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MLB All-Star Game 2015: How are these five players garnering votes?

By Nathaniel Reeves

Oct 22, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (9) is tagged out by Kansas City Royals second baseman Omar Infante (14) for a double play in the fourth inning during game two of the 2014 World Series at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (9) is tagged out by Kansas City Royals second baseman Omar Infante (14) for a double play in the fourth inning during game two of the 2014 World Series at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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The fan voting system for the MLB All-Star Game continues to produce some interesting results.

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If anyone is left unconvinced that fan balloting is not a particularly fair way to determine the participants in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the vote totals this season should change their minds.

For the first time ever, MLB has gone to an exclusively electronic ballot for All-Star game voting. That has led to the total number of votes eclipsing 300 million already and presumably a number of people gaming the system.

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With just over two weeks left until voting is closed, the Kansas City Royals currently have the highest vote-getter at every single position and could start as many as eight players in the Midsummer Classic. While a number of Royals such as Eric Hosmer and Alex Gordon are having fine seasons, that’s going to leave a lot of deserving candidates out of the starting lineup.

Perhaps the MLB will consider changing the system if every AL starter is from one team. Meanwhile, it remains a mystery why these five players are at or near the top of the All-Star voting totals.

Omar Infante, Kansas City Royals

A number of Kansas City players deserve to be in the All-Star Game or even have an argument to start. Infante is not among them.

Infante has hit .204/.213/.283 in 53 games this season, good for a wRC+ of 30, via FanGraphs.com. That has led to a spectacular WAR total of -0.7, fifth-worst in the majors.

Despite that horrific season at the plate, Infante has the voting lead at second base over the Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve, who hasn’t been that great himself. The spectacular Jason Kipnis ranks well behind both in third. The question is why Infante is getting so many votes, as even Kansas City fans aren’t too happy with him at the moment.

Alex Rios, Kansas City Royals

Rios is a bigger question mark than any other Kansas City player. At least Infante is well-known to Royals fans and had some big moments in Kansas City’s run to the World Series last season.

Meanwhile, Rios has played all of 18 games as a Royal, missing most of the season with a hand injury. In addition, he’s totaled -0.4 WAR so far in his first season in Kansas City, an impressive total for playing in so few games.

Still, Rios ranks fourth in AL outfield voting, behind two teammates and Mike Trout. At least Royals fans could have written in Jarrod Dyson or Paulo Orlando over Rios.

Hanley Ramirez, Boston Red Sox

To be fair to Kansas City, it is far from the only fan base with questionable voting habits. Ramirez has over a million votes and is just outside the top 10 in AL outfield voting despite a poor season on the most disappointing team in the majors.

With a new four-year, $88 million contract, Ramirez is putting up an 118 wRC+ season at the plate, which would be the second-worst of his career. While that’s not too bad, Ramirez’s poor baserunning and terrible defense matter too, leading to a total of -0.4 WAR. Ramirez is far from Boston’s biggest concern this season, so maybe Red Sox fans were feeling lenient when they fired up their ballots.

Jul 8, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets third baseman David Wright (5) runs as he singles during the fourth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 8, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets third baseman David Wright (5) runs as he singles during the fourth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

David Wright, New York Mets

If you need proof that most All-Star voting is based largely on name recognition, look no further than Wright. The face of the Mets has appeared in eight games this season due to back problems.

Still, he ranks fifth in NL voting at third base, well behind leader Matt Carpenter but ahead of more deserving candidates. At least Wright hit well in the very brief part of the season he played in, unlike Rios. Wright has a lot more to worry about than All-Star votes, as many in New York are concerned the back injury will be a long-term issue.

Jason Heyward, St. Louis Cardinals

It wouldn’t seem like St. Louis fans would be very happy with Heyward at the moment. Coming off of a five-win season, Heyward has been below average at the plate, worse on defense than ever before (in a small sample size) and is totaling just 0.4 WAR.

Meanwhile, Shelby Miller, one of the players Heyward was traded for, is pitching very well and could be an All-Star himself. Still, Heyward has received over one million votes and ranks eighth in the NL All-Star voting. Heyward isn’t a serious threat to start, but is in front of a few more deserving candidates, including Joc Pederson.

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