Rays faring poorly in voting for AL All-Star team

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The Tampa Bay Rays are fighting for first place in the American League East.

They’re also fighting for a little all-star recognition.

Turns out, they’re waging a better war in the first instance than the second.

In the latest voting totals announced by baseball, the Rays did not scratch in the voting despite being tied for the second-highest vote total in the the league. The top five vote-getters at each position does not include a Ray, nor do the top 15 outfielders.

The Kansas City Royals continue to dominate the voting with five players leading their voting. Among the others who lead in the voting are Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers.

The Royals are second in the voting at four other positions and are second, third and sixth among outfielders.

Among the Rays who might have an argument for the team are designated hitter Joey Butler (.315), second baseman Logan Forsythe (hitting .297, compared with vote-leader Omar Infante, who is hitting .237) and third baseman Evan Longoria (.279).

Pitchers Chris Archer and Brad Boxberger each have a shot at the team.

Gary Shelton is one of the most recognized and honored sportswriters in the history of the state. He has won the APSE's national columnist of the year twice and finished in the top 10 eight times. He was named the Florida Sportswriter of the Year six times. Gary joined SaintPetersBlog in the spring, helping to bring a sports presence to the website. Over his time in sports writing, Gary has covered 29 Super Bowls, 10 Olympics, Final Fours, Masters, Wimbledons and college national championships. He was there when the Bucs won a Super Bowl, when the Lightning won a Stanley Cup and when the Rays went to a World Series. He has seen Florida, FSU and Miami all win national championships, and he covered Bear Bryant, Bobby Bowden and Don Shula along the way. He and his wife Janet have four children: Eric, Kevin, K.C. and Tori. To contact, visit [email protected].