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Papi, Bogaerts lead in 1st All-Star ballot update
- Updated: May 31, 2016
The 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot reached a key point on Tuesday as the first weekly voting update was released by Major League Baseball, beginning with the American League races. Kansas City has three leaders and the Orioles and Red Sox two each as fans continue to decide starters for the 87th All-Star Game on July 12 in San Diego.
National League voting leaders will be announced on Wednesday.
Will Salvador Perez make it a fourth consecutive All-Star selection at catcher? Fans are saying “yes” so far to the 2015 World Series MVP, who had a five-hit game on May 23 and has thrown out half of would-be basestealers against him to lead the Majors. Meanwhile, a Yankees team that not long ago was a top-five ballot-update fixture has its only top-five entry in Brian McCann, who is second in the voting.
Xander Bogaerts of the Red Sox is sitting on a 23-game hitting streak and the AL shortstop voting lead. He leads all AL players at that position with 2.6 Wins Above Replacement, tops the AL with a .354 batting average, and has been a key to Boston’s rise atop the AL East. In second place is Kansas City’s Alcides Escobar, who led when the first ballot update was released last year.
Meanwhile, Eric Hosmer of the Royals has the early jump at first base in his bid for a first Midsummer Classic selection, batting .323 with 10 homers and 33 RBIs. He did not hit his 10th homer last year until July 27, but he already reached that mark with a three-run shot in the eighth inning of Monday’s 6-2 win over the Rays. Right behind him is Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera, who is putting up his usual numbers — leading all AL first basemen with a .922 OPS — and contending for a seventh consecutive and 11th overall selection.
Jose Altuve of the Astros is on track for what would be a fourth All-Star selection in five years, leading all AL second basemen in average (.325), OPS (.957), hits (67), doubles (18), walks (26) and stolen bases (AL-best 15). It is going to be fascinating to watch this race, though. Omar Infante of Kansas City (.244/.288/.331) is currently second, while Robinson Cano of Seattle, a six-time All-Star, has been resurgent and leads all AL second basemen with 15 homers and 44 RBIs.
The Orioles’ Manny Machado, who just made his 500th start (and MLB-leading 211th in a row) on Monday, is in line for his first All-Star start after being selected as a reserve in 2013 and ’15. Machado was the AL Player of …
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