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KC Royals Could Field Record Seven All-Stars

By John Viril |

KC Royals fans can do something that has never been done before.

Seven Kansas City Royals players are leading the American League All-Star voting in the latest update (June 8). If those results hold up over the next three weeks, the KC Royals would set a record for the number of starters voted in from one team.

How about that, Kansas City?

As of June 8, catcher Salvador Perez, first baseman Eric Hosmer, shortstop Alcides Escobar, third baseman Mike Moustakas, designated hitter Kendrys Morales, and outfielders Alex Gordon and Lorenzo Cain lead at their respective positions for the American League All-Star team. 

Omar Infante and Alex Rios are the the only two KC Royals regulars not leading their positions in the fan vote totals. Infante trails Houston’s Jose Altuve for the second base nod by 250,000 votes, good for second place among A.L. second basemen. Omar Infante has drawn 2.6 million votes despite a terrible .217/.226/.300 slash line.

Alex Rios ranks fourth among A.L. outfielders, despite playing only 14 games this season due to injuries.

Sports Illustrated’s Cliff Corcoran is even calling for fans to “fix” the “Kansas City Royals” problem, asserting that most of the seven Royals leading in the voting don’t deserve to make the All-Star team. Corcoran has created a list of non-Royals that deserve fan support, in the hopes of bumping some of the “undeserving” KC Royals players from the All-Star squad.

As far as I’m concerned, Cliff Corcoran can jump off the top of Crown Vision. Kansas City Royals fans have waited 29 years for a team to be proud of, and we’ve finally got one. If anyone wants to see some other players in the All-Star lineup, then vote.

It’s not our fault that we want to support the exciting brand of baseball that took the KC Royals to the World Series last season.

As for the purists who say that some of the Kansas City Royals players don’t “deserve” to make the All-Star game, I say, “Too bad.” The All-Star game is for the fans, and Kansas City fans are speaking the loudest.

It’s not as if Kansas City has an unfair population advantage against the other cities in the league.

There’s also something else the naysayers haven’t considered. Perhaps a Royal Flush on the field might be GOOD for baseball. It would certainly make news, and—really—how long has it been since the All-Star game had a real buzz around it?

Maybe instead of the same tired old ritual, the All-Star game might be FUN. Heck, we know the Royals know how to do that.

And, it’s hardly as if the KC Royals would embarrass themselves on the field. The Royals currently have the best record in the American League at 33-23.

Defense is the most athletically thrilling part of the game, and NO ONE can pick the ball like the Royals. Kansas City sits atop of Baseball Prospectus’ team defense metrics, as well as John Dewan’s defensive runs saved metric and Fangraphs.com’s DEF metric.

With seven Kansas City Royals glovemen on the field, the national audience is likely to get the same kind of defensive show that propelled the team through the 2014 playoffs.

The All-Star game is a baseball showcase. Anyone who has watched the KC Royals at all over the last year-and-a-half know that this team can dazzle fans with the leather.

So keep voting Kansas City Royals fans! Heck, maybe we can make it a Royals Sweep by getting ALL NINE guys in the starting lineup. Then those unhappy pundits would really howl.

Let’em. We’ll be having too much fun in Kansas City to care.

If you haven’t voted yet, click this link: 2015 All-Star ballot.

Next: Royals Rewind: Salvador Perez Does It Again

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