Deserving 2015 MLB All-Star Starters Who Will Be Screwed over by the Vote
The fan vote has not been kind to the likes of Miguel Cabrera and Jason Kipnis, who are on the verge of getting snubbed out of the starting lineup for the 2015 MLB All-Star Game.
Cabrera and Kipnis are far from the only first-half monsters who might just have to settle for a seat on the bench at Great American Ball Park on July 14.
The criteria for picking this list of potential snubs were simple. The idea was to dig through the numbers and to pick out the All-Star hopefuls who have put up statistically superior numbers to the players who are ahead of them in the voting.
With eight Kansas City Royals players on track to start, the list is stacked with American League standouts who are getting hosed by the fan vote.
Catcher
1 of 9
The Current Starter: Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
The Deserving Starter: Stephen Vogt, Oakland Athletics
The Breakdown
This is no knock on Salvador Perez, who is one of the rising stars in the game.
But the numbers don't lie. Stephen Vogt has been better than the Kansas City Royals backstop in a wide variety of offensive categories. Vogt, who never uses batting gloves and drenches his helmet in pine tar, leads Perez in OBP, slugging percentage, OPS, home runs and RBI.
Plus, the catcher, who slogged away in the minors for years before finally getting his shot with the Tampa Bay Rays and then the Oakland Athletics, is the consummate "everyman," as he explained to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.
"I'm sure there are people who watch me play and say, 'If Stephen Vogt can play in the major leagues, I can, too.' I embrace that."
This year, there hasn't been any catcher in the AL who has played the way Vogt has.
1st Base
2 of 9
The Current Starter: Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals
The Deserving Starter: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
The Breakdown
Miguel Cabrera isn't just the best first baseman in the AL. The right-handed hitter is the best position player in the circuit.
The 32-year-old, who has returned to his vintage form after an injury-riddled 2014, leads the league in average, OBP, slugging percentage and OPS. Plus he's also second in RBI.
Eric Hosmer is occupying the top spot on the ballot, but there's an argument to be made that Cabrera is just one of a slew of first baseman who should be ahead of the Royal. In terms of OPS, Hosmer ranks sixth in the AL behind Cabrera, Mark Teixeira, Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols and Jose Abreu.
2nd Base
3 of 9
The Current Starter: Omar Infante, Kansas City Royals
The Deserving Starter: Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians
The Breakdown
With a .221 average and a .536 OPS, Omar Infante is one of the least valuable position players in not just the AL but baseball as a while. That OPS checks in as the worst mark of any player in the AL who qualifies for the league leaders.
Despite those horrendous stats, he is on his way to starting at second base in the Midsummer Classic.
As if the notion of a terrible player starting in the game wasn't bad enough, the Royals second baseman will also be blocking one of the most deserving players in the game out of the lineup.
Jason Kipnis has torched the AL in 2015. The 28-year-old is third in average (.333) and seventh in OPS (.909). For now, though, he's also in third place on the ballot with less than half as many votes as Infante.
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Shortstop
4 of 9The Current Starter: Alcides Escobar, Kansas City Royals
The Deserving Starter: Jose Iglesias, Detroit Tigers
The Breakdown
Thanks to his wizardry with the glove and his production with the bat, Jose Iglesias has all but punched his ticket to Great American Ball Park.
Unfortunately for the Cuban, it doesn't appear that he'll be starting, as he trails Alcides Escobar by roughly 2.8 million votes.
That's a staggering deficit considering that Iglesias has been superior to Escobar in the field and at the plate. Per Baseball-Reference.com, Iglesias has saved seven runs at shortstop, while Escobar has saved two runs. With the bat, Iglesias is swinging at a clip of .337, while Escobar checks in at .258.
3rd Base
5 of 9
The Current Starter: Matt Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
The Deserving Starter: Todd Frazier, Cincinnati Reds
The Breakdown
Todd Frazier is going to need a lot of help if he's going to snag the starting spot at third base for the National League.
