Could Josh Jung be the first Texas Rangers rookie to start the MLB All-Star Game?
Among the tightest margin in the second phase of MLB All-Star voting is Texas Rangers rookie Josh Jung.
Through the first round of the voting, Jung was 50,000 votes behind Toronto’s Matt Chapman for the American League’s starting third base spot in the All-Star game on July 11 in Seattle — the closest race on this year’s ballot.
Voting resumed Monday at 11 a.m. and will be open until Thursday at 11 a.m. Vote totals do not carry over from the previous phase — so Jung and Chapman are back to even. Fans can vote on MLB’s website at mlb.com.
Other Rangers who are on the final ballot are catcher Jonah Heim, second baseman Marcus Semein, shortstop Corey Seager and outfielder Adolis Garcia.
Only four Rangers have made an appearance at the All-Star game in their rookie seasons — Jim Sundberg (1974), Jeff Zimmerman (1999), Yu Darvish (2012) and Adolis Garcia (2021) — but none have started the game. The last rookie to start in the MLB All-Star game was Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge in 2017.
After making his debut and appearing in 26 games at the end of last season, Jung has played 74 of 77 games for the Rangers in 2023. He ranks in the top-5 among all AL third baseman in most hitting categories, including home runs, RBIs, hits, OPS and WAR.
Texas plays three games vs the Detroit Tigers until voting closes on Thursday, so Jung will have a few more chances to bolster his resume to make Rangers history.
This story was originally published June 26, 2023 at 12:28 PM.