Four Royals named American League All-Stars
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals’ strong first half has been one of baseball’s best surprises this season and led to All-Star honors for some of the team’s key players.
Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez, Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans were all named to the American League All-Star team on Sunday, and will represent the team at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on July 16.
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For Perez, this marks the ninth time the captain has been named an All-Star, which included an impressive run of six-consecutive seasons between 2013 and 2018. He’s having another strong year at the plate, and reached a career milestone with his 1,500th hit on Sunday in the Royals’ 10-1 win over the Colorado Rockies.
A Rookie of the Year finalist in 2022 and MVP candidate by season’s end in 2023, Witt Jr. made the first of what are likely to be many All-Star teams, and along with Perez is powering the Royals offense this season. He’s among Major League Baseball leaders in wins above replacement (#4 at 4.9), batting average (#3 at .320), runs scored (#4 with 70), and total bases (#4 with 201).
While the bats have been a bright spot, Royals pitching has really spurred the team’s +56 run differential, led by first-time All-Stars Lugo and Ragans. Kansas City has allowed the fourth-fewest runs in the AL through Sunday.
Lugo has been one of the top free agent acquisitions from the past offseason, leading MLB to date in WAR for pitchers at 4.4, a 2.21 earned run average, 122 innings pitched, and he’s tied at 11 wins with Chris Sale.
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Ragans is building off a strong 2023 campaign where he joined the Royals in a trade with the Texas Rangers, and has become one of the more overpowering pitchers in the game. He’s third in MLB in strikeouts with 134, and his 10.997 strikeouts per nine innings are eighth-best. Like Lugo, he’s among the best pitchers in WAR, posting 2.9, good for 10th.
The Royals round out a lengthy road trip with visits to St. Louis and Boston this week before the All-Star break begins on Monday. Kansas City’s All-Star quartet will face off with the National League All-Stars at 7 p.m. on the 16th. You can watch the game on FOX4.
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