Stuffing the Ballot Box: 8 Royals lead AL All-Star voting
Published 1:19 am Tuesday, June 16, 2015
NEW YORK (AP) — Eight players from the AL champion Kansas City Royals are now on track to start at the July 14 All-Star game in Cincinnati, with Omar Infante overtaking Houston’s Jose Altuve at second base.
Catcher Salvador Perez, first baseman Eric Hosmer, shortstop Alcides Escobar, third baseman Mike Moustakas and designated hitter Kendrys Morales maintained their leads in voting totals released Monday. Lorenzo Cain was first among AL outfielders, with teammate Alex Gordon third, behind AL MVP Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels.
Infante, who began the night with a .204 batting average and 17 RBIs, led Altuve by 300,000 votes in totals announced Monday, wiping out what had been a 150,000-ballot deficit a week earlier.
Major League Baseball said the record for most starters from one team is held by the 1939 New York Yankees with six: catcher Bill Dickey, center fielder Joe DiMaggio, second baseman Joe Gordon, third baseman Red Rolfe, pitcher Red Ruffing and left fielder George Selkirk.
Fans elected seven Reds to start the 1957 game in St. Louis, but after concluding half the fan ballots came from Cincinnati, baseball commissioner Ford Frick added Willie Mays and Hank Aaron to the NL lineup in place of Reds outfielders Gus Bell and Wally Post.
Voting runs through July 2, and starters are likely to be announced the weekend of July 4-5.