It’s the most Royals All-Stars since 2016.
Catcher Salvador Perez, shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., and pitchers Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans were all named reserves to the American League All-Star team that will play at Globe Life Field on July 16. It is the most players the Royals have sent to the Midsummer Classic since they sent four to the game in 2016 (Wade Davis, Kelvin Herrera, Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez) and it is the seventh time in club history the team has sent that many players (1972, 1976, 1978, 1982, 2015, 2016).
Salvador Perez will make his ninth All-Star appearance. He is fourth among American League catchers with 14 home runs and is fourth in wRC+ at 118. The captain has hit .275/.343/.454 this year and has appeared in 89 of their 92 games.
Bobby Witt Jr. will make his first All-Star team, after a 30 home run/49 stolen base season last year. The 24-year-old .324/.372/.564 and hit his 15th home run of the year today, to go with 22 stolen bases. He is third among all American League players in fWAR with 5.4 going into today’s game and is second in Outs Above Average.
Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans are also making their first All-Star appearance, making it the first time the Royals have ever sent two starting pitchers to the All-Star Game. Lugo leads the league in wins (11), ERA (2.21) and innings pitched (122). He is sixth in the American League in fWAR at 2.7 and has the fifth-lowest home run rate in the league.
Ragans is second in the league in strikeouts (134) and eighth in innings pitched (109.2). He is the third-most valuable pitcher in the league with 3.1 fWAR and is third in the league in strikeout rate and 13th in ERA (3.28).
You can find complete All-Star rosters here. Starters were selected by the fans, with the 23 reserves and pitchers were selected by a combination of “Player Ballot” choices and selections made by the Commissioner’s Office.
