You may remember that, in 2015’s MLB All-Star balloting, Kansas City Royals fans packed the ballot boxes and at one point had eight players positioned to start the game. In 2016, it is happening again to a slightly lesser extent, and that’s made for an awkward situation for the team and one of its players.
On Wednesday, the Royals designated second baseman Omar Infante for assignment. This isn’t a huge surprise. He was hitting just .239 in 2016 after hitting only .220 in 2015, and he had lost his starting job to hot-hitting rookie Whit Merrifield.
The twist, however, is that in the latest AL All-Star voting update released by Major League Baseball on Tuesday, Infante is third among all AL second baseman, trailing only Jose Altuve and Robinson Cano. In fact, Infante had been second only to Altuve in the previous update, and has garnered 711,439 votes to date. That tally puts him ahead of names such as Dustin Pedroia and Ian Kinsler, both of whom are putting up All-Star worthy numbers in 2016. Just like last year, Royals fans have voted in droves for their players, no matter how undeserving they may be.
Infante has $12.5 million remaining on his contract, and given his performance since the start of 2015, it’s pretty much a sure bet that he’ll pass through waivers and be released in ten days. That means that the second baseman with the third most votes in AL All-Star balloting will soon be unemployed. Obviously, Kansas City isn’t going to let All-Star votes dictate roster moves, nor should they, but it makes for a rather funny and awkward situation.
Infante wasn’t any better last year when Royals fans stuffed the ballot boxes for him. Eventually, there was a bit of a backlash, and Altuve ended up being voted in as the starter. Infante probably wouldn’t have overtaken Altuve this year even if the Royals hadn’t moved to release him, but now I’m curious to see if the team and their fans continue to push his candidacy.
