=== Soriano still in front for All-Star Game AL voting ===

New York, NY (My Sportsbook) - Second baseman Alfonso Soriano of the New York Yankees continues to lead the American League among vote-getters for the 2003 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

The 25-year-old Soriano, who is batting .288 with 18 home runs and 43 RBI, has totaled 716,557 votes.

Catcher Jorge Posada, also a Yankee, is the leader among catchers with 554,677 votes. Posada has a .264 batting average with 15 homers and 45 RBI in the 2003 campaign.

Alex Rodriguez heads the balloting at shortstop with 567,928 votes. Rodriguez has 16 homers, 38 RBI, a .542 slugging percentage and seven stolen bases. He holds a 183,759-vote lead over Boston shortstop Nomar Garciaparra.

The other AL leaders by position are first baseman Carlos Delgado of the Toronto Blue Jays, third baseman Troy Glaus of the World Series champion Anaheim Angels. Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki leads all outfielders with 550,581 votes. Suzuki, the top vote-getter in the American League for the past two season, is tied for the league lead in hits with 94, stolen bases with 18, and holds a batting average of .339. Manny Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox and Torii Hunter of the Minnesota Twins round out the top three outfield positions.

Designated hitter Edgar Martinez of the Seattle Mariners leads all DH's with 486,809.

This year's Mid-Summer Classic will be played at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago on July 15.

For the first time, the outcome of the game will impact postseason play, as the winning league will have home field advantage in the 2003 World Series.