ANAHEIM -- Royals manager Ned Yost made an unprompted plea on his pregame show Wednesday, urging Royals fans to vote for first baseman Eric Hosmer for the All-Star Game presented by Mastercard.
Hosmer, the reigning Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game, has been gaining ground in voting, having cut the margin between he and the leader, Oakland's Yonder Alonso, to less than 25,000 votes.
Royals catcher Salvador Perez leads all American League catchers in voting, while Mike Moustakas, who has 18 home runs, is not among the top five third baseman.
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"Hoz is close," Yost said. "I'm looking at the numbers and he's close. I think Salvy, Hoz, Moose and [Jason] Vargas are all legitimate [candidates] for the All-Star Game.
"Moose is [unlisted]. But Hoz is close. He's more than deserving. So is Moose."
Hosmer, who is hitting .315 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs, is one of the hottest hitters in baseball. Since April 26, Hosmer is hitting .368 with a .981 OPS.
Hosmer was flattered that he has Yost hitting the campaign trial for him, especially since the game is in Miami, close to Hosmer's home near South Miami.
"That would mean a lot this year," Hosmer said. "It would be great going back home.
"And it would be great, especially because of how my season started. But there are a lot of good first basemen out there who are deserving. At the end of the day, if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. But it would be really cool."