Injured catcher Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants leads in the first ballot of the upcoming MLB All-Star game in Arizona on July 12. Posey, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year was having a superb year before being injured on a collision at home plate against the Florida Marlins last year.

Posey, with his 785,314 votes leads Brian McCann of the Atlanta Braves, who has 633,987 votes.

Now on the disabled list, Posey has been declared out for the season by the San Francisco Giants after having surgery on his ankle to insert screws to stabilize the area. Posey also fractured his fibula, but won't need surgery, since the injury should heal on its own.

Other Giants who have high vote totals in their positions include Pablo Sandoval, who is third place at third base and Freddy Sanchez who is fifth place for second base.

Sandoval was injured last month, but may be able to return to the lineup as soon as next week. If he continues his hot streak, he may be able to get more votes, or at least earn a spot as a reserve, which is chosen by the All-Star team managers.

Pitchers are not voted on, but are also chosen by the team managers. In fact, Giants manager Bruce Bochy will be this year's NL manager since the Giants won the NL pennant, and World Series last year.

The Giants high relative vote totals to previous years bodes well for the reigning World Series champions. The team and players have earned credibility since the win last November.

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