With 25 days left for online fan voting, the American League has a new vote leader, and the latest update shows that it pays to star on a red-hot team — or in this case, blue-hot. CBS Sports.com’s Dayn Perry reports the latest A.L. All-Star voting update as of Sunday night, June 8, and the new vote leader is right fielder Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Thanks in large part to the Blue Jays’ surge to the top of the A.L. East in May and early June — and his own stardom, Bautista has now surpassed the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout as the leader. The Blue Jays went on a 21-9 run in May and are 5-2 so far in June to go from third place, 2.5 games out, to take a 5.5-game lead in the division. The surge has also gotten Melky Cabrera some recognition as well as he is currently third in outfield voting.
Bautista has amassed 2,135,223 votes as of Perry’s June 8 update with Trout at 1,945,170. Bautista plays right field whereas Trout patrols center. Since the outfield vote does not specify position, Trout is still very much in the hunt for a starting role, and he could regain the lead by next week’s update on June 15 or at least by July 3 when online voting ends.
Here are the current American League vote leaders:
Outfield: Jose Bautista — 2,135,223
Mike Trout — 1,945,170
Melky Cabrera — 1,096,574
Third base: Josh Donaldson — 1,470,544
Shortstop: Derek Jeter — 1,376,054
Second Base: Robinson Cano — 1,111,880
First Base: Miguel Cabrera — 1,477,420
Catcher: Matt Wieters — 1,235,369
Designated hitter: Nelson Cruz — 1,404,275
One problem with the ballot is the fact that Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion does not appear at first base; he appears as a designated hitter. No one can say for sure if that error has cost him enough votes to put him out of the running for a starting job, especially with Cabrera at first, but it is very possible. Fans may still vote for him as a first baseman by submitting his name as a write-in candidate, but if MLB would correct that error, then Encarnacion would get a fairer chance. Whether voted as a starter or selected as a reserve, though, expect to see Encarnacion at Target Field on July 15.
Online voting continues until July 3 at 11:59 p.m. Fans may submit up to 25 online ballots plus 10 more if logged into their MLB.com account while voting. To submit votes, fans can simply access MLB.com and click on the official ballot link found at the top of the page.
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