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Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas, et al. should represent the Royals at the MLB All-Star Game

Vote early. Vote often.

By Josh Duggan
Vote Cain
Vote Cain
Jamie Squire/Getty Images

It is sponsored post time here at Royals Review, but this comes at a time and with an opportunity to actually help do a bit of good.

While this is hardly the year in which a rallying cry need be made to mobilize Royals fans to vote their favorite players into the All-Star Game, we Royals fans do have a duty to vote for much of the roster for these reigning American League Champion Kansas City Royals.

There is a high likelihood that you've seen the latest vote totals for the American League All-Stars, but if you haven't here they are:

The Royals are represented so well here that Omar Infante--who has no business being in the conversation for starting at a made up position for the American League--sits second in votes received among second basemen. Salvador Perez, Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, and Mike Moustakas each stand with roughly a million votes between them and the next threat to unseat them from All-Star bids. Alex Gordon has a 400,000 vote cushion between Adam Jones and himself.

Kendrys Morales and Eric Hosmer are the two Royals who need the biggest boost, as they are both second at their position, Morales trailing Nelson Cruz by about 275,000 votes and Hosmer sitting about 70,000 back from Miguel Cabrera.

One could argue that there is a futility to voting for the All-Star Game and that it's just a popularity contest that is not necessarily representative of the best players at their position, but this time the Royals are the popular kids. We should try to keep it that way.

More importantly, is the issue of bonuses, or boni, as they're known colloquially. For the uninitiated, many if not most of the players selected to the All-Star Team get bonuses as per the terms of their respective contracts. For example:

Alex Gordon also gets a $50,000 bonus for an All-Star Selection, and his numerous awards over the past couple years have pumped his salary this year and next (should he exercise his option) up by $1.5MM from its $12.5MM starting point. Hosmer had a $50,000 bonus in his contract last year. It's probably safe to assume he has one again this year.

There isn't a single person here who doesn't want these guys to get a little extra money for actually being good.

Get Alex Gordon some extra money for his kids' college fund. Get Eric Hosmer elected, and maybe Miguel Cabrera doesn't get the nod out of spite and misses out on his $100K All-Star bonus. Get the woefully underpaid Lorenzo Cain, Salvador Perez, Alcides Escobar, and Mike Moustakas some extra scratch. Escobar is making the most of any of them at a paltry $3MM. Get Kendrys Morales the morale booster that is an All-Star bonus.

Get the Royals paid. Vote them into the All-Star Game.

It should go without saying that Wade Davis also belongs. The fans just don't get to vote for pitchers. Cool Stuff forever. There is also a contingent of Royals fans who would love for Danny Duffy to sign up for the Gillette Shave Club if it meant his beard was gone for good. The author of this post has no problems with Duffy's beard unless it can be scientifically proven to be responsible for his struggles, in which case, Gillette, have at him.

Want a chance to cheer on your team’s All-Stars this year? Sign up for the Gillette Shave Club free membership (see rules here for full details on eligibility and alternative entry) for a chance to win a VIP experience at MLB All-Star Weekend in Cincinnati July 12-14 – brought to you by the Gillette Shave Club, Gillette’s razor subscription service that delivers Gillette’s best blades directly to your door. By signing up for the Gillette free membership program, you will be eligible for chances to win major league sports and entertainment tickets as well as free products and you’ll have access to exclusive content, grooming tips, and more.

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