Kansas City Royals: Does Eric Hosmer Deserve All-Star Game Start?
By Phil Akre
Kansas City Royals’ first baseman Eric Hosmer continues to rank among the game’s best with another solid season in the works. Has his first half made him a candidate to start in this season’s Midsummer Classic?
A few days ago, Oakland Athletics’ first baseman Yonder Alonso was in-line to start in this year’s All-Star game.
If you were one of the people that predicted Alonso being the lead at this point in the season, kudos to you.
As the season inches on an we approach the All-Star break, though, a much more familiar face has risen to the top of the voting for American League first baseman; Eric Hosmer.
Hosmer is currently in the midst of one of his best seasons, as the 27-year-old is slashing .300/.359/.458 with a .817 OPS.
On the other hand, Alonso is at a clip of .291/.387/.602 with a .988 OPS.
The real difference-maker between the two, though, is the power numbers. Hosmer is far behind Alonso (17 HR’s, 37 RBI’s), with just eight home run’s and 30 RBI’s.
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Hosmer and Alonso aren’t the only top contenders for the starting spot, as perennial All-Star Miguel Cabrera is just 56,356 votes behind second place Alonso, according to the latest update.
However, with Cabrera in a “down” year, it still appears it will be a close call between both Alonso and Hosmer.
As is the case with fan voting, stats can sometimes be forgotten.
In this case, Alonso should be starting, since he has the superior numbers.
His OPS+ of 166 is far greater than Hosmer’s 114. And while it is still early, Hosmer’s WAR sits at 1.0, where Alonso’s is 1.7.
But, it’s important to note that Kansas City has a huge fan base and a love for getting their players to the All-Star game.
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Based on this, it’s more than likely that Hosmer will be the American League’s starter at first base.
Alonso, however, will surely be the backup.