How are the KC Royals doing in MLB All-Star Game voting?

Fan voting for the 2024 MLB All-Star Game began June 5 with nine KC Royals on the American League ballot. The first interim results were released Monday, and few among those nine appear to be serious candidates for starting spots.

In fact, only two seem well-positioned to move from Phase 1, which ends June 27 at Noon ET, to the Finals, which begin June 30 at Noon ET and end July 3 at the same hour. Generally speaking, the top overall Phase 1 vote-getter in each league receives an automatic starting berth, while the top two choices at each infield position and designated hitter, and six outfielders, move on to the Finals, which determine the other eight non-pitcher starters. The Finals field is subject, however, to who gets the most overall votes.

Early voting suggests not many KC Royals will make the first cut

Monday's update doesn't have a lot of good news for Kansas City. Only Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez rank in the top two at their positions.

Witt trails Baltimore's Gunnar Henderson by 199,175 votes at shortstop. Given the unpredictability of All-Star Game voting, and the fact that Phase 1 runs for 10 more days, that's not at all an unsurmountable deficit for Witt.

The two stars are both enjoying excellent seasons — through Sunday, Witt is slashing .327/.377/.551 with 11 homers, 51 RBI, and 21 steals. He leads the AL in hits with 96 and is only two behind San Diego's Luis Arráez for the big league lead.

Henderson, last year's American League Rookie of the Year, is slashing .274/.370/.588 and has two fewer RBI and 12 fewer stolen bases than Witt. But he's homered 11 more times than Kanas City's shortstop.

The race for AL catcher also involves the Royals and Orioles, with Any Rutschman leading Salvador Perez by 203,905 votes. Perez, who returned to KC's lineup Sunday after a knee issue kept him out of Saturday's game with the Dodgers, has cooled down from his hot early-season start, but is still hitting .292 with a .370 OBP, 11 homers, and 45 RBI, and has played in all but three of the Royals' games.

Rutschman's average is .289. He's homered 14 times and driven in 53 runs in 67 games.

Second baseman Michael Massey is the only other Royal in serious contention. Although injuries have limited him to only 29 games (he's on the Injured List now), he's in third place, 279,214 votes behind Houston's Jose Altuve, and 197,713 behind the Rangers' Marcus Semien.

First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, third baseman Maikel Garcia, and DH Nelson Velázquez aren't in the top five at their positions. Outfielders Kyle Isbel, MJ Melendez, and Hunter Renfroe didn't crack the top 20.

Here's a more detailed view of the voting so far.

Are any former Royals in contention?

Only one. Baltimore's Ryan O'Hearn is in fourth place at the American League DH spot. He's a bit more than 185,000 behind leader Yordan Alvarez of Houston, around 118,500 short of New York's Giancarlo Stanton for second, and a little less than 88,000 votes behind Cleveand's David Fry for third.

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