Cleveland Indians: Where do they stand in recent All-Star voting update?

Third Base – Juan Uribe

Top Five: Manny Machado, Mike Moustakas, Josh Donaldson, Nick Castellanos, Travis Shaw

Outside of Machado or Donaldson, there are not real All-Star caliber players in the top five. Moustakas is capable of being an All-Star, but he is done for the year following his ACL injury.

Castellanos and Shaw are both having fine seasons but are each seeking their first All-Star appearances. They will likely stay in the top five and won’t get any competition from the Indians’ starting third baseman, Juan Uribe.

Uribe is a grizzled veteran player, but he is having a down year at the plate and a so-so year in the field. His value to the team comes from his leadership. Uribe has been a nice addition to the Tribe, but will fall well short of All-Star consideration.

Shortstop – Francisco Lindor

Top Five: Xander Bogaerts, Alcides Escobar, Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Correa, Elvis Andrus

Lindor probably has the best chance at becoming an All-Star because with Michael Brantley injured, he is their best player.

As previously discussed, Lindor is proving his worth and making a name for himself as one of the league’s best shortstops.

The problem is, four of the players in the top five in voting have been named All-Stars before. Bogaerts is the only one who hasn’t and there’s a good chance he will earn the top spot this year and rightfully so; he’s having a tremendous year and leads all American League shortstops with a 3.0 oWAR.

That’s where Lindor comes in. He ranks second with a 2.7 oWAR. His .304 batting average is the third-best among AL shortstops, trailing only Bogaerts (.340) and Eduardo Nunez (.328). He has matched Bogaerts with six home runs and his 29 RBI trails the top vote-getter by seven.

Lindor has the edge on the defensive side of the ball, as his 0.9 dWAR is second in the American League – the currently injured Anderlton Simmons leads with a 1.0 dWAR – and bests Bogaerts’ 0.5 dWAR, which ranks seventh.

One can make the case for Lindor being the top shortstop in the American League. His 3.6 total WAR ranks higher than Bogaerts’ mark of 3.5. In fact, Lindor would lead the all of the top five shortstop vote-getters in total WAR. Escobar has a -0.8 total WAR, Tulowitzki sits at 0.5, Correa at 1.2 and Andrus at 2.1.

Lindor is having an incredible season and has the numbers to back it up. He deserves to be an All-Star.

Next: Ramirez Has a Shot?