MLB All-Star Game Voting is a Joke
Since July is almost here, that means that the All-Star game is right around the corner. The All-Star Week is my favorite week in all of sports. The Home Run Derby is always a blast to watch, and I love watching the best of the best play in the All-Star Game. But nowadays, it’s not the best of the best playing in the All-Star Game, it’s a popularity contest.
Ever since fan voting has become a thing in the MLB, you either see fans being unbiased and voting for who deserves to get in,which is what you should be doing, or you see people voting for every player on their favorite team. The latter is starting to become more common.
About a week ago, MLB released the results for Phase 1 of the All-Star Game voting, some players who were leading in votes made sense, like Aaron Judge and Juan Soto having the most votes for the American League Outfield, they are both having amazing seasons so it makes sense. But then there are people like Luis Arraez being first in National League Second Baseman voting and Trea Turner being. 2nd in National League Shortstop voting.
Don’t get me wrong, Luis Arraez is one of the best contact hitters in the game right now and probably the most pure contact hitter in the whole sport since Tony Gwynn two decades ago. But Luis Arraez does not deserve to be leading in votes right now.
Take Ketel Marte for example, Marte is having a spectacular season with the Diamondbacks, he is batting .280 with 15 home runs and 42 RBIs. But Luis Arraez on the other hand is batting .314 with 2 home runs and 21 RBIs. From those two stat lines, who do you think deserves to be in the All-Star game? I say Ketel Marte.
Arraez is an on-base and contact machine, but he’s not anything else, he doesn’t have power, does not have speed, and his fielding isn’t anything special. But Marte has power with 15 home runs so far this season, a good amount of contact by batting .280, and he has proven that he can play gold glove defense in both the infield and outfield.
Marte has proven he deserves to be starting Second Base for the National League in the All-Star Game this year.
Arraez and Marte being close in votes is understandable though, they are both amazing players who help their team win games, but what isn’t understandable is Trea Turner being second in votes for NL Shortstops.
At first glance, you would see that Trea Turner is batting .344 with 3 home runs and 12 RBIs. Sure, that’s a solid stat line, but what people don’t know just by looking at his stats is that he has missed a month and a half after being out with an injury.
This proves that people only look at who has the best stats or who their favorite player is. Trea Turner has way fewer at-bats than everyone else in contention for NL Shortstops this season, but just because his stats look good and he plays on the best team in the MLB, the Philadelphia Phillies, people are going to vote him in.
There are also players like Manny Machado, who is currently second in voting for NL Third Baseman, he is batting .263 with 7 home runs and 37 RBIs, which is an all-right stat line, definitely not All-Star worthy in my opinion. But just because of his track record and because he plays for a big market team in the San Diego Padres, he will always be top 3 in voting, which is so upsetting. There are players, like Ryan McMahon for example, the 3rd baseman for the Rockies. The Rockies happen to be the worst team in the MLB, which is probably the reason why McMahon isn’t getting the recognition he deserves, but he is batting .273 with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs, which is significantly better than Machado’s stat line. But since McMahon plays for a smaller market team and isn’t a big name, he will never get more votes than Machado even though he deserves it.
I will always hate All-Star Game voting, some players deserve to be in this season, but just because voting has turned into a popularity contest, some players will not get in. It is truly an annoying sight to see. I try to be as unbiased as possible but when players on the Toronto Blue Jays have a whole country voting for their players, it makes it hard for Vladimir Guerrero Jr to not be in first place.
I wish that people would start voting for who deserves to get in and not who they want to get in.
