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MLB All-Star Voting 2019: Mike Trout, Gary Sanchez Among Leaders in AL Update
June 10, 2019
The first voting update for MLB All-Star Game starters was announced Monday, and there are some well-deserved names on the top of each position in the American League.
Mike Trout leads all outfielders, which we have come to expect after seven straight All-Star selections. He is seemingly having a quiet year from his perspective, but he still leads the league with a 1.096 OPS entering Monday.
Gary Sanchez is in first among catchers after totaling 19 home runs in his first 46 games, second only to Edwin Encarnacion in the AL for most dingers.
Meanwhile, most of the other spots are filled with players seeking the first All-Star selection of their careers.
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Austin Meadows and Minnesota Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco would both be starting the All-Star Game if the voting ended today, which makes sense based on their consistent hitting throughout the year.
Meadows leads the league with a .346 batting average with Polanco ranking second at .333, the latter also providing plenty of value with his defense.
Tommy La Stella has also been one of the biggest surprises of the 2019 season while hitting .315 with 15 home runs for the Los Angeles Angels. In 396 games across parts of five seasons in the majors coming into the year, La Stella totaled just 10 home runs.
While they are a bit more well-known at this point, Alex Bregman and George Springer (when healthy) have been among the major reasons the Houston Astros are tied for the major league lead with 45 wins.
Adding in the hot start from Luke Voit with the New York Yankees, it's clear voters have been paying attention to the performances from the first few months and voting accordingly instead of just filling in their favorite players or the biggest names.
Considering the ballot-stuffing issues we have seen from this process in the past, it seems we are heading in the right direction.