MLB All-Stars: Too stupid to count, but it does

[outofplace]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120701&content_id=34263550&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

Starting lineups and NL reserves are in so far.

The usual stinkers. Somehow Pablo Sandoval edged out David Wright at third base in the fan voting despite missing a huge chunk of the first half and having numbers nowhere near as good as Wright. I'm sure I'll see more as I look through it.

I know the Padres are bad, but was Huston Street really the only choice for their representative? A closer who missed over a month?

 

[HanSenSE]

Kemp was a curious choice too, since he's not expected back until the 13th.

 

[outofplace]

Kemp was a curious choice too, since he's not expected back until the 13th.

Agreed. He was the best player in the NL up to the moment he got hurt, but he has been out for a while and won't be able to play in the game. I don't see how people vote for him over worthy candidates like Braun and McCutchen.

 

[Johnny Chase]

I actually don't mind that the game counts. I just don't like the fact that fans choose the rosters.

You can't have it both ways. Either take the game serious like they want to, or don't. MLB is still caught in the middle when it comes to the All-Star game.

 

[Della9250]

I think there were more blunders in the NL than the AL. But they looked to be kept to a minimum.

 

[HanSenSE]

Sandoval obviously rode in on Posey's and Cabrerra's coattails.

 

[Moderator1]

Journalistically and fanboi-ly, good to see Desmond make the team. He's having an All-Star year without blinding numbers. My guess is Harper v. Jones battle it out in that fan thing. My AL vote is going to Hammel.

 

[jr/shotglass]

Outside of the obvious ...

Pitcher picks I liked: Ryan Cook (somebody was thinking), C.J. Wilson, Jim Johnson, Chapman, Lance Lynn.

Roster additions I liked: Billy Butler (underrated), Desmond.

Criminally stupid that Yu Darvish was left off the AL pitching staff. Bourn should be on, but more people want to see Harper, and he will win the NL vote.

oop: Yes, the Padres are that bad ... and that anonymous.

And frankly, I'm slightly impressed that Ron Washington didn't brainlessly write down Pujols' or Rodriguez's name. He could have.

 

[lisa_simpson]

Kemp was a curious choice too, since he's not expected back until the 13th.

Agreed. He was the best player in the NL up to the moment he got hurt, but he has been out for a while and won't be able to play in the game. I don't see how people vote for him over worthy candidates like Braun and McCutchen.

My feeling is that MLB should automatically remove any player who's injured from the online ballot for as long as he's on the DL. I know they can't do that for the paper ballots (and the fact that they use the Opening Day rosters for those lists is absurd) but most people don't use the paper votes anyway.

 

[rpmmutant]

I wish all the All Star games would go Glen Gary Glenn Ross and stop the charades. The players on the winning team get $1 million. The losers get a set of steak knives.

 

[dooley_womack1]

And coffee for the closers!

 

[Moderator1]

A quote from Harper from today:

Harper will be up against four other National League players: Michael Bourn, Chipper Jones, David Freese and Aaron Hill in the Final Vote, which fans can vote for at MLB.com until Thursday, July 5. Jones, 40, who likely presents the greatest challenge to Harper in the vote, is retiring after the 2012 season. Harper said Sunday he’d give his vote to the future Hall-of-Famer.


“I think a Hall of Famer should be able to go to the All-Star game his last year,” Harper said. “If I was going to make a vote, I’d go vote for Chip.”

 

[Della9250]

La Russa said bypassed Greinke because he's pitching the Sunday before, except he's actually going on Saturday.

 

[outofplace]

La Russa said bypassed Greinke because he's pitching the Sunday before, except he's actually going on Saturday.

But he's a Sooper Genius!

Terrible omission there. Greinke belongs ahead of Lynn, Gonzalez and Hamels and none of them was their team's only rep.

Lynn's inclusion might look terrible by the end of the season. I know he was dominant for two months, but he has been horrible in his last few starts and his ERA is up to 3.62.

 

[playthrough]

Brandon Phillips was a worthy NL 2B, but heaven forbid we not have a Houston Astros representative.

 

[jr/shotglass]

Well, I mean, that's the rule. It's probably worth a fight in the big picture, but it's not like LaRussa could do anything about it.

 

[Della9250]

Well if they wanted, they could have made Jed Lowrie the Astros' rep, dumped Castro and put Phillips instead of Altuve so that LaHair stayed as the Cub choice.

 

[outofplace]

Brandon Phillips was a worthy NL 2B, but heaven forbid we not have a Houston Astros representative.

Altuve has a higher batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage than Phillips. Phillips has a big edge in the power numbers, but it is not insane to have Altuve on the All-Star team.

 

[RedHotChiliPrepper]

You can't tell me this one counts and then tell me the fans get to vote on the starters and there must be a player from every team. That's my big problem with the game, as it is with most people, I'm sure. I don't have a problem with wanting to make the game count for something, but if that's the way it'll be, you can't let the Panda start at third base. That's my beef.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

Brandon Phillips was a worthy NL 2B, but heaven forbid we not have a Houston Astros representative.

Altuve has a higher batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage than Phillips. Phillips has a big edge in the power numbers, but it is not insane to have Altuve on the All-Star team.

And then there's Aaron Hill, who arguably should go ahead of either of them. Definitely ahead of Phillips.