Kenley Jansen blames Dodgers fans for no All-Star starters
By John Buhler
The Los Angeles Dodgers have four All-Stars, but that didn’t stop closer Kenley Jansen from throwing the fans under the bus for not getting a starter in.
Closer Kenley Jansen is having a great season and so are the 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers. He might have a 0.97 ERA, 0.529 WHIP and 18 saves this season, but he’s definitely fired up earning his second MLB All-Star Game trip.
Though Jansen, ace Clayton Kershaw, left fielder Cody Bellinger and shortstop Corey Seager all will be representing the Dodger blue at the Mid-Summer Classic in Miami, Jansen HATES that none of his teammates were named All-Star starters.
Los Angeles has one of the best teams in baseball and might be the favorite coming out of the National League. Jansen is blaming the fans for a lack of voting support on the latest All-Star Game ballot.
Kenley Jansen on Seager and Turner not getting voted to start: "I'll say it loud and clear again. It's the Dodger fans' fault."
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) July 3, 2017
Jansen is coming in hot, just like his fastball coming out of the bullpen for the Dodgers. Is he wrong to say this? Not really. The Dodgers fan support is wavering of late. You can’t really blame them for their frustrations, thanks to a rancid television deal.
The Dodgers were poorly run when Frank McCourt owned the team half a decade ago. He used a parking garage he bought on credit as collateral to buy the Dodgers. The McCourts ran cash poor and struggled to make payroll a few years back. A new ownership group has taken over, but Angelinos can’t watch the Dodgers on the local telecast. They had to miss the final year of Vin Scully on television because of this nonsense.
The Dodgers might have an excellent baseball team, but the fans not showing up to games because they can’t keep up with the club on television is just a mess that shouldn’t be happening in the 21st century.
Turner is still alive for the final vote in the National League, but let’s be real for a second. He wasn’t going to beat out Colorado Rockies third basemen Nolan Arenado in the fan vote. Arenado is the best at the hot corner.
Next: 10 Biggest Hotheads in MLB History
As for Seager at shortstop, Jansen isn’t entirely off base. Cincinnati Reds shortstop Zack Cosart won the fan vote. Not to say that Cozart isn’t a strong player, but Seager is something else at short for the Dodgers. Had the Dodgers had favorable fan support, he’d be starting in the 2017 MLB All-Star Game for sure.