CSN Bay Area

The final vote is underway for Oakland A’s second baseman Eric Sogard to be named the “Face of MLB.”

Sogard defeated Toronto outfielder Jose Bautista in the semifinals Thursday of the MLB Network’s Face of MLB tournament contest. In a race that was close most of the way, Sogard collected 52 percent of the fan vote to Bautista’s 48 percent.

So continues the unlikely run of the A’s part-time second baseman, who has knocked off a former MVP in the Giants’ Buster Posey and two big-name players in Colorado’s Troy Tulowitzki and Bautista in fan voting to advance to the finals against New York Mets third baseman David Wright.

Voting is open until 5 a.m. (PT) Friday morning.

Sogard has one last giant obstacle to overcome in Wright, a large-market star who has a powerful fan base behind him. But A’s fans have already propelled Sogard through four rounds. The tournament began with 30 players -- one representative from each team voted on by fans.

Sogard’s teammates have gotten into the spirit of the contest, taking to Twitter to urge fans to vote, and vote often, for the infielder.