Pete Crow-Armstrong Is a Top 3 MLB Player and Nobody In The League Is Ready For How Wild That Is
Alright, fam, pull up a chair and let's talk about something that's really grinding my gears. The MLB All-Star Game voting update dropped on Monday, and let me tell you, it's a mess. Fans have all the power right now, which is cool in theory, but when you peel back the curtain on the actual results, you just gotta shake your head. We're talking about the top 10 players at each position, and top 20 for outfielders, and with just over a week left in Phase 1 to get our guys into those top spots, some of these fan picks are absolutely bonkers. It really shows how popularity can totally trump actual on-field dominance. It's not too late to fix this, but man, we need some common sense, stat! This whole "fans choose" thing sometimes feels like it actively hurts players on teams that aren't the biggest names in the biggest markets, you know?
The Outfield Snub That Just Screams Injustice
You want to talk about a travesty? Look no further than Pete Crow-Armstrong in the National League outfield. The dude is currently sitting at #14. Fourteenth! Are you kidding me? This guy has been absolutely scalding hot in June, completely tearing it up after making a tweak to his stance. Yeah, he had a shaky start to the season, but that's ancient history now. He's climbed all the way to No. 3 in MLB with a ridiculous 4.0 fWAR, trailing only Shohei Ohtani at 5.1 and Bobby Witt Jr. with 4.2. Think about that: third best WAR in the entire league! How is that even possible?
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On top of that, he’s hands down the best defensive outfielder in the league, a fact that always gets overlooked in these popularity contests. His offensive outbreak is real, with his OPS jumping to .846, putting him on pace for 30 dingers. And yet, he's somehow behind guys like Brandon Marsh, Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker, Mauricio Dubón, Justin Crawford, and Adolis García? Seriously? None of those guys have produced anywhere near Crow-Armstrong's level. It just proves that fan voting can be totally out of whack, especially if you're not on a super-duper-big market squad. It's a joke, honestly, and a major surprise from a quick glance at the voting results.
First Base Fiasco: Popularity Over Performance?
And it doesn't stop there. Over in the American League, we're seeing another head-scratcher at first base. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is leading the pack, comfortably, with almost 100,000 more votes than the Yankees' breakout star, Ben Rice. Now, I get it, Guerrero Jr. is a household name, immensely popular, the whole deal. The Blue Jays players are well represented in the voting, even with the team's lackluster start to the season. But if you actually look at the numbers, Rice has been having the much, much better season. It's not even close!
Rice is sitting pretty with 2.8 fWAR, cranking out 20 home runs, driving in 49 RBIs, and boasting a 174 wRC+, which is second in all of MLB, only behind Yordan Alvarez. Meanwhile, Guerrero, despite his name recognition, has a career- (and the source ends there, but you get the picture: it's not matching Rice's performance). It's a tale as old as time: big names from big cities get the votes, regardless of how they're actually performing. It