Trout has consistently led all AL outfielders in votes. (Getty)
Last week’s voting update showed a change to the American League’s starting outfield, as Boston’s Mookie Betts overtook the Royals’ Lorenzo Cain as the third outfielder, behind LA’s Mike Trout and Betts’s Boston teammate Jackie Bradley Jr. It’s a crowded race still, and Cain has a chance to return to the starting outfield, as does Baltimore’s Mark Trumbo, who led in the initial voting update. Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays is still well within reach as well.
This outfield race is the crux of the voting update. The infield leaders are all comfortably far ahead, while Salvador Perez and David Ortiz were so far ahead in the catcher and DH categories that even a miracle run by another player wouldn’t get them into first place. 7 or 8 slots in this starting lineup are pretty much set in stone. But the 1 or 2 that are vulnerable are exciting races indeed.
The full voting can be found here. Your leading vote-getters are:
First Baseman: Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals
Second Baseman: Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
Third Baseman: Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles
Shortstop: Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox
Catcher: Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
Designated Hitter: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox
Outfielders: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels; Jackie Bradley Jr., Boston Red Sox; Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox
And so, the final update shows no changes to the lineup. But the race for that third outfield slot remains tight as ever, with Betts maintaining a lead over Lorenzo Cain of under 100,000 votes. Mark Trumbo is also within about 100,000 votes, while Jose Bautista is at this point over 200,000 votes away. It’s unlikely that he can make a push in 3 days. But there are still 3 outfielders fighting for one slot, an intense battle.
Once again, however, the other 6 leaders are comfortably ahead. At this point, it’s safe to say that 8 of the 9 starting slots are set.