By Glenn Osborne
Special to NKyTribune
When Cincinnati plays host to the best in Major League baseball on July 14, fans will be forgiven if they think they’ve accidentally stumbled into a Kansas City Royals contest rather than the 2015 All-Star Game.
Based on the most recent fan balloting (all voting is on-line now, so no paper chads to punch out at the old ball park), an astonishing seven Royals are leading at their positions. Sure, Kansas City tops its division and represented the American League in last year’s World Series following its first playoff appearance since 1985, but this is ridiculous.
No team in the history of the event has sent seven players to start the All-Star game. Back in 1939, the Yankees had six players on hand and, famously in these parts, five Reds were set to start in 1957 before Commissioner Ford Frick intervened and put Willie Mays and Hank Aaron into the lineup in place of Wally Post and Gus Bell.
Four Kansas City players — catcher Salvador Perez (4,419,620 votes), outfielder Lorenzo Cain (4,211,472), third baseman Mike Moustakas (4,046,726) and shortstop Alcides Escobar (3,928,985) — lead the entire league in voting, with three additional Royals — first baseman Eric Hosmer (3,551,005), outfielder Alex Gordon (3,393,134) and designated hitter Kendrys Morales (3,269,634) — also in line to start.
That’s some serious ballot-box stuffing.
The Angels’ Mike Trout is among the top three in the outfield and former Lexington Legend Jose Altuve of the Astros has a lead over Kansas City’s Omar Infante at the second-base spot, but the margin is only 159,315.
On the National League side, only one team — St. Louis — currently has more than one player in line for a start: third baseman Matt Carpenter, shortstop Jhonny Peralta, catcher Yadier Molina and outfielder Matt Holiday. Holiday will miss the game due to injury. That development should make Reds’ fans happy. Right?
What is missing from the All-Star game in Cincinnati at the moment? Reds.
Third baseman Todd Frazier is third in the voting and with his .290 average to go with 18 home runs and 39 RBI, he is a good bet to be on the roster. The closest thing to a lock would have been shortstop Zack Cozart, who was in the midst of a breakout year (nine homers, 28 RBI, .258 batting average) when his season was ended last week by torn knee ligaments.
He’s now facing a nine-month rehabilitation.
First baseman Joey Votto could get a spot, thanks to his .292 average, 13 homers and 35 RBI, and reliever Aroldis Chapman (3-3, 13 saves) and his 100-miles-per-hour heater would be a popular choice. But other than Cozart and Frazier, no Red is listed among the leading vote-getters. And Frazier trails Carpenter by two million votes at last count.
Reds fans have until July 2, when the voting ends, to go all Kansas City and start stuffing the old ballot box themselves. Remember 1957!
Trevor Gott, Kentucky’s career and single-season record holder in saves, was called up to the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend and made his Major League debut against Oakland Sunday.
He entered the contest with the Angels down 8-1 and pitched the ninth, getting three straight outs, including a strikeout. The Tates Creek product touched 99 miles per hour on the radar gun.
Before his promotion this year, he had a 1-0 record and a 2.25 ERA with eight saves, striking out 30 and walking 12 in 28 innings.
Gott became the 30th former Kentucky player to play in the Big Leagues, including the fifth former UK star to earn MLB service time in 2015, including Andrew Albers (Blue Jays), Joe Blanton (Royals), Collin Cowgill (Angels) and Chris Rusin (Rockies). Gott joins fellow UK alum Cowgill, an All-American center fielder for the Wildcats in 2008, on the Angels’ roster.
Gott totaled 23 saves in his UK career and he also set a single-season mark with nine in 2012. He topped that the next year with 12.
Trevor Gott, Kentucky’s career and single-season record holder in saves, was called up to the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend and made his Major League debut against Oakland Sunday.
He entered the contest with the Angels down 8-1 and pitched the ninth, getting three straight outs, including a strikeout. The Tates Creek product touched 99 miles per hour on the radar gun.
Before his promotion this year, he had a 1-0 record and a 2.25 ERA with eight saves, striking out 30 and walking 12 in 28 innings.
Gott became the 30th former Kentucky player to play in the Big Leagues, including the fifth former UK star to earn MLB service time in 2015, including Andrew Albers (Blue Jays), Joe Blanton (Royals), Collin Cowgill (Angels) and Chris Rusin (Rockies). Gott joins fellow UK alum Cowgill, an All-American center fielder for the Wildcats in 2008, on the Angels’ roster.
Gott totaled 23 saves in his UK career and he also set a single-season mark with nine in 2012. He topped that the next year with 12.
Eastern Kentucky’s men’s track and field team finished 39th at last week’s NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the highest of any state school.
The Colonels topped Kentucky (44th), Louisville (44th) and Western Kentucky (74th). Eastern also defeated Oklahoma (44th), Cincinnati (51st), Duke (60th), South Carolina (60th), North Carolina (68th) and Wisconsin (4th).
Senior Ole Hesselbjerg notched six points for the EKU men’s team by finishing third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:36.09. It was the second consecutive year Hesselbjerg took bronze in the event. The Colonels used Hesselbjerg’s six points to finish 38th at last year’s NCAA meet.
Freshman Carina Schrempf also represented EKU at the NCAA Championships, finishing 15th in the women’s 800 meters with a time of 2:06.48.
Morehead State senior catcher Chris Robinson has been named to his third All-American team, recently adding second-team honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings.
The 2015 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year was previously named a Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball first-team All-American and he was a second-team choice by the National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association.
Robinson helped the Eagles to the school’s first OVC Tournament Championship in 22 years and to MSU’s first NCAA Regional appearance since 1983.
Glenn Osborne is sports editor for KyFoward.com, where this article originally appeared.