Fan voting has always had its ups and downs, pros and cons. On Sunday, the NL and AL All-Star teams were announced, and it was clear that Giants fans had taken advantage of their chance to make a difference. For them, the voting was certainly a positive aspect to the system. Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, and Melky Cabrera all were named as starters for the NL team after surging to the front of the fan voting in the final week.
That's the way the system works is. The fans that really push for their favorite players to make the team are rewarded. Statistically, these may not be the best players to represent the NL team at the start of the game, but the All-Star game is a showcase, highlighting the fans' favorite players. If Giants fans are going to come out in full force to support their players, so be it. Other fans are going to have to step up their games.
Looking strictly from the standpoint of production and value to a team this season, I do not think Posey nor Sandoval should be starting the All-Star game. Cabrera is certainly a candidate, and is very deserving of the starting nod.
Posey has not been the best catcher in the NL this season. He may not even be the second best, statistically. That said, I do think he should be second in line to Carlos Ruiz of the Phillies with Cardinals' Yadier Molina as the third most deserving catcher. Ruiz is the top dog here, as he leads the league, regardless of position, in batting average. His OBP is well above that of Molina and Posey, and he's been playing in the Phillies anemic offense, buoying them throughout their struggles. Posey has similarly been steadying an inconsistent offense while managing one of the best pitching staffs in the league.
Posey, in fact, received the most votes for any NL player in history. With 7,621,370 total votes, outpacing the field by a significant margin. It's great for the young Posey to make the All-Star team two years after being named NL Rookie of the Year, and just one year after a devastating ankle injury robbed him of his sophomore season. However, it's a shame that the 33-year old Chooch isn't representing the NL during the first pitch of the All-Star game after the best first-half of his career.
The biggest surprise of the day was Sandoval's surge ahead of Mets' 3B David Wright. Wright has been one of the best hitters in baseball from day one, while Sandoval missed a month with an injured hamate bone. Sandoval has been solid during his time on the field, but his numbers come nowhere close to matching Wright's. Wright leads all NL third basemen in batting average, OBP, and slugging, and no one else is even close.
Wright has a .354 AVG, nine homers, 50 RBIs and a .449 OBP, while Sandoval has a .307 AVG, six homers, 25 RBIs and a .366 OBP in over 100 less at-bats. In that sense, it's really not much of an argument. The biggest question, then, is where were the Mets fans during voting? There really isn't much of an excuse for Wright to be left out of the starting lineup. The deciding factor is that Bay Area fans went out in force, leaving Wright with a reserve role.
In the outfield, it is a bit more of a competition. Cabrera leads all outfielders in batting average and turned in a dazzling month of May. The other starters are Matt Kemp, who will be sidelined for the game by a hamstring injury, and Carlos Beltran, who has made a major resurgence so far this year.
Reigning NL MVP, Ryan Braun was demoted to a reserve role, as Cabrera's surge in voting came during the last week. The remaining outfield All-Stars are Rockies' Carlos Gonzalez, Pirates' Andrew McCutchen, Reds' Jay Bruce and Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton.
Cabrera leads the group in batting average and hits, though his power numbers don't quite stand up to the rest of that elite pack. 111 hits, though, is quite the mark at this point in the season and should not have gone unnoticed.
In the end, the game is a showcase. For that reason, it's important to have fan favorites getting as much face time as possible. The most loyal fans deserve to see their players in the spotlight. That said, the game matters. NL fans should also want their team to win. Did Giants fans do the NL a disservice with their abundance of votes? Probably not, as the players selected are still more than worthy of making the trip.
Matt Cain also made the team and is a legitimate candidate to start. A starting battery of Cain and Posey would be icing on the cake for Giants fans.
Connor Rose is a Chat Sports senior writer. E-mail: connorarose@gmail.com Twitter:@connorarose.
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