League Baseball and the Reds look forward to the upcoming celebration of the Midsummer Classic in a city known for its enduring baseball history,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said. “Baseball fans represent the heart of our game, and through All-Star balloting, I am proud to bring the best that our sport has to offer to the great fans and community of Cincinnati this summer.”
Using a computer, tablet or smartphone, fans will be able to cast their votes for starters thirty-fvie times exclusively at all thirty club websites and MLB.com until 11:59 p.m. ET on July 2. Fans can also use a mobile phone to cast a ballot by texting VOTE to 89269 (US) or 101010 (Canada).
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Non-U.S. fans will be able to vote, too. MLB is releasing online ballots in traditional Chinese, Korean and Japanese versions this month. Spanish-language ballots sponsored by Banco BHD will be available to fans in the Dominican Republic thru the official MLB Spanish-language website, LasMayores.com.
“I think the love of the All-Star Game starts as a kid,” three-time All-Star Evan Longoria of the Rays said before Tuesday’s game at Yankee Stadium. “You play the game for fun, and then at the end, some of the guys get rewarded to play a little bit more baseball on an All-Star team. I think that love kind of grows from there. Playing at the highest level, when you get rewarded by the fans or your colleagues to play in a game like that, it means a ton.”
MLB fans will have the opportunity to cast one more digital vote for the rosters. They can visit MLB.com following the announcement of the 2015 All-Stars to help select the last player for each league’s roster by casting the 2015 Esurance MLB all-Star Game Final Vote. Then on July 14, during the All-Star Game, fans can visit MLB.com again to submit their player choice for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet via the 2015 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote.
Extensive online coverage of the All-Star Week festivities will be provided by MLB.com. For more information, visit the allstargame.com.