With the game set for his home park, Frazier sits in third place on the ballot with just over 1.9 million votes, while Matt Carpenter leads the way with close to 4.4 million. The numbers indicate that the powerful Frazier is getting a bad deal, as he leads all Senior Circuit third basemen in home runs (20) and OPS (.981).
As impressive as Frazier has been, there's a real possibility that he could get shut out of the All-Star Game altogether. The NL hot corner is one of the most loaded positions in the bigs with Nolan Arenado, Kris Bryant and Alex Guerrero also in the mix.
Over in the AL, Josh Donaldson is also worth an honorable mention. The 29-year-old, who hasn't stopped hitting since he arrived at the Rogers Centre, has cracked 17 home runs for the Toronto Blue Jays but remains in second place on the ballot.
Designated Hitter
6 of 9
The Current Starter: Kendrys Morales, Kansas City Royals
The Deserving Starter: Nelson Cruz, Seattle Mariners
The Breakdown
Nelson Cruz has been a menace to pitchers in 2015.
In his first campaign with the Seattle Mariners, the masher has clocked 18 bombs. For comparison, that's 11 more than Kendrys Morales, the designated hitter who is beating him in the fan vote. Cruz also has the edge in average, OBP, slugging percentage and OPS.
With World Series home-field advantage at stake, putting together the most fearsome lineup possible should be the primary goal. When it comes to AL hitters, there aren't many who are more fearsome than Cruz.
Outfield
7 of 9
The Current Starters: Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals; Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels; Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals
The Deserving Starter: Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
The Breakdown
No. 3 among AL outfielders in slugging percentage and OPS, Jose Bautista should be starting somewhere for the All-Star squad.
Mike Trout, who leads all outfielders in OPS and is a defensive standout in center, deserves his spot in the lineup. However, neither Lorenzo Cain nor Alex Gordon is worthy of starting over Bautista. The Toronto Blue Jays vet has hit as many home runs (13) as Cain and Gordon have combined, and he owns a higher OPS than either Royal.
Outfield
8 of 9
The Current Starters: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals; Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals; Nori Aoki, San Francisco Giants
The Deserving Starter: Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers
The Breakdown
Eighth among NL outfielders in voting, Joc Pederson is going to need a miracle to end up in the starting lineup for the All-Star clash.
There's no way that he should be starting over Bryce Harper, but he definitely has a gripe when it comes to Matt Holliday and Nori Aoki landing ahead of him in the vote.
The Los Angeles Dodgers rookie has clubbed 17 home runs, which is 14 more than Holliday. He also checks in with a .928 OPS, while Holliday has posted a mark of .839.
Aoki, the owner of a .323 average, beats Pederson in that department. However, the power discrepancy is just too big to ignore. Pederson has 27 extra-base hits, while the San Francisco Giants left fielder has just 12.
Outfield
9 of 9
The Current Starters: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals; Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals; Nori Aoki, San Francisco Giants
The Deserving Starter: Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins
The Breakdown
After hitting five home runs last week, Giancarlo Stanton was rewarded by dropping into fourth place in the fan vote behind Aoki. In the wake of Stanton falling down the ballot, Jon Heyman of CBS Sport joked via Twitter that Aoki is a #HonoraryRoyal.
Unsurprisingly, Miami Marlins manager Dan Jennings is less than thrilled with the voting results.
“I certainly hope people who are purists and love the game recognize what this kid is doing and the kind of year he’s having and get him in that top three where he belongs,” Jennings said, per Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post. “He belongs in that top three and he deserves to start that all-star game in Cincinnati.”
It's difficult to disagree with Jennings, as Stanton leads all big leaguers with 24 jacks. He's also an underrated defender in right, saving the Fish seven runs in the field, per Baseball-Reference.com.
Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com. All videos courtesy of MLB.com.
If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.
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