The All-Star votes and selections are in. And you know what that means. The inevitable. Contoversy. Un-informed voters. Injustice. There were some eye-popping guys that were left off the list, maybe even moreso than normal, but this is not unchartered territory. Sports writers, radio and tv analysts, and fans will go round and round about this sort of thing annually as long as there is an All-Star vote. But with that being said, let’s you and I analyze this together as I give you some thought provoking material, statistics, demographics, and relevant baseball “purist” persistences.
1. We let the fans vote. This is an issue to a degree, but even if the voters were “sports guys” or a panel made up of sportswriters, analysts, MLB Front offices, scouts, players, ect., there would still be distorted voting and rustling among the fans. And MLB can’t lose its fans. But truly intelligent fans are few and far between. Many fans want to see their favorite players on their favorite teams in the All-Star game but by doing so, many well-deserved players throughout the years have been snubbed. This cycle will continue until something changes. I could recommend something like a 3/5 Compromise. Similar to the one used prior to the American Civil War (this is not justification of the Act, nor a slam or parallel on equality or racism, it is intended for baseball purposes only). Fans votes really only count for 3/5 of every vote for the starters. And managers don’t pick “their” guys for a bench. Every player, and integral member of the sports media votes for those picks. This would not solve everything, but it would indeed provide more balance and merit for the guys deserving, while still having the fans involvement.
2. Colin Cowherd talked about the issue of Joey Votto not being selected this morning. His basic thesis…”Who is Joey Votto?” He stated the case that guys are chosen based on legacy and past seasons, citing the past career of Cal Ripken who was hitting .211 at All-Star break and started. How could you not vote Ripken in? I understand that rhetoric, and this largely falls in the hands of fans who go through the nominees and vote on name, not production. Votto didn’t get selected largely due to the fact that he is not a household name, plays for the Reds, and had Scott Rolen and Brandon Phillips not have such great 1st halfs, he may have gotten in (considering at least 1 member from every team has to be on the team). But Votto’s production has far superceeded both of these guys. Cowherd commented on Great American Ballpark being a hitter’s park and that some of these statistics are flawed or inflated. To disprove this un-informed argument of Cowherds, Votto has had more AB at Great American, which is not really a surprise and therefore has more HR in that park, but it’s not that drastic. 13 HR @ Home. 8 HR away. 48 hits @ Home. 44 hits away. His Batting Average is higher away (slightly), identical OBP both places, a higher K/BB ratio on the road, and more Doubles and Stolen Bases for away games than home games. His OPS is maybe 0.040 higher @ home, but all is still virtually identical in proving evidence of NO dropoff in statistics whatsoever between Home and Away games. It’s a common thing for players to have better numbers at home (and specifically HR), but Votto has been good everywhere, hitting ABOVE .286 in every NL ballpark except for two (.267 @ Land Shark (Marlins) and .231 @ Minute Maid (Astros), also common)). I respect Cowherd’s opinions immensely and agree with so many of them. His knowledge and study of demographics is bar none. He is one of the superior voices regarding NCAA athletics and the NBA (in my opinion), I believe his views on Golf, endorsements, and commercial appeal are very accurate. He also brings to the table many value and morality affiliated subjects in the realm of sports, which for the most part is all on point and find myself thinking like him. His knowledge of baseball however, is ridiculously misguided and exaggerated. He then went on (with his demographic approach) to discuss google trends of Joey Votto. They were only prevalent in the Ohio/Indiana region. Probably true, and relevant to the fact Votto plays for a small market team and he’s not as popular as Pujols, Prince, and Howard in the NL. But still not a very relevant argument in explaining how Votto was not selected was justified.
