Astros: Let’s vote Yuli Gurriel into the 2018 All-Star Game

Let’s vote for Yuli Gurriel to join the Astros going to DC for the 2018 All-Star Game.

With about 12 hours left to vote in your favorite Astros for the 2018 All-Star Game, there is one close race. It looks like Jose Altuve should win the second base job and several Astros are in the mix. Even Evan Gattis is second in the race for the AL DH race, but catching up to J.D. Martinez won’t be easy. Alex Bregman deserves to be on the All-Star team, but he shouldn’t be the starter.

Let’s take a look at the close races. All stats are via Baseball-Reference.

AL Shortstops

Carlos Correa is at a disadvantage by being on the DL. However, according to a release by MLB today, he is close to Manny Machado. Only about 120k votes separate the two.

Machado: 1,566,797 votes (batting .308 with 21 homers and 59 RBI – 1.8 WAR)

Correa: 1,443,031 votes (batting .268 with 13 homers 49 RBI – 2.8 WAR)

The fact that Francisco Lindor is not in the top three is odd, but it goes to show you the appeal of the Astros. After winning their first World Series and having a large run differential, fans are voting for their Astros. Correa is still shut down from baseball activities, so he would not play if selected. Machado would probably get the start anyway.

AL First Basemen

There appears to be a shift in the power positioning in the American League. Usually, first base is where you put your big sluggers. However, this season has lacked any real big stars at first base. Jose Abreu is having the best season of the 15 players, but his stats are nothing to get excited about. The parity is obvious as Yuli Gurriel is close to surpassing Abreu, but he needs some help.

Abreu: 1,616,736 votes (batting .265 with 12 homers and 50 RBI – 0.6 WAR)

Gurriel: 1,403,117 votes (batting .295 with five homers and 39 RBI – 1.3 WAR)

Gurriel missed the first five games of the season serving his suspension. Since then, Gurriel has been one of the better hitters with a high batting average with runners in scoring position. He has a .440 batting average with runners in scoring position with two outs.

Next: Brian McCann needs surgery and will be out for 4-6 weeks

I could rattle off all these stats that could point towards Gurriel. Instead, let’s reward the guy for what he did in last year’s playoffs. Gurriel has added so much defensively and offensively to this team. It may take a few minutes, but vote for Yuli for the All-Star game. You can vote for Correa and the other Astros, but let’s get Yuli into the game. No chance he makes it on as a reserve.