Major League Baseball unveiled the second update for the leading vote-getters for this summer’s All-Star Game, with the Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals and Boston Red Sox currently dominating the voting.
Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez is currently the top vote-getter. MLB Communications shared the updated results:
The Cubs would have an MLB-high five starters if the voting ended today. First baseman Anthony Rizzo leads all National League players in votes, while second baseman Ben Zobrist, third baseman Kris Bryant and shortstop Addison Russell lead a near all-Chicago infield. Outfielder Dexter Fowler rounds out the five starters.
The Cubs are currently blitzing MLB with a league-best 40-17 record. Their run differential of plus-142 is double the next-best team (Boston).
The Royals and Red Sox each would have three starters, while four Royals find themselves second in the voting at their respective positions.
The popularity of the Royals and the Red Sox in the voting is hardly surprising.
Royals fans voted in droves last season—to the point that a ballot-stuffing controversy emerged—and ultimately, four Royals were voted in as starters. Now, the defending champions are well positioned to have a major presence in the AL starting lineup once again.
The Red Sox have been one of the best teams in baseball to this point, meanwhile, opening the season 33-24. The Red Sox currently have the most runs (336) and RBI (323) in all of baseball, while the team’s .293 batting average is the top mark by a whopping 16 percentage points.
The team’s offense has been superb, led by David Ortiz (.340 with 16 home runs and 54 RBI), Xander Bogaerts (.345 with six home runs, 46 runs, 33 RBI and seven stolen bases) and Jackie Bradley Jr. (.323 with nine home runs and 38 RBI).
Ortiz’s season, in particular, has been remarkable, as MLB Central discussed.
While some fans might note that Robinson Cano (.284, 16 home runs, 48 RBI) is being snubbed at second base, Jose Altuve (.336 with 10 home runs, 34 RBI, 45 runs and 17 stolen bases) is having a fantastic season.
Outfield is a loaded position, as always, and Mark Trumbo and Mookie Betts, among others, can make a case that they should be starters. But Mike Trout and Lorenzo Cain remain two of the game’s most popular players, with Trout in particular posting strong numbers this season (.306 with 12 home runs, 41 RBI, 39 runs and eight stolen bases).
Outfield is the best potential spot for a sixth Cubs starter, as Jason Heyward is in fourth place in that voting. Fowler, Bryce Harper and Yoenis Cespedes each have more than a million votes, though, so Heyward’s going to have to dig himself out of a large hole.
Meanwhile, it’s hard to argue with either Eric Hosmer (.319 with 10 home runs and 35 RBI) or Manny Machado (.307 with 15 home runs and 36 RBI) at first base and third base, respectively. Ditto for Perez, who remains one of American League’s most productive catchers, with seven home runs and 25 RBI this season.
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