Detroit Tigers: Miguel Cabrera Leads All-Star Balloting at First Base
By Matt Snyder
Major League Baseball released their first All-Star Game ballot update on Tuesday afternoon and, to no one’s surprise, Miguel Cabrera finds himself atop the first base leaderboard in the American League with over 1.3 million votes in his favor.
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Eric Hosmer of the Kansas City Royals is with just over 1.1 million votes in his favor. Not other American League first baseman can even claim 350,000 votes.
Miguel Cabrera is having an outstanding season for the Tigers, hitting .344/.446/.613 in 195 plate appearances with 11 home runs, including the 400th of his career. If he’s selected to the 2015 All-Star Game — and there’s no reason to suspect he won’t be, even if he somehow doesn’t win the starting vote at first base — it would be the tenth selection of his career and his sixth consecutive selection.
He didn’t earn a trip in either of his first two seasons as a member of the Detroit Tigers (after making the team in each full season as a member of the Florida Marlins), but he’s made the All-Star team every year since 2010.
Five other Tigers find themselves in the top-five at their position (top-15 for outfielders). Ian Kinsler is third in the second base vote, Jose Iglesias is second at shortstop, Victor Martinez is fifth in the designated hitter category on the strength of his reputation, and Yoenis Cespedes and J.D. Martinez are fifth and fourteenth respectively in the outfield vote.
Kinsler, Victor Martinez, and J.D. Martinez each trail starting spots by nearly a million votes, but Iglesias and Cespedes are probably within striking distance at about 350,000 votes back.
Fans have until Thursday, July 2 at 11:59 PM to submit a ballot in favor of their favorite players.
Next: Video: Every Miguel Cabrera Home Run of 2015