Ranking the Dodgers' Best All-Star Game Candidates

Voting for the 2015 MLB All-Star Game ends tonight at 11:59 p.m. ET, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are hopeful that more than one required representative will earn a trip to Cincinnati.

MLB Communications released the most recent voting results for the National League on Monday.

The Dodgers do not have any position players in line to start the game on July 14, but several members of the team may find their way to Great American Ballpark as reserves voted in by the players, managers and coaches.

Here are the Dodgers' top candidates, ranked in order of their likelihood of making the roster.

5. Howie Kendrick

Harry How/Getty Images

2015 Stats: 79 G, .298/.350/.428, 7 HR, 36 RBI, 15 2B

With 6,316,113 votes, former Dodger Dee Gordon is on his way to representing the National League as the starting second baseman.

Gordon's replacement, Howie Kendrick, may not have as many votes, but he has put together a fine season for the Boys in Blue so far and could earn a spot when it comes time for players to submit their reserve picks.

Kendrick leads the Dodgers with 86 hits this year and is tied for fourth among MLB second basemen. His seven home runs equal the number of long balls he mustered in 2014 with the Los Angeles Angels.

Kendrick will most likely have to compete for the votes of his peers with fellow second basemen Kolten Wong, Joe Panik and Brandon Phillips—with Wong (.289, 9 HR, 36 RBI) posing the biggest threat.

4. Adrian Gonzalez

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

2015 Stats: 79 G, .293/.368/.507, 13 HR, 23 2B, 48 RBI

First baseman Adrian Gonzalez is a four-time All-Star but hasn't made the team since 2011 with the Boston Red Sox. 

He'd be a lock to represent the National League this season if it weren't for that other first baseman in the division, Paul Goldschmidt. As it stands, Gonzalez trails Goldschmidt—clearly the best first baseman in the majors—by about 4 million votes.

Behind Gonzalez in the positional race are Joey Votto, Anthony Rizzo and Freddie Freeman. The four of them have very comparable numbers, so it will be interesting to see the results of the reserve vote. If the voters base their decisions on tenure in the league, Gonzalez will be the one taking a trip to Cincinnati.

But a factor that may work against Gonzalez is his recent June swoon. After a scorching start to the season, Gonzalez batted just .218 last month with more than five times as many strikeouts as home runs. 

3. Joc Pederson

Denis Poroy/Getty Images

2015 Stats: 73 G, .243/.383/.525, 20 HR, 38 RBI, 55 BB

The National League Rookie of the Year battle appears to be a two-man race between Joc Pederson and Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs.

Pederson has exceeded expectations in his first full season with the Dodgers, playing an excellent center field and providing power atop the lineup. He leads all center fielders with a 3.34 WAR, and his 20 home runs are tied for fifth in the National League.

While the batting average leaves a bit to be desired, Pederson has produced in enough other categories to warrant an All-Star bid. He is currently sixth in NL outfield balloting with 2,977,227 votes. 

Bryce Harper leads all outfielders with more than 11 million votes. Behind him is Giancarlo Stanton, who will miss the game because of a broken bone in his left hand. That leaves Matt Holliday, Nori Aoki and Andrew McCutchen ahead of Pederson. 

Holliday and Aoki are left fielders and also in danger of missing the game because of injuries, which means the backup center fielder race should come down to Pederson and McCutchen. 

McCutchen, slashing .295/.386/.480 with nine home runs, 20 doubles and 45 RBI, is just as deserving as Pederson. His longer tenure in the league may ultimately be the deciding factor among the players voting.

2. Clayton Kershaw

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2015 Stats: 16 starts, 5-6, 3.20 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 140 K, 25 BB

There's no denying that Clayton Kershaw has taken a step back from last season. But that might be the case for anyone coming off a National League MVP award and Cy Young Award in the same year.

Despite a slight regression—he has twice as many losses at this point than he had in all of last season—Kershaw remains highly deserving of an All-Star bid. 

He still leads the National League in strikeouts with 140 and is just one behind Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox for the MLB lead. Opponents are hitting a measly .218 against him.

These would all be All-Star numbers if Kershaw's standard wasn't set so high a year ago. But since he hasn't quite been as good this season, his spot is less of a lock. Look for Kershaw to make the team anyway.

1. Zack Greinke

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

2015 Stats: 16 starts, 6-2, 1.58 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 94 K, 20 BB

It's easy to overlook Zack Greinke in a rotation headed by Clayton Kershaw, but the right-hander is quietly having the best season of his career.

His 1.58 ERA leads the majors, which easily eclipses his 2.16 ERA from 2009—the year he won the American League Cy Young Award with the Kansas City Royals.

Greinke has been the Dodgers' most consistent player all season, but you wouldn't realize that by looking at his record alone. He began the season 5-0, then received hardly any run support during his next 10 starts. Despite turning in a 1.79 ERA in those outings, Greinke didn't notch his sixth win until last weekend. 

He is a two-time All-Star (2009, 2014), and a third selection is imminent, perhaps as the starting pitcher for the National League. 

All stats courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.

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