Ask my parents about Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and their birthdays in between — they’re guaranteed to get their card in the mail a week late.
I’m a procrastinator. That’s what I do. It’s how I roll; how I’m wired. And every year I wait until the last day voting is open to vote for my MLB All-Stars. Whether or not it’s advantageous or not I’m unsure, but you can be sure I vote fairly.
In case you’re unaware, Major League Baseball allows fans to cast votes for the All-Star game’s starters each season. The pitchers and remaining players are chosen by managers. Still, because fans get to vote the most important players in, there are injustices that occur every year.
While most players who get voted in are deserving based on their great performance through a half-season, others get in simply due to their popularity and voter turnout (COUGH, Derek Jeter). I wanted to show you what a 2014 ballot would look like with only taking into account the numbers — who is literally having the best season and who really deserves to be in based on performance only.
Here are the results.
First Base
AL – Jose Abreu, CHW
The man has broken nearly every single rookie record imaginable since coming over from Cuba. He’s tied for the most HRs in all of baseball with 26.
NL – Paul Goldschmidt, Ari
Nearly won the NL MVP award last year and is 3rd in the NL in RBI. Already has 15 HRs.
Who the fans will vote in: Miguel Cabrera and Paul Goldschmidt
Second Base
AL – Jose Altuve, Hou
This is hard considering Robinson Cano is the best player at the position, but Altuve is breaking all-time records for the position, having already stolen 37 stolen bases while hitting a ridiculous .343.
NL – Dee Gordon, LAD
One of the great surprises of the year, Gordon is the fastest man in baseball right now, leading the majors with 40 SBs while hitting .295.
Who the fans will vote in: Robinson Cano and Chase Utley
Shortstop
AL – Alexei Ramirez, CHW
Another big surprise, Ramirez has been ripping the cover off the ball at a career-high clip. He’s 2nd in AL shortstops with 41 RBI and tied for first in HRs (8) while also hitting .294.
NL – Troy Tulowitzki, Col
Hitting at Coors Field the dude is Superman — hitting around .900… seriously, pretty damn close to that number at least. Away from Coors Field, he’s still a pretty damn good ball player who hits near .300. Tulo leads all of baseball with a .351 average and 2nd in NL HRs (18).
Who the fans will vote in: Derek Jeter and Troy Tulowitzki
Third Base
AL – Adrian Beltre, Tex
The man is a future Hall of Famer at this point; he just continues to put up crazy good numbers. Even with a DL stint this season, Beltre is still hitting .335/9/44, which is first at his position for average and second in RBIs.
NL – Todd Frazier, Cin
By far the biggest surprise on my ballot. Does anyone even realize the season Frazier is having? Unless you actually live in Cincinnati, you probably don’t know his line currently reads .289/17/47 — which leads NL third basemen in HRs and is second in RBIs.
Who the fans will vote in: Aramis Ramirez and Josh Donaldson
Catcher
AL – Salvador Perez, KC
Tied for 1st in HRs at the position (10) while hitting .283. What sets him apart from similar catchers is his stellar glove.
NL – Jonathan Lucroy, Mil
The breakout star had the best campaign video; he also is also 2nd in MLB in average (.331) is 2nd at his position in RBIs (43) and has 8 bombs.
Who the fans will vote in: Matt Wieters and Yadier Molina
Designated Hitter
(NL – Justin Morneau, Col)
The NL doesn’t have a DH, but since the game will be played in Minnesota there will be one for the All-Star game. The former MVP is now in Colorado and has had a career resurgence out of thin air (pun intended). He’s batting .315/13/58. I also expect him to get a standing ovation during this homecoming to the city in which he won his MVP award.
AL – Edwin Encarnacion, Tor… Or… Cruz or VMart…
Honestly, you could give this to any of three guys. Not only is Encarnacion deserving of the nod, but so is Nelson Cruz — who is tied with Encarnacion and Jose Abreu for the MLB lead in HRs (26) — AND also Victor Martinez, who has 20 HRs and 52 RBI, and on top of that, is batting a ridiculous .323, which is 5th best in baseball. Take your pick of the three; I would have no problem with either of them getting voted in.
Who the fans will vote in: (NL DH will most likely be Adrian Gonzalez or Giancarlo Stanton) Nelson Cruz (AL).
Outfield
AL – Mike Trout, Adam Jones, Jose Bautista
No shocker here. All stars. All unreal numbers.
NL – Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Gomez, Andrew McCutchen
Same here. All stars. No surprises. Ridiculous numbers from a group that includes last year’s MVP.
Who the fans will vote in: Jose Bautista, Mike Trout, Yoenis Cespedes and Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Gomez and Yasiel Puig
Voting for the All-Star game ends Thursday night. Squads will be announced Sunday night.
Josh Helmuth is the editor of CraveOnline Sports.
