MLB All-Star Starters 2015: Voting Figures and Snubs from AL and NL Lineups

Major League Baseball's All-Star voting has been a hot-button issue in recent weeks largely due to the dominance of Kansas City Royals players in the balloting, but the deadline came and went Sunday without too many egregious mistakes.

Four Royals were voted into the game, which curbed the outrage many observers had when nearly the entire lineup was stacked with KC players. However, it can certainly be argued that the fans were off the mark in a few cases.

Here is a full rundown of the current starting lineups for the American League and National League, pending injury replacements, along with vote totals and further analysis regarding some of the biggest snubs left out.

AL Starters and Vote Totals

Position	Player	Team	Votes
C	Salvador Perez	KC	13,747,294
1B	Miguel Cabrera	DET	13,834,271
2B	Jose Altuve	HOU	9,634,464
3B	Josh Donaldson	TOR	14,090,188 (Top Vote-Getter)
SS	Alcides Escobar	KC	11,960,907
OF	Mike Trout	LAA	14,013,021
OF	Lorenzo Cain	KC	12,399,127
OF	Alex Gordon	KC	10,609,006
DH	Nelson Cruz	SEA	10,632,184

NL Starters and Vote Totals

Position	Player	Team	Votes
C	Buster Posey	SF	9,909,668
1B	Paul Goldschmidt	ARI	9,119,375
2B	Dee Gordon	MIA	7,574,750
3B	Todd Frazier	CIN	9,233,686
SS	Jhonny Peralta	STL	8,478,474
OF	Bryce Harper	WAS	13,864,950
OF	Giancarlo Stanton	MIA	7,036,537
OF	Matt Holliday	STL	6,362,653

Breaking Down Top Starting Snubs

Jason Kipnis

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

On the heels of a disappointing 2014 season, Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis has bounced back in a big way. He entered Monday hitting a robust .341 with six home runs, 35 RBI and 10 stolen bases. Even so, Kipnis was beat out by Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve in the balloting.

Altuve is a great player in his own right, but Kipnis was beaten by Royals second baseman Omar Infante as well, which illustrates the lack of fairness regarding voting.

As pointed out by MLB Network's Peter Gammons, Kipnis is one of the most valuable players left out of the starting lineups:

In fact, he ranks fourth in the majors and second in the AL behind Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout in wins above replacement at 4.89, according to ESPN.com. By comparison, Altuve comes in at 2.26. While the diminutive Astros star is All-Star worthy, he simply isn't having as good of a season as Kipnis.

It seems likely that the Tribe's top hitter will find his way into the All-Star Game as a reserve, but if he doesn't, manager Terry Francona won't be pleased, per Zack Meisel of Cleveland.com:

"If (Jason Kipnis) is not an All-Star," Francona said, "there is not one. He's been one of the better players in the game."

The Indians are struggling as a team this season to the tune of a 38-43 record, but they would likely be totally out of the running if not for Kipnis' presence.

The 28-year-old veteran has gotten the job done at the plate, in the field and on the basepaths, and he deserved to have his named called as part of the AL's starting lineup.

Joc Pederson

The MLB is ripe with young, exciting players this season. But perhaps nobody measures up to Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson in that regard.

The 23-year-old slugger was thrust into a starting job this season after fan favorite Matt Kemp was shipped out of town, and he certainly hasn't disappointed. Although it can be argued that his peripherals are lacking to some degree at .234 and 38 RBI entering Monday, his 20 home runs set him apart.

According to ESPN's John Buccigross, Pederson's power surge prior to the All-Star break is historic as far as rookies are concerned:

Pederson certainly has his shortcomings, but the All-Star Game is about putting forth the most entertaining product possible, and there is no question that few players are more fun to watch than the Dodgers youngster.

He also ranks fourth among NL outfielders in WAR at 2.89, according to ESPN.com, which means a spot in the starting lineup wouldn't have been a gift by any means.

It is possible that he'll end up in the starting lineup regardless with both Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton and St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday ailing. But the fans should have been more aware of the impact Pederson will have on the overall quality of the game.

J.D. Martinez

Jason Miller/Getty Images

First baseman Miguel Cabrera receives most of the accolades when it comes to the Detroit Tigers hitters, but outfielder J.D. Martinez is quietly enjoying one of the league's best offensive seasons to this point.

The 27-year-old entered Monday hitting .285 with 23 home runs and 56 RBI, which puts him on pace for 46 homers and 112 RBI over the course of the entire year. Also, with designated hitter Victor Martinez injured for much of the campaign, J.D. has thrived as Miggy's primary protection in the batting order.

It is tough to argue with Trout and Royals outfielder Lorenzo Cain being starters, but there is no question that Martinez should be in the starting lineup over the Royals' Alex Gordon. Martinez is fourth among AL outfielders in WAR at 3.1 while Gordon is only at 2.02, according to ESPN.com.

According to Tigers pitcher David Price's Twitter account, there is already a campaign to get Martinez on the American League roster:

Martinez figures to be part of the team since few hitters in all of baseball have displayed power as consistently as he has. He certainly should have been rewarded more for what has been a career season to this point.

He is a far cry from the player who was cut loose by the Astros after the 2013 campaign, and there is little doubt that he is now one of the best outfielders the AL has to offer.

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