Fan Failures on All-Star Vote
-David Strobach-
The annual All-Star Game rosters are out and the fickle fan vote has resulted in some poor choices once AGAIN!
I actually really like how the AL votes panned out. I agree with most main starters that the fans picked here. Miggy could very well be starting over Hosmer at first, but Hosmer has been incredible. Many may be fuming over the fact that Astros SS Carlos Correa isn’t in the game, but Xander Bogaerts and Francisco Lindor have been two of the best players in the game. The AL SS position is incredibly strong and Correa simply has not been as good as the two that are in the game. It’s great to see Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright (2.68 ERA) deservedly make the roster.
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Lindor has been a major sparkplug for the thriving Indians (Jason Miller/Getty Images)[/caption]
Although I thought the fans did a good job with the AL, it is embarrassing for the NL showing. The entire Cubs infield starting is ridiculous. Don’t me wrong, I am a Brewers fan but I am not being biased here because some facts and stats offer up some better some options. Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant deserve to start, they are some of the best in the league.
Addison Russell starting…you gotta be kidding me! He’s hitting .242/.337/.418 with an OPS of .754 and 11 home runs. The fans voted him to start over Corey Seager! Seager is hitting .303/.363/.537 with an OPS of .900 and 17 home runs. Seager is a reserve and is currently the BEST shortstop in the NL and beats Russell in almost EVERY WAY! By no means is Russell a bad player, but there’s not a chance in the world he should be starting. Trevor Story (.257/.324/.530 with an .854 OPS and 19 home runs) is a final vote candidate so he may make it, but he could have been on the team easily over Russell The slick fielding and most underrated player in baseball, Brandon Crawford (.271/.344/.425 with an OPS of .769 and 8 home runs) would have been a better choice too. It is impossible to say Russell is the top NL SS.
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Christian Petersen/Getty Images[/caption]
Second baseman, Ben Zorbist, has been stellar this year, but starting over reserve Daniel Murphy….c’mon. Zorbist is hitting .291/.399/.474 with an OPS of .873 and 12 bombs while Murphy has arguably been the best hitter in baseball and is leading the league in hits (101) and average with .345/.384/.574 and an OPS of .957 and 14 home runs. Zorbist should be the reserve here.
Love em or hate em, Ryan Braun (final vote candidate) should have been a sure thing starter for the All-Star Game. He could still get in the game, but it is absurd he isn’t starting. He leads all NL outfielders in batting average and is slashing .322/.378/.533 and an OPS of .912 and 13 dingers. He’s arguably also been the best outfielder in the NL and more than deserving for an All-Star spot. It makes total sense that fans may not vote for Braun because of the PED cloud hanging over his head, which is a big reason why the fan vote itself needs to end because this game matters.
The MLB All-Star Game winner’s league earns World Series home field advantage which is huge. Baseball’s “best” is not being truly represented by the fans for a game of significant value. I think most Cubs fans would agree they would rather have Seager up to win the game than Russell. Teams should have full control of their World Series destinies, including who has home field advantage and not let fans put that in otherplayers hands. The MLB needs to do one or the other: take away the fan vote or take the value from the game.
Rosters below:
AL Starters
C Salvador Perez, Royals (highest total vote getter)
1B Eric Hosmer, Royals
2B Jose Altuve, Astros
SS Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox
3B Manny Machado, Orioles
OF Mike Trout, Angels
OF Jackie Bradley Jr., Red Sox
OF Mookie Betts, Red Sox
DH David Ortiz, Red Sox
AL Reserves
C Stephen Vogt, Athletics
C Matt Wieters, Orioles
1B Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
2B Robinson Cano, Mariners
SS Francisco Lindor, Indians
3B Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays
IF Eduardo Nunez, Twins
OF Carlos Beltran, Yankees
OF Ian Desmond, Rangers
OF Mark Trumbo, Orioles
DH Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays
AL Pitchers
RHP Marco Estrada, Blue Jays
LHP Cole Hamels, Rangers
RHP Danny Salazar, Indians
LHP Chris Sale, White Sox
RHP Steven Wright, Red Sox
RHP Dellin Betances, Yankees
RHP Brad Brach, Orioles
RHP Zach Britton, Orioles
RHP Alex Colome, Rays
RHP Wade Davis, Royals (injured)
RHP Will Harris, Astros
RHP Kelvin Herrera, Royals
RHP Craig Kimbrel, Red Sox
LHP Andrew Miller, Yankees
NL Starters
C Buster Posey, Giants
1B Anthony Rizzo, Cubs
2B Ben Zobrist, Cubs
SS Addison Russell, Cubs
3B Kris Bryant, Cubs
OF Bryce Harper, Nationals
OF Yoenis Cespedes, Mets
OF Dexter Fowler, Cubs
NL Reserves
C Jonathan Lucroy, Brewers
C Wilson Ramos, Nationals
1B Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks
1B Wil Myers, Padres
2B Daniel Murphy, Nationals
SS Corey Seager, Dodgers
3B Nolan Arenado, Rockies
IF Matt Carpenter, Cardinals
OF Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies
OF Odubel Herrera, Phillies
OF Marcell Ozuna, Marlins
OF Adam Duvall, Reds
NL Pitchers
RHP Jake Arrieta, Cubs
LHP Madison Bumgarner, Giants
RHP Johnny Cueto, Giants
RHP Jose Fernandez, Marlins
LHP Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers (injured)
LHP Jon Lester, Cubs
RHP Stephen Strasburg, Nationals
RHP Noah Syndergaard, Mets
RHP Julio Teheran, Braves
RHP Jeurys Familia, Mets
RHP Kenley Jansen, Dodgers
RHP Mark Melancon, Pirates
RHP A.J. Ramos, Marlins
RHP Fernando Rodney, Padres/Marlins
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