Corey Dickerson is having a monster season worthy of an all-star. Whether he is invited to make the short trip to Miami as part of the American League All-Star team is yet to be determined.
In the first round of American League All-Star balloting released Wednesday, Dickerson is fourth among designated hitters. No other Rays player is among the top 5 in any position.
Seattle’s Nelson Cruz leads designated hitters by a wide margin over second place Edwin Encarnacion of the Cleveland Indians and third place Matt Holliday of the New York Yankees.
Dickerson’s .346 average leads all of the league’s designated hitters by almost 70 points. As of Wednesday, he leads the American League in hitting by one point over Seattle’s Jean Segura.
Cruz and Dickerson both have 12 home runs while Holliday has 11 and Encarnacion has 10. Dickerson leads all designated hitters with 30 extra base hits, while Cruz is second best with 20.
It is unlikely Dickerson, or any Rays player, will be voted into the starting lineup by the fans, but could be selected as a reserve by American League Manager Terry Francona or fellow players.
Among those in the running include Steven Souza, Jr. among outfielders, who is fourth among right fielders in batting with a .277 average. Logan Morrison is hitting only .237, but leads American League first basemen with 14 home runs and has the fifth most in the league.
Morrison could also be a candidate for the Home Run Derby competition, which is beginning to dwarf the game itself for fan interest. Matt Andriese, Alex Cobb, and Chris Archer are possible starting pitcher selections while closer Alex Colome is a probable selection.
The game will be played at Marlins Park on July 11. The next American League voting update is Tuesday, June 6.
