Your AL All-Star Starters? It's On Pace To Be The Royals, Plus Mike Trout
(CBS) Who's ready for a .204 hitter to take center stage in the MLB All-Star Game?
Because it could well happen.
On the strength of a rabid fan base, the Royals have an incredible eight players leading the way at their respective positions in the latest AL All-Star Game voting returns. That includes second baseman Omar Infante, he of the .204 average and a .496 OPS that is the lowest of any qualified player in the majors, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
Infante also boasts zero homer, zero stolen bases and 17 RBIs. It's the most egregious inclusion to date, given Infante's struggles and Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis having a standout year with a .335 average. Infante has 4.5 million votes, while Kipnis has 1.8 million. Astros second baseman Jose Altuve has 4.2 million votes.
If voting ended today, the only non-Royal starter would be the Angels' Mike Trout, who's second among AL outfielders. The rest would be from Kansas City: catcher Salvador Perez, first baseman Eric Hosmer, shortstop Alcides Escobar, third baseman Mike Moustakas, outfielder Lorenzo Cain, outfielder Alex Gordon and designate hitter Kendrys Morales.
Hosmer has nearly 5.8 million votes, leading Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera, who has 5.3 million.
The Royals figure to have staying power here, too, as five of them have a lead of at least 1.6 million votes.
The record for the most starters from one team is six by the 1939 Yankees, though the 1957 Reds had seven players voted into the starting lineup by fans before then-commissioner Ford Frick used his power to overrule and pull two of them out of the lineup amid ballot box-stuffing concerns.
Fans vote on the starters, while players and coaches vote on most of the reserves.
The All-Star Game is July 14 in Cincinnati. No White Sox player appears among the top five vote-getters at any position.
