Todd Frazier Deserves to Be the Starting NL 3rd Baseman

The Reds’ Todd Frazier might be the best third baseman in the majors this year, and he’s not even close to being the leading vote-getter at the hot corner in the National League. Frazier currently trails St. Louis Cardinals’ third baseman Matt Carpenter by more than 2.5 million votes, according to the latest All-Star voting update by MLB.

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Here is the latest NL voting update for the #ASG: pic.twitter.com/WD9UhixT66

— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) June 16, 2015"

The American League All-Royals team is proving that All-Star voting has reached its peak of being nothing more than a crass popularity contest that for some reason decides home-field advantage in the World Series. Hopefully that peak is also a plateau, as Commissioner Rob Manfred is said to be considering some much-needed changes. But that won’t help the injustice that is Frazier’s All-Star starter hopes.

Frazier is not only behind Carpenter in voting, he’s also behind Cubs’ rookie Kris Bryant. Both Carpenter and Bryant have had All-Star-caliber seasons, for sure, but they don’t deserve to start.

Compare the three players in eight major offensive statistical categories, and it’s pretty obvious which player deserves the nod.

Player	H/AB	R	HR	TB	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS
Matt Carpenter	65/223	40	8	109	32	1	.291	.870
Kris Bryant	59/201	37	7	96	35	5	.294	.878
Todd Frazier	72/246	46	20	153	41	8	.293	.981

Frazier leads Carpenter and Bryant in all eight categories except for average, which he is second in, just one point behind Bryant. In fact, if you were to add Bryant (8) and Carpenter’s (7) home runs, you’d still be five shy of Frazier.

Entering play Wednesday, Frazier leads NL third basemen in runs (52), doubles (19), home runs (20), stolen bases (8), slugging percentage (.622), on-base percentage plus slugging (.981), total bases (153) and extra-base hits (40). He trails, however, in popularity.

If Facebook likes are any indication of popularity, it’s clear to see why Cardinals fans are outpacing Reds fans in voting. The Cardinals’ Facebook page has twice as many likes as the Reds’ page, with 2.2 million likes for St. Louis and 1.1 million for Cincy.

Defensively, Frazier may not be elite, as his eight errors would indicate. But he’s no slouch, either. His fielding percentage is sixth best in the NL and only five points behind Carpenter. He also has more assists and putouts than Bryant or Carpenter.

For those who are sabermetrically inclined, Frazier’s wins above replacement (3.47) is the ninth best in baseball this season. According to ESPN, Frazier has the highest WAR of all NL third basemen and is behind only Josh Donaldson (3.83) league-wide.

Frazier has even been hot of late. In the last 30 days, he’s hitting a robust .349 with eight long balls. He’s almost single-handedly keeping the 29-35 Reds competitive.

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.@FlavaFraz21 smacks two home runs in #Reds victory over the Tigers. https://t.co/ffQGS3f4va

— #VoteReds (@Reds) June 17, 2015"

Making this would-be travesty even worse, the All-Star Game is at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. And to pour salt in the wound, Frazier is even the “Cincinnati Reds’ Official All-Star Game Ambassador.”

Statistically, there is no reason Frazier shouldn’t be starting the All-Star Game. He’s the best offensive third baseman in MLB so far this season, and he’s not even a defensive liability in the field.

Royals fans are getting all the press for their All-Star voting bastardization, but things are just as bleak on the NL side. Frazier and the city of Cincinnati are likely going to pay the price.

Stats and info courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.

Follow Aaron Brand on Twitter @AaronBrand47