Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Is Struggling, But All-Star Fans Still Back Him. And the Outfield Voting Is an Absolute Robbery!

Alright, fam, let's talk All-Star Game. If the Commissioner's office *really* wanted a roster packed with the absolute best talent right now, they'd let *us*, the fans who watch every single pitch, pick it, right? But nah, it's a popularity contest, and based on early fan voting results, we’re seeing some major league head-scratchers. Sometimes the wrong names end up on that starting lineup card.

NL Fans Are Picking Favorites, Not Always Best

Over in the National League, fans got some calls right, like Drake Baldwin of the Braves leading Dodgers’ Will Smith by about 310,000 votes at catcher. Baldwin’s been crushing it, slashing .303/.389/.543 with 13 homers in 48 games despite missing time. Freddie Freeman at first, ahead of Matt Olson, also feels mostly fair. Max Muncy is totally deserving at third, and Shohei Ohtani leading at DH by 300,000 votes over Kyle Schwarber? Perfect.

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But then you hit second base. Ozzie Albies of the Braves has a 118,000-vote lead over the Phillies’ Bryson Stott. The problem? Brice Turang of the Brewers and rookie JJ Wetherholt of the Cardinals have actually been better. And Mookie Betts, struggling and hurt, is still only about 12,000 votes behind Nationals’ CJ Abrams at shortstop, even though Abrams has been the best there.

But the outfield, man, this is where it gets criminal. Dodgers’ Andy Páges, Braves’ Ronald Acuña, and Phillies’ Brandon Marsh are sitting 1-2-3 in the voting. Meanwhile, the actual best performers by Fangraphs WAR, like Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs, James Wood of the Nationals, and Corbin Carroll of the Diamondbacks? None are even in the top seven! Wood is closest, but still a whopping 230,000 votes behind third place. That’s a total snub, and don't expect justice before voting wraps on June 25.

AL Voting Has Us Scratching Our Heads

Now, let's slide over to the American League. Shea Langeliers of the Athletics is dominating at catcher, over 400,000 votes ahead, and he deserves it, he’s been the best so far. But at first base, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Blue Jays is leading Ben Rice of the Yankees by 90,000 votes, despite Vlad Jr. having a disappointing first half. Ben Rice and Nick Kurtz of the Athletics are more deserving, but Kurtz is 330,000 votes behind. Blue Jays fans are stuffing those ballots like crazy!

Ernie Clement of the Blue Jays has an absurd 600,000-vote lead at second over Ezequiel Duran of the Rangers, and that pair actually makes sense for the final vote. Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals is running away with shortstop, as he should be. At third, Junior Caminero of the Rays and rookie Kazuma Okamoto of the Blue Jays are 1-2. But Miguel Vargas of the White Sox? He deserves a finals spot but faces a 230,000-vote deficit. Chicago fans, get stuffing!

Yordan Alvarez of the Astros is a righteous leader at DH. And the AL outfield? Injured Aaron Judge and rejuvenated Mike Trout are way out front, with Cody Bellinger of the Yankees holding a small lead over Byron Buxton of the Twins. Bellinger is fine, but Buxton definitely deserves more recognition.

So yeah, All-Star voting is a mess of popularity and deserving players getting overlooked. It’s a bummer, but that’s how it goes when the fans get to pick. Still, it’s exciting to watch it unfold. And speaking of righteous leaders, our M's just handled business at T-Mobile Park, taking down the Baltimore Orioles 3-1! We’ll be back to see what the boys can do, because nothing beats baseball in the Emerald City.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.