Major League Baseball announced on Sunday the 2014 All-Star teams for both AL and NL divisions for the 85th All-Star game. The Atlanta Braves will have three representatives on July 15th…Julio Teheran, Craig Kimbrel and Freddie Freeman.
This will be Kimbrel’s fourth straight All-Star appearance. Teheran will make his first All-Star appearance. And Freeman will be back to the All-Star game for the second consecutive season.
If you don’t remember last year’s push to include Freeman into the All-Star game, it was magical. The final position for each All-Star team is voted on the fans and is called Final Vote Sponsored by Experian. The Braves Nation gathered to vote Freddie into the All-Star game ahead of Yusiel Puig. It was deemed an upset by ESPN because of their love for Puig but true baseball fans realized the season Freddie was having.
Now in 2014, the Braves could potentially add another player to the NL roster….Justin Upton.
Upton will be competing against Marlins’ Casey McGehee, Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo, Nationals’ Anthony Rendon, and Rockies’ Justin Morneau.
All you have to do is go on Twitter and type #VoteJUP
Let's get @JUP_8TL to the #ASG! Before bed, #VoteJUp by texting N5 to 89269 or go here: http://t.co/A5e2M0HPoH pic.twitter.com/sw3a54DcsO
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 7, 2014
“It will be fun, that is all you can take from it,” said Justin Upton. “There are four other guys that also deserve to be there. At the end of the day, everybody is deserving. So, you have fun with it and see what happens.”
Upton ranks third among NL outfielders with 17 homers and sixth in OPS with a .852. Justin made the NL All-Star team back in 2009 and 2011 for the Arizona D-Backs.
Let’s look further into the stats…
Justin Upton
| Year | Age | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 26 | 82 | 342 | 300 | 43 | 82 | 16 | 1 | 17 | 50 | 7 | 1 | 34 | 97 | .273 | .349 | .503 | .852 |
Casey McGehhe
| Year | Age | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 31 | 87 | 383 | 338 | 34 | 108 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 53 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 53 | .320 | .389 | .393 | .783 |
Anthony Rizzo
| Year | Age | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 24 | 85 | 370 | 312 | 56 | 86 | 13 | 1 | 17 | 45 | 2 | 3 | 50 | 66 | .276 | .384 | .487 | .871 |
Anthony Rendon
| Year | Age | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 24 | 83 | 369 | 333 | 60 | 94 | 21 | 5 | 12 | 50 | 8 | 1 | 29 | 59 | .282 | .340 | .483 | .823 |
Justin Morneau
| Year | Age | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 33 | 84 | 336 | 313 | 36 | 99 | 20 | 2 | 13 | 59 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 37 | .316 | .348 | .518 | .866 |
The stats are there, does JUp deserve to be in the All-Star game over some of these guys? Maybe, maybe not but let’s try to get him in! Justin tweeted out today that he’d like your help. It’s easy and fun! Do it, do it!
Wow this is crazy already. Really appreciate everyone that is voting and has voted for me. Lets keep it rolling! @Braves @MLB
— Justin Upton (@JUST_JUP) July 7, 2014
Voting will conclude on Thursday, July 10th, at 4pm ET
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