3. The perspectives and ideals of a baseball purist is admirable. I enjoy them being around. I am a Sabermetrics disciple, but i’m not an idiot either. I appreciate both sides of the game, and don’t necessarily see things in black and white, but rather gray. I don’t always think one side is more right than the other. I could present good arguments for both sides, but Sabermetrics are the biggest discovery in baseball since Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, and Roberto Celemente. I like the bunt and I like a guy who goes after the ball with a bat in his hands, I like defense, I like a bunch of hits, and believe Stolen Bases are an exciting and strategic part of the game, but to vote guys in based on these numbers (particularly the last 3 categories) is overrating the player in the long run and you are only setting them up to prove you wrong in the end. Baseball Prospectus has numbers on the categories, VORP, BIP, research it. They do count for something. This is not a tell-all situation in which players should be voted into the All-Star game, but more of a framework to base further decisions. I’m not obsessed with the fact that Votto should be in. It does not offend me that he was not voted in. I’m not starting a campaign or alluding to a protest. But looking into the framework of his numbers (not to mention his role in the Reds’ success), and these numbers both sabermetrically and in baseball purist form…he deserves to be in. If his last name was not Votto, he didn’t play for the Reds, and he was not Canadian, he may be in. In the end, he should end up on the roster, barring injury or the Final Vote, but this is all for sake of snubbing and argument. I’m a Cubs fan and do not think any player deserves to be in the game (with the exception of Carlos Marmol who was instead favored for Marlon Byrd). I could give Chris Young a hard time about getting in, but Omar Infante? Really? Guess these picks give managers some versatility in spots considering the All-Star game actually counts for something. uhhh….
Lets first go down the list of guys who were voted or chosen in.
AL
Mauer – Numbers are not as good as last season, but is there anybody better overall? He’s a freak. Stats will rise.
Morneau – It’s gotta be J-MO or Cabrera here. Numbers are similar. Morneau slightly higher OBP & OPS.
Cano – Probably the MVP of the league right now. He’s always been good. But this is a breakout year.
Longoria – He’s young, savvy and having a solid year, but Youklis deserves to be here, whether you like Boston or not. Identical BA, but Youklis with more HR, BB (duh), and higher OBP & OPS.
Jeter – Solid year, but he’ll be under the Cal Ripken rule as he ages. Yankee Captain. Obvious choice. Elvis Andrus and Ben Zobrist could be viable options here, but we would expect this if his line was .209/.272 with 2 HR. Hope he dosn’t succumb to Varitek status in a few years however.
Hamilton – If anyone could give Cano a run for his money in the MVP category, it could be Hammy. Unbelievable year. Is among the top in most major categories.
Ichiro – Hit machine. Does he age? Could argue him as a starter, but I could argue him not starting just as easily Rios? DeJesus? Swisher? Hunter? Just food for thought is all.
Crawford – Is there a more athletic player? He’s in the same respect as Ichiro. Could argue the starting nod, but no need to do that. Rios? DeJesus? Swisher? Hunter? Just food for thought is all.
Guerrero – Comeback player of the year nominee. Best year since ’07. Even if it ended today. If you still considered him an OF, he’s 2nd in Total Bases, 4th in OPS in all of baseball, with 18 HR and .374 OBP. .330 BA & 70 RBI. Monster.
John Buck – Really? I had almost forgotten he was Toronto now. Has pop, but 64 K’s to only 9 BB? Even Mike Napoli has better overall numbers. And no Posada? Give me a break.
V Mart – Deserving, but injured.
Cabrera – Probably my 3rd vote for AL MVP. Among all MLB 1B: Tied 1st in hits( 100), 3rd in OBP(.417), Tied 2nd HR(20), 1 in Total Bases (186), .339 BA & 71 RBI. Monster.
Pedroia – Hurt, got off to a great start. More pop, bunch of hits, only Cano & Utley have a higher OPS. But clearly the best 2nd choice behind Cano.
Kinsler – Are you kiddin’ me? See legacy status above ^. He’s been great since he’s been back from injury and his numbers would probably be great had he not been on DL for such a significant time, but where’s Zobrist? And this is far-fetched, but why not Howie Kendrick? They’ve played well all season long.
Wiggington – He can play anywhere. His versatility and ability to play 3B, 2B, 1B, and OF probably helped him make the squad, as well as a dynamite first two months (13 HR % OBP over .365). But he has cooled off immensely. The only Oriole to make the team. I would’ve picked Markakis. Then you would have an Oriole on the team (who is arguably deserving), with a Zobrist or Kendrick or Carlos Guillen.
Elvis Andrus – I like this pick. Great defensive player. In the AL, he’s 3rd in Hits, 2nd OBP, and sporting a .290 BA. Promising player. This won’t be his last All-Star selection.
