MLB All-Star Voting 2017: Predicting Biggest Snubs for Summer Showcase

With all due respect to The Masters, the true sports tradition unlike any other involves baseball fans yelling until they are blue in the face about which players got snubbed for starting positions or reserve roles for the MLB All-Star Game. It's a rite of passage during the dog days of the sports calendar.

This year should be no different, as the most recent ballot results reveal some deserving players on the outside looking in for a spot in the starting lineup.

Below you'll find the latest All-Star voting results as well as predictions for the three biggest snubs for starting positions in the All-Star Game.

Note that each player who finishes first in each position grouping will get a spot in his respective league's starting lineup (the top three outfielders in the AL and NL will get that honor).

Latest All-Star Voting Results

American League: Designated Hitter

Seattle Mariners designated hitter Nelson Cruz smacked at least 40 home runs in each of the past three full seasons, but he's not the best DH in the American League this year.

That would be Rays DH Corey Dickerson, who has enjoyed a resurgent season in Tampa Bay. Dickerson currently has a .960 OPS, which beats out Cruz's mark by 62 points. Dickerson has also hit 17 home runs to go along with a .329 batting average.

Cruz's marks of 14 homers and a .291 batting average fall short of Dickerson, although he's knocked in 58 RBI, which is 19 more than Dickerson.

That being said, Dickerson usually bats either first or second in the batting order, so he has fewer RBI opportunities than Cruz, who has frequently batted cleanup behind a solid 1-2-3 in the M's order in Jean Segura, Ben Gamel and Robinson Cano.

Cruz will likely win out and be the starting DH based on his popularity and recent success, but Dickerson should get the nod this year. Regardless, Dickerson should still find a spot as a substitute.

American League: First Base 

Eric Hosmer currently leads all vote getters at first base in the American League, and it's easy to see why.

Hosmer is hitting .302 this year for one of the hottest teams in baseball (the Royals have gone 18-10 in their last 28 to fight back to a .500 record) while playing outstanding defense as usual (Hosmer hasn't even committed an error yet this season).

Still, two breakout American Leaguers are having better seasons than Hosmer: Oakland A's first baseman Yonder Alonso and the Toronto Blue Jays' Justin Smoak.

Alonso has an astronomical .974 OPS this year, a mark boosted by his 17 home runs. The 30-year-old has nearly eclipsed his home run total for the last three full years combined (19) in under half a season.

Smoak was a highly touted prospect in his younger days, but he never met the potential others set out for him. However, that's all changed this year, as Smoak has become one of the biggest power threats in the American League en route to keeping the Blue Jays' season from sinking like an anchor.

The 30-year-old has hit 20 home runs to go along with 48 RBI, a .304 batting average and a .955 OPS. He's been a steady force for the Blue Jays, who have been beset by injuries. Most notably, 2015 AL MVP Josh Donaldson has missed more than half of the year.

Although Smoak and Alonso's superb offensive seasons place them as more deserving candidates for the starting nod than Hosmer, the Kansas City Royals first baseman is still a good choice due to his excellent two-way play.

National League: Third Outfielder

A look at the voting results reveals that Chicago Cubs fans are coming off the high of last year's World Series win and stuffing the ballot box with their favorite players, regardless of whether an All-Star bid is deserved.

Look no further than the outfield position for proof. Kyle Schwarber has struggled mightily this season, hitting .171 and striking out 75 times before being sent to Triple-A, but he's received the eighth-most votes among NL outfielders.

Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist are third and fourth, respectively, but they've each missed large chunks of the season due to injury and have subpar OPS marks (.714 and .715 respectively).

The player who deserves the final starting outfield spot for the NL behind Bryce Harper and Charlie Blackmon is Marcell Ozuna, who has had a fantastic year for the Miami Marlins.

Ozuna has hit 20 home runs to go along with 54 RBI and a .319 batting average this season. The 26-year-old never hit more than 23 home runs or batted better than .269 during his first four full seasons in the bigs.

Ozuna is ninth in the National League in WAR, OPS and RBI. It's hard to see him topping Heyward in the All-Star race considering that he is over 100,000 votes behind, but Ozuna should still make the team as a reserve.

A quick note to close this section: If Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger was on the All-Star ballot, he'd be a shoo-in based on his torrid tear of late. Alas, he is not, but expect him to get in as a reserve.

 (All statistics are via Baseball-Reference.)