KC Royals All-Stars: Vote Early, Vote Often

Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Eric Hosmer – First Baseman

There are really only two candidates here: The Hoz and Miguel Cabrera. (Yes – Prince Fielder and his league-best .348 average are out of the equation: He’s only had 10 games at First Base. His other 30 games have been as DH. It speaks volumes about the unbalanced nature of most All-Star votes, I think, that when you go to vote, the only stats provided are offensive. I mean that literally.)

Anyway, Cabrera edges out Hosmer’s batting average by less than 10 points – .336 vs .321, and Miggy has 10 home runs to Hoz’s seven. Their hits, runs and RBIs are essentially identical, though the Tigers’ first baseman does get the definitive nod with some of the other more wonky stats, such as slugging percentage, OPS and OPB.

Defensively, Miggy also holds a very slight edge over Hoz. My suggestion to a devout KC Royals fan who is also a statistical zealot would be to NOT vote early … wait a couple (or five) weeks – voting doesn’t end until July 2. Hosmer is on fire and may just surpass the Detroit perennial All-Star. Or, hell, be a homer … the numbers are close enough!

Next: Opposite ends of the spectrum