Alex Gordon was voted in as a starter by the fans for the 2015 All-Star Game. Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
The 2014 American League champion Kansas City Royals will be heavily represented in this year’s All-Star Game, with four players named as starters on Sunday.
The starters for the July 14 All-Star Game in Cincinnati were selected based on a vote of the fans, and Kansas City fans supported their team.
Two Royals players — catcher Salvador Perez, shortstop Alcides Escobar — finished first in the voting at their positions, and two other Kansas City players, Lorenzo Cain and Alex Gordon, finished second and third in the voting for outfielders, landing them two of the three starting outfield spots.
Royals players finished a close second at two other positions.
Omar Infante of the Royals nearly was voted in at second base, but he was passed by the Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve in the final days of voting. Altuve finished with 9,634,464 fan votes while Infante totaled 8,999,117.
The closest vote was at designated hitter, where Nelson Cruz of the Seattle Mariners received 10,632,184 votes, barely beating out Kansas City’s Kendrys Morales, who got 10,320,500.
The other three American League starters named were first baseman Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers, third baseman Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays and outfielder Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels.
Donaldson was the leading AL vote-getter with 14,090,181.
It is unlikely Cabrera, who is out with a hamstring injury, will be able to play in the All-Star Game.
The St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins each had two players named to the National League starting lineup.
The Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton was one of three outfielders voted to the starting squad, and Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon made it at second base.
Stanton will not be able to play because of a hand injury.
The Cardinals have the best record in baseball, and they were rewarded with two selections — Jhonny Peralta at shortstop and Matt Holliday in the outfield. The third starting outfielder will be Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper, who was the top vote-getter in the National League with 13,864,950. No other player broke the 10,000,000 mark.
Rounding out the eight starting positions for the National League are first baseman Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks, third baseman Todd Frazier of the Cincinnati Reds and catcher Buster Posey of the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants.
The closest competition was for the third and final outfield position. Holliday earned 6,362,653 votes, just ahead of fourth-place finisher Nori Aoki of the Giants (6,126,897) and Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates (6,012,205)
Pitchers, reserves and final-vote candidates for the All-Star Game will be announced Monday.
