Betts, Altuve lead well-rounded AL All-Star update
In the first American League All-Star ballot update, Mookie Betts, not Mike Trout, leads all vote recipients by a whopping margin.
Despite recently being sidelined for 14 games, Betts received 748,872 votes, besting Trout's 639,822.
In fact, Trout, who leads all of baseball in FanGraphs WAR, actually sits third overall in votes, behind Houston Astros second baseman and reigning AL MVP Jose Altuve.
If the All-Star Game was held today, based on these votes, no one team would dominate the showing. However, the early returns are promising for AL East rivals the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.
| Pos. | Player | Votes | 2nd Place (Votes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Gary Sanchez | 336K | Wilson Ramos (321K) |
| 1B | Jose Abreu | 268K | Mitch Moreland (242K) |
| 2B | Jose Altuve | 701K | Gleyber Torres (280K) |
| 3B | Jose Ramirez | 443K | Miguel Andujar (220K) |
| SS | Manny Machado | 322K | Francisco Lindor (212K) |
| OF | Mookie Betts | 749K | Michael Brantley (239K) |
| OF | Mike Trout | 640K | George Springer (225K) |
| OF | Aaron Judge | 542K | Andrew Benintendi (209K) |
| DH | J.D. Martinez | 513K | Giancarlo Stanton (232K) |
Betts, 25, opened the 2018 season on a torrid pace before his injury, posting a .354/.431/.735 slash line with 17 home runs and 13 stolen bases. Despite missing two weeks, the superstar outfielder sits second in all of baseball with 52 runs scored.
Meanwhile, two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani - who's on the disabled list with an elbow injury - sits third among designated hitters, just over 10,000 votes behind Giancarlo Stanton.
The only AL team without a single representative appearing anywhere on the update is the Toronto Blue Jays. Adrian Beltre, fourth among third basemen, and Jed Lowrie, fourth among first basemen, are the lone long shots for the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics, respectively. Eddie Rosario is the only potential Minnesota Twins representative, sitting 14th among outfielders.
The next AL update is scheduled for Tuesday, June 19. The Midsummer Classic will take place in Washington, D.C., on July 17.