Gordon Selected for All-Star Game Final Vote

Two-time All-American and current Kansas City Royals left fielder Alex Gordon has been named one of the five nominees for the 10th annual All-Star Game Final Vote Sponsored by Sprint. In conjunction with Major League Baseball, managers Bruce Bochy of the National League and Ron Washington of the American League each picked five nominees and are giving fans the privilege and challenge of deciding the 34th and final roster spots for the 82nd All-Star Game on July 12 in Phoenix.

Balloting began immediately following Sunday's Major League All-Star Selection Show presented by Taco Bell and continues until 3 p.m. CT on Thursday, with fans able to vote 25 times per day. The winners will be announced on MLB.com shortly thereafter. Mobile voting for U.S. residents is available by sending "VOTE" to 89269 to receive the 2011 All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote ballot.

"I think it's pretty cool," Gordon said. "Just to be up for it means a lot. Last year, I went down to Triple-A -- and the year before. So I'm proud to be here and happy to be up for it."

The No. 2 overall pick of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft by the Royals, Gordon moved up to the major league squad early and was pegged as a future All-Star, and it will be up to fans to say whether this is the year. Emerging as a leader of a young club, Gordon broke out fast with a .356 average in April and already has played in more games than last season. He is tracking at season projections of nearly 200 hits, 100 runs and 100 RBIs, which could put him in some elite past Royals company.

Entering Sunday's game at the Colorado Rockies, after his second four-hit game this season on Saturday, Gordon is batting .301 with 10 homers and 46 RBIs. He has also posted hitting streaks of 19 and 14 games this season, while leading all AL outfielders with 24 doubles. Gordon has also made a seamless transition from third base to left field as he leads all MLB outfielders in assists with 13.

Along with Gordon, the American League nominees include Orioles center fielder Adam Jones, White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, Tigers catcher Victor Martinez and Rays second baseman Ben Zobrist.

There will be an extra treat for fans who participate in the Final Vote. If you are not a current MLB.TV subscriber (MLB.TV or MLB.TV Premium), you are eligible to receive a 10-day free trial of MLB.TV from July 9-19. If you are a current MLB.TV subscriber (MLB.TV or MLB.TV Premium), you will receive a 15-percent discount to the MLB.com Shop. MLB.com will send an email on July 8 to all Final Vote voters with instructions on how to redeem the applicable offer.

MLB.com also will launch the 2011 All-Star Game Campaign Headquarters, which gives fans the chance to join a campaign for any of the 10 candidates and compete to become that player's online "Campaign Manager."

After completing the 2011 All-Star Game Final Vote Sponsored by Sprint, fans are presented with the option to support the campaign of either of the two players for whom they just voted for. When a player is chosen, MLB.com will track every vote that fan helps generate for that specific player, whether it comes from Facebook, Twitter or MLB.com links forwarded. The fans generating the most votes will be ranked on that player's campaign page.

Also, MLB.com and its partner JibJab, the leader in personalized entertainment, have introduced a specially created Starring You® campaign featuring each League's five Final Vote candidates in a humorous, animated video of the traditional seventh-inning stretch song, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."

Fans can watch the candidates' Starring You videos and then cast their online votes for the 2011 All-Star Game Final Vote Sponsored by Sprint here. They then can create their own free Starring You® video where they can choose their favorite teams and insert photos of themselves, family and friends. The videos, including those featuring the 10 All-Star Game Final Vote candidates, are embeddable and can be shared via e-mail, through social network platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. For complete details, visit MLB.com/jibjab.

The 82nd Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX with pregame ceremonies beginning at 7 p.m. (CT). ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Game coverage.