2012 MLB All-Star Roster: Breaking Down Top Final Vote Candidates

Major League Baseball has given fans the luxury of deciding who will get the final spot on the American and National League All-Star rosters with the Final Vote. 

With just hours remaining until the voting concludes, we thought it would be a prudent time to break down the best candidates to win the vote. Nothing against the fans, but a lot of what happens in this voting is based on team bias rather than who should be there. 

So if you plan on stuffing the ballot boxes today, keep these players in mind before you blindly click on someone's name. 

National League

Michael Bourn, OF, Atlanta Braves

2012 Stats: .310/.359/.456, 57 Runs Scored, 23 Stolen Bases, 11 Defensive Runs Saved (per Fangraphs)

Let me start by saying that it is hilarious that Bourn isn't already on the NL team. He has hit for far more power in the first half of the season than he ever has, though I don't expect that to continue as the season moves along. Everything else he has done is right in line with his career averages. 

Plus, with the game shifting more toward pitching and defense, wouldn't you want to put the best defensive center fielder in baseball in at the end of the game?

It is going to be difficult for Bourn to crack the field because of the names and teams around him, but he should be getting far more votes than he has to this point. 

Bryce Harper, OF, Washington Nationals

2012 Stats: .280/.354/.478, 8 HR, 23 RBI, 41 Runs Scored

If you want to say that David Freese, who currently leads the National League Final Vote, is a better player than Harper right now, well, frankly you would be wrong. 

There might be some fan backlash against Harper for being arrogant (which is ridiculous), but if I am constructing an All-Star team, trying to market the game to people and building a roster with established stars and players who will be here for the next decade, there is no way Harper shouldn't be on the team.

In terms of his approach and confidence at the plate, Harper has been far better than anyone expected when he was first called up. You also have to factor in that he is having success at just 19 years old. 

Despite playing in 16 fewer games than Freese, Harper has the exact same WAR (per Fangraphs) as the Cardinals third baseman. Harper is the perfect player for MLB to showcase on the All-Star stage. 

American League

Jake Peavy, SP, Chicago White Sox

2012 Stats: 112.2 Innings, 88 Hits, 101 K, 24 BB, 2.96 ERA, 

The AL Final Vote is considerably weaker than its NL counterpart. I enjoy watching Ernesto Frieri strike out hitters left and right as much as the next person, but he has a ridiculously high left-on-base percentage (94.2) and is an extreme flyball pitcher, so I don't feel like I know how good he really is. 

Jason Hammel has been a revelation for the Orioles in the first half, and his stuff looks a lot better than it ever has. He just hasn't been as good as Peavy or Yu Darvish, who leads the AL Vote.

The less said about Jonathan Broxton and the mystical save totals that got him on this ballot, the better. 

So it all comes down to Peavy vs. Darvish. I can understand the rationale behind putting Darvish in this game. He is a marketing dream, bringing in the Japanese audience and the casual fans who want to see him on a big stage. 

To me, Peavy is the better All-Star candidate right now. He has a track record of success—at least when he is healthy—and is producing like he did in his prime. 

Peavy is obviously not as overpowering as Darvish, nor is his stuff as exciting as the Rangers starter. But he is far more consistent and likely to give you a shutout inning, whereas Darvish is just as likely to walk the bases loaded as he is to strike out the side. 

Again, if Darvish wins, it won't be a bad decision. I just think Peavy should be there ahead of him, based on past performance and present dominance. 

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