Fans have All-Star voting wrong in these places
by Dayn Perry
Despite rampant homerism and despite the fact that MLB actively encourages ballot-stuffing, the fans generally do a good job of voting in All-Stars.
Generally.
Mistakes, however, are a part of the process. As the run-up to the All-Star Game (on FOX, July 14) in St. Louis descends upon us, we're here to talk about those mistakes. Who doesn't deserve the votes he's getting? Who's being overlooked? In other words, how are voters fouling things up this time around? Let's find out, beginning with the American League ...
The AL Ballot
If the voting were to end today, then the starting lineup would be ...
C — Joe Mauer, Twins
1B — Mark Teixeira, Yankees
2B — Ian Kinsler, Rangers
3B — Evan Longoria, Rays
SS — Derek Jeter, Yankees
OF — Jason Bay, Red Sox
OF — Josh Hamilton, Rangers
OF — Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
The AL outfield is problematic. Presently, Jason Bay, Josh Hamilton and Ichiro pace the balloting. Bay's a genuinely awful defender, but he's raking this season. While you'd prefer a genuine star in left, (this is supposed to be a gathering of stars, after all) his selection is at least defensible. Ichiro's a worthy choice. He's a luminary who's also enjoying one of his best seasons. There have been more productive outfielders in the AL, but none can match Ichiro's star power.
But Hamilton? He's not hitting, and he logged just 138 plate appearances before going on the DL. He simply doesn't belong anywhere near the All-Star roster in 2009. His abdominal injury may or may not keep him out of action, but the fans are still voting for him in droves. Torii Hunter, who's hitting .318 AVG/.401 OBP/.605 SLG while manning an up-the-middle position, is a mere fifth in the balloting. Without question, he deserves a starting spot over Hamilton.
Elsewhere, the AL voters have done a fine job. You can quibble with their favoring Mark Teixeira over both Kevin Youkilis and Justin Morneau at first base, but it's hard to do so with much conviction. While Hunter's omission is a glaring one, it's the only demonstrable mistake.
Grave Injustice: Hamilton over Hunter
Best Barstool Argument: Teixeira, Youkilis or Morneau
Best Player with No Prayer: Victor Martinez, 1B/C, Indians
The NL Ballot
If the voting were to end today, then the starting lineup would be ...
C — Yadier Molina, Cardinals
1B — Albert Pujols, Cardinals
2B — Chase Utley, Phillies
3B — David Wright, Mets
SS — Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
OF — Raul Ibanez, Phillies
OF — Ryan Braun, Brewers
OF — Carlos Beltran, Mets
The obvious problem with the NL returns is shortstop. Jimmy Rollins, who's "hitting" .220/.265/.343, trails Hanley Ramirez in the latest polling but was leading coming into this week.
It would be impossible to defend this choice if Rollins prevails. Ramirez deserves the nod, but any number of NL shortstops — Miguel Tejada, Troy Tulowitzki, Cristian Guzman, Yunel Escobar, the injured Jose Reyes — would be a better choice than Rollins, who's enduring the worst season of his career.
Thankfully, Ramirez leads Rollins by more than 150,000 votes, so it looks like merit and common sense will prevail. (Phillies fans, however, can compete with Tammany Hall when it comes to fixing elections.)
At catcher, you can make a case for Brian McCann over Molina, but Molina's substantial edge on defense makes this a reasonable choice. The NL outfield, meanwhile, is on perilous ground. For weeks, Carlos Beltran, the best outfielder in all of baseball this season once you account for his glove work, was fourth in the voting. Now, he's narrowly ahead of the Cubs' Alfonso Soriano.
If Soriano were to overtake Beltran again, then that would leave NL manager Charlie Manuel with the grim task of starting Ibanez, Braun, or Soriano in center — you can taste the triples from here. With Beltran now on the disabled list, that becomes a real possibility.
Beltran, who as usual is getting on base, hitting for some power, running the bases with aplomb, and picking it in center, deserves a spot more than any other NL outfielder. In the coming days, NL voters are charged with keeping him there.
And speaking of Soriano, what in the world is he doing within hailing distance of a starting job? He's getting on base less than 30 percent of the time, and he's slugging just .434. Among the more deserving NL outfielders are Justin Upton (especially Justin Upton), Adam Dunn, Matt Kemp and Brad Hawpe. Heck, the suspended Manny Ramirez has been better than Soriano this season, even after you make allowances for playing time.
Overall, NL voters have done a solid job, save for the inexplicable choice by so many to have Rollins at short. However, if Beltran loses his spot to Soriano, who trails him by about than 140,000 votes, then consider this a job poorly done.
Link to article.
I too am a Phillies fan and agree with his assessment. I don't know what is wrong with Rollins and hope he figures it out. Regardless, he does not belong on the All Star Team.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mlbcomplete.com