Beltre – We all knew he was still good, right? He leads AL 3B in Total Bases, 2nd in OPS, 2nd in OBP (both behind a 3B elegible Youklis), 2nd in Hits (1 hit behind Michael Young), and the same HR total as Longoria (12), with better overall numbers in almost category than Arod. Speaking of…
Arod – Ok, we all know he is STILL one of the Top 5 most talented players in baseball. Even in a down year, he’s still good. Not Arod good, but good nonetheless. In the AL alone, among 3rd basemen, he’s 10th in hits, 6th in Total Bases, 7th in OBP, 6th in OPS, Tied for 4th in HR, although he is 1st in RBI. Look for a better 2nd half. It’s not like he is not he is Cal Ripken caliber yet.
Jose Bautista – He’s eligible as a 3B in most fantasy leagues, but we’ll stick him with the OF party considering that’s what he was voted in as. His HR total obviously got him in. And I don’t expect it to keep up at this pace. He’s hitting only .236 with a relatively low number of RBI given his HR number. But sabermetrically, he’s 6th in OPS, 5th in TB, 17th in OBP, although he leads the AL in Walks. How could you not have the AL HR leader in this game?
Torri Hunter – One of the best Centerfielders of the decade. Among AL OF, 4th in OPS, 8th in OBP, 4th in TB, with 14 HR. Production.
Vernon Wells – Same scenario as Wigginton. Got off to a Monster start. Has since cooled down. Still a high HR & TB total, but I could probably name 3 or 4 other guys that i would’ve voted for over Wells. I foresee him winning the Home Run Derby and then forgetting how to hit a baseball in the 2nd half.
Big Papi – After another horrid start, the light came on. And they are flickering brighter right now than they have for some time. But nonetheless, a Papi Popularity selection to some degree. Where’s Konerko? Youklis? Both of these guys still got a shot, but it’s an injustice they weren’t outright selected. Boesch (yes, i said it)? Markakis? Swisher? DeJesus? Choo? (which would take care of the horrible selection of Fausto Carmona). These guys aren’t household names, but most of these guys STILL have better overall numbers across the board than Big Papi, besides maybe HR. But chicks (and fans) dig the long ball and nicknames.
Lee, Lester, Hughes, Sabathia, Price – I don’t think we could argue these. The numbers all speak for themselves and no valid argument against their choosing can be thoughtfully and educationally be achieved.
Buchholz – Fantastic year so far. No wonder the Sox were so adamant against trading him away in the V Mart deal. Too bad he’s on the DL.
Cahill, Carmona - Carmona has had a bounce back year, but being the player represented for Cleveland? Choo would have been a better choice, but I understand this was about the only option there may have been. But in reality, his numbers are very average. 3.69 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 7 wins, but a very low K/9 sitting at 4.68. And Cahill may be a nice pitcher in the future, solid season, but I don’t see him being such an ACE throughout his career. But sporting a 3.17 ERA & 1.03 WHIP to go along with 8 wins for Oakland is wildly productive and is obviously good enough to get you in.
Feliz, Thornton, Valverde, Soria, & Rivera – With a few exceptions, closers come and go. Rivera is a mainstay, Soria is legit, Thornton is having a great season, Feliz has a lot of potential, and Valverde has had solid seasons in the past, and is lights out this year. Where is Rafael Soriano? Only Soria has more saves. Only Rivera has a lower WHIP and only Rivera, Valverde, Andrew Bailey have a better ERA than Soriano. Speaking of Andrew Bailey, 1.59 ERA, 0.94 WHIP with 17 saves in Oakland and not being selected is almost an injustice.
Where is Felix Hernandez? Liriano? Greinke? Verlander? Weaver? Certainly one of these guys deserve to be in more than Carmona (despite the higher ERA’s for Greinke & Verlander). And that’s not selecting them based on legacy, their K’s are among the best in the AL (and MLB) with solid WHIPs. Take out Wiggington. Add Markakis. Take out Carmona. Add Choo. Take out Wells. Add Bailey or Soriano. Take out Kinsler. Add Youklis. Weaver takes Buchholz’s spot. And take out Buck for goodness sakes. Put in Posada. And final vote between Konerko and Swisher. And add a spot for King Felix, Liriano, Greinke, and Verlander. All in all, the AL selections are not too bad as compared to some in the NL. I find it more satisfying and intelligent. We will do another overview tomorrow on the NL. Stay tuned.
