The first updates for All-Star Game voting were released for both the NL and AL. Who the fans like to vote in never ceases to be a controversial topic; some fans want to argue that the game shouldn’t matter enough for us to get mad at the votes, some are adamant that their team’s player should be leading, and some people manage to do both of those at the same time. It’s tough; the All-Star Game is for the fans, but it can never truly be for all the fans. One team’s fanbase goes on a voting spree and the other fans go crazy, or a mediocre player slips in on name recognition and people complain about the underrepresented players.
Among all of the complaints, it can be hard to remember that a lot of the time fans will make the right call. Looking at the first update of the 2015 season, there’s plenty to look at where you can say the fans got it right. Superstars such as Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Adrian Gonzalez, and Miguel Cabrera are deservedly on pace to start the game. Lorenzo Cain and Nelson Cruz lead the pack for AL outfielders and DHs. The NL second base race is down to the two most deserving candidates, Dee Gordon and Kolten Wong, while the third base race is between the three NL 3B with the highest WAR (Matt Carpenter, Kris Bryant, Matt Frazier). Sure, it sucks that some underrated players aren’t even in the top 5 for their positions (Lucas Duda is a prime example) but there’s plenty here that, if it’s sustained, will be justified.
But there will also be some egregious mistakes on the fans part. And we will complain. Frankly, we wouldn’t be baseball fans if we didn’t complain about All-Star voting. So without further ado, here are some of the worst mistakes voters are making so far.
Salvador Perez Leading AL Catcher Voting
Every year, it seems like one team gets the vote out far beyond any other team and get several starters to the detriment of more deserving players. Giants fans have been guilty of this in the past. This year it’s Kansas City, who in the first update has 4 starters in the game. It’s hard to fault Royals fans, who had so little to celebrate for 29 years and now finally have the chance to vote some good players from their own team in (see the aforementioned Lorenzo Cain). Salvador Perez, however, shouldn’t be leading the pack for AL catchers. He shouldn’t even be second. According to Fangraphs, he only has the 6th highest WAR of AL catchers. This should be Stephen Vogt’s start. Not only does the Oakland star lead AL catchers in WAR (2.3, .2 points ahead of an also deserving Russell Martin), but he leads them comfortably with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs. He’s slugging nearly .600. He’s the clear most deserving AL catcher and yet Perez somehow has almost double the votes Vogt has.
Jason Kipnis Nowhere To Be Found
At least Vogt is in second place. Cleveland’s Jason Kipnis couldn’t even make the top 5. Omar Infante has -0.1 WAR, and he’s in second. Kipnis? We don’t even know, just that it was anywhere from sixth place to negative infinity place. Kipnis has been an offensive force for Cleveland, hitting .345 and slugging .536. He’s third in the majors in hits. Hell, according to Fangraphs he has a higher WAR than Mike Trout, and Mike Trout eats three full meals of WAR per day. Mike Trout IS WAR and right now Jason Kipnis has more of it than him. It might not be reasonable to expect Kipnis to win a fan vote against the popular current leader for AL second basemen, the Astros’ Jose Altuve. But Kipnis deserves recognition for what he’s done to start the season, and hopefully future updates will reflect that.
Josh Donaldson Not Leading At Third
No disrespect is intended to the current leader at third base for the AL, KC’s Mike Moustakas. Moustakas is hitting at a .329 clip with a 2.0 WAR, putting together the type of season Royals fans have wanted him to have for years. He’s absolutely one of the best third basemen right now, but Josh Donaldson is one of the best players, period. He’s been absolutely crushing it with Toronto. His 13 home runs greatly outpace any other second basemen and are 5th in the majors. He’s hitting .314 and slugging .590. He’s solidified his reputation as an offensive juggernaut, and it wouldn’t be as fun to see the AL face an NL ace if Donaldson isn’t in the middle of that lineup.
Matt Holliday & Giancarlo Stanton Leading in NL Outfield
This may be where I lose you. Holliday and Stanton shouldn’t start?! Holliday’s been a consistently above average player for nearly 10 years, and Stanton, while only hitting .232, still has 13 home runs. The problem is that unlike in past years when these two stars started, there are other players who are simply more deserving. Matt Holliday is hitting .320, but is still just 14th among all NL outfielders in WAR. Players like the Giants’ Nori Aoki or the Diamondbacks’ A.J. Pollock are hitting the same or better, and with better WAR to show for it. And as for Stanton’s home runs, Padres star Justin Upton and Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson both have similar totals, but with better averages to go with it. Holliday and Stanton remain two of the best outfielders in the game, but this year some fresh blood might be more deserving of the start.
David Wright Being in the Top 5 At All
Look. I love David Wright. You love David Wright. Everyone, except maybe Phillies fans, loves David Wright . He’s Captain America and he started the trend of giving Mets players comic book nicknames! But he’s only played 8 games this season, and gotten some less than stellar news about whether he can come back from his injuries. As much as we all love David Wright and presumably swooned at seeing his face up there, he shouldn’t be getting All-Star votes. He definitely shouldn’t be ahead of Nolan Arenado, who’s hit 10 home runs and played stellar defense all season. We all hope David Wright can make a full recovery, and if he does in a future season? Go nuts on voting. He’s a star and a joy to watch play the game. But voting for him this year just makes it more depressing.