Six Kansas City Royals Are Candidates For The 2014 All-Star Game
By Joel Wagler
Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer (35) Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Any of these players could be selected from the Kansas City Royals. All six are deserving. It is doubtful if more than 3 get chosen from this list, though all are among the best at their positions in the American League.
Salvador Perez and Greg Holland are locks. Alex Gordon and Alcides Escobar should be very close. If Kansas City gets less than 3, fans should be allowed to voice their displeasure. While a great case could be made for Wade Davis and Lorenzo Cain, it is about numbers, and they will not make the cut, in all likelihood.
Let’s take a moment and mention the players who are NOT on the list. In a perfect world, Eric Hosmer, Billy Butler, Mike Moustakas, and James Shields should be in the conversation. Unfortunately, they are all having sub par years.
According to Fangraphs, 87 players have enough playing time to qualify for the league statistical leaders. Of those 87, Hosmer is ranked 85 in WAR (-.7), and Butler is ranked 84th (also -.7). Moustakas, if he qualified, would rank about 70th with his .3. Shields at 1.4, ranks 24th among starting pitchers.
So, the Royals could play any replacement level player, and get more production than Hosmer and Butler are providing. For all of the positives from the players who are All-Star candidates, they are offset by the negatives of Hosmer, Butler, Moustakas, and to some extent, Shields, who has struggled with a 4.93 ERA in May, June, and July.
For the Royals to stay in the race, the players who are performing at All-Star level need to continue to do so, and those that should be All-Star level players need to get it going. Otherwise, the Royals are going to muddle along on the fringes of the race, with little chance of making the postseason.