The All-Star Game is one week away, and Major League Baseball will announce the starting rosters for the American League and National League on Tuesday night.
While there is a chance for some changes in voting based on last week's results, the tightest races are in the American League's outfield and the National League's catching showdown.
Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels, the MVP of the last two All-Star Games, should be secure in the American League outfield, while Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox are trying to hold off Lorenzo Cain of the Kansas City Royals and Mark Trumbo of the Baltimore Orioles.
Bradley had a 29-game hitting streak earlier this year, which brought him some attention. In addition to being one of the top defensive outfielders in the game, he brought his improvement as a hitter into focus. While his average has dropped in the last month, Bradley is still hitting .294 with 13 home runs and 53 RBI.
Betts started the season slowly, but he has raised his average to .296, hit 18 home runs and knocked in 57 runs. Betts has stolen 13 bases on 14 attempts, while Bradley has swiped seven on eight attempts.
Cain is having a solid year for the Royals, but his numbers are a tad below those of the Boston duo. Cain, who suffered a hamstring injury in late June, is hitting .290 with eight home runs and 39 RBI.
Even if Trumbo doesn't make the starting lineup, it will be difficult to keep him off the American League roster. He has pounded out 24 home runs and knocked in 62 runs while putting together a respectable .280 batting average.
On the National League side, Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals had a lead of slightly more than 5,000 votes over Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants, so the vote could end up in either star's favor when MLB makes the final announcement.
While Molina and Posey have been two of the best catchers in the big leagues over the years, Wilson Ramos of the Washington Nationals appears to be the most deserving candidate this season.
Ramos is having a sensational season, hitting .340 with 13 home runs and 46 RBI. Posey is having a fine year with a .291 batting average along with 10 homers and 40 RBI. Molina's production has been limited, as he has hit just one home run and driven in 27 runs to go with his .259 batting average.
The four Chicago Cubs infielders are leading the way at their respective positions. Anthony Rizzo is in command at first base, while Ben Zobrist and Kris Bryant are on top at second and third base, respectively. Those three are having fine years for a Cubs team that got off to a sensational start this season, but shortstop Addison Russell has been disappointing.
Russell is hitting .238 with nine home runs and 45 RBI, and Trevor Story of the Colorado Rockies and Corey Seager of the Los Angeles Dodgers are having better years. Story is batting .264 with 19 home runs and 50 RBI, while Seager is hitting .305 with 17 home runs and 41 RBI.
On the American League side, catcher Salvador Perez is the leading vote-getter among all major leaguers with more than 3.7 million votes.
David Ortiz is the second-leading vote-getter with more than 3.4 million supporters, and he is running away with the top spot at designated hitter.
Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros is dominating at second base, while Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles has a sizable lead over Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Machado's lead is controversial, however, because the ballot lists him at third base even though he has been playing shortstop for the Orioles.
All statistics courtesy of CBS Sports as of July 4.
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