After leading the Final Vote all the way through, Paul Konerko and Shane Victorino’s wins on Thursday were among the least surprising pieces of All-Star voting to come across the desk all year. Victorino earns his second Final Vote win with the nod, while Paul Konerko won for the first time in three attempts dating back to 2004. Each is a deserving All-Star; Victorino is off to the best start of his career, with nine triples and nine home runs contributing to a slugging percentage of .524, while Konerko has been as good as he was in his startling 2010, slugging .572 with 22 home runs.
Now it’s only a matter of Victorino being cleared to play in the All-Star Game. The thumb strain that’s kept him out of action for the Philadelphia Phillies all week could mean he won’t be available for the All-Star Game, at which point Major League Baseball will have another chance to successfully avoid selecting Andrew McCutchen, one of the most exciting players in baseball, who plays over in Pittsburgh.