Zobrist edges Murphy by just 88 All-Star votes
In a battle of the most coveted second basemen from last year's free-agent class, Ben Zobrist out-voted Daniel Murphy by the slimmest of margins.
How slim?
After more than six million ballots were cast for the National League's top two second basemen, the race was decided by a mere 88 votes.
Related: All-Star starting lineups
Zobrist, a two-time All-Star, capped his superb first three months in Chicago with his first-ever selection as a starter, narrowly edging Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy 3,013,407 votes to 3,013,319 when the final results were announced by Major League Baseball on Tuesday.
The close race between the pair is indicative of the All-Star seasons both players are having.
| Name | HR | RBI | AVG | OBP | SLG | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murphy | 14 | 56 | .347 | .387 | .579 | 3.3 |
| Zobrist | 11 | 43 | .296 | .404 | .473 | 2.9 |
''Being an All-Star is humbling. I'm excited for it,'' Murphy said Tuesday night.
''Ben Zobrist is the starter. It sounds like he's having a fantastic year and is well deserving.''
Zobrist's inclusion was an historic one for the Cubs, who became the first team since the 1963 Cardinals to have four infielders in the starting lineup for the Midsummer Classic. Zobrist joins Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, and top NL vote-getter Anthony Rizzo as the second ever starting All-Star infield from one team.