The Magnificent Seven: Royals, Royals everywhere in latest All-Star voting
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Royals were already poised to break All-Star Game records; now they look ready to shatter them.
In the latest American League All-Star balloting update, Kansas City had seven players in line for a starting bid for the AL in Cincinnati on July 14. Catcher Salvador Perez, first baseman Eric Hosmer, shortstop Alcides Escobar, third baseman Mike Moustakas, outfielders Lorenzo Cain and Alex Gordon, and designated hitter Kendrys Morales would all garner a start.
"I think it's cool," said Royals manager Ned Yost, who will manage the AL squad. "Our fans have really kind of stepped up in a huge way for these guys and really supported them, not only at the stadium but now at the ballots. It's unbelievable, our fans."
Hosmer and Morales had been in second place in last week's update, but have since passed Detroit's Miguel Cabrera and Seattle's Nelson Cruz, respectively.
Kansas City would become the first club ever to start seven players in an All-Star Game. The previous high was five by the Reds in 1976. No AL team has ever had more than four.
Second baseman Omar Infante and outfielder Alex Rios are also each one spot behind their respective position leaders. Infante trails Houston's Jose Altuve by less than 160,000 votes, while Rios is in fourth place behind Alex Gordon by more than 1 million votes. The Angels' Mike Trout is the final outfield starter.
Perez leads all AL players with 4.4 million votes, followed by Cain (4.2 million), Moustakas (4.0 million) and Escobar (3.9 million). Each player is about 2 million votes from falling from a starting spot.
"Obviously, the Royals fans have a lot to do with the voting, but when you're talking about how many votes all these guys have, it's not just the fans of Kansas City, it's fans all across the country that appreciate the way we play the game and enjoy watching us," Hosmer said.
Kansas City has undergone a baseball renaissance in 2015, one year removed from an AL championship. The Royals' attendance is up about 50 percent and the local television ratings are the best in baseball. And now the team has a plethora of potential All-Star starters.
"It's just a neat place to come because of the energy in the stadium," Yost said. "We just had to give them a reason to come out again."
You can follow Matthew DeFranks on Twitter at @MDeFranks or email him at matthew.defranks@gmail.com.
