If the voting ended today, Royals would have five All-Star starters
The Royals have a chance at history -- and it's in the fans' hands.
In the first All-Star Game balloting update released Tuesday, five Royals were slated to start for the American League in the Midsummer Classic. Catcher Salvador Perez and outfielder Lorenzo Cain led all AL players in votes, pulling in 1,447,753 and 1,376,217 votes, respectively. Third baseman Mike Moustakas, shortstop Alcides Escobar and outfielder Alex Gordon would also be in line to start.
If the results hold, the Royals would become the first AL team ever to start five players in the All-Star Game. The only other team to do so was the 1976 Cincinnati Reds, when the Big Red Machine sent five starters.
The Royals have not had five players in the All-Star Game since 1982, and the franchise high for starters is three in 1979.
Perez, who earned a starting nod last season and has two straight All-Star appearances, leads Oakland's Stephen Vogt by 651,905 votes among AL catchers. Cain leads reigning AL MVP Mike Trout by nearly 80,000 votes, while Gordon ranks third among outfielders. He holds a slight edge over Baltimore's Adam Jones, leading by less than 10,000 votes.
Moustakas, with 1,261,769 votes, leads Toronto's Josh Donaldson at third base. Escobar has a 364,886-vote lead on Detroit's Jose Iglesias. Neither Moustakas nor Escobar has ever been named an All-Star.
Four other Royals are within striking distance of a starting spot. First baseman Eric Hosmer (behind Miguel Cabrera by 245,613 votes), second baseman Omar Infante (trailing Jose Altuve by 586,409 tallies) and designated hitter Kendrys Morales (behind Nelson Cruz by 307,206 votes) are each in second place in their positions.
Alex Rios, despite playing just seven games, ranks sixth among AL outfielders with 629,119 votes.
You can follow Matthew DeFranks on Twitter at @MDeFranks or email him at matthew.defranks@gmail.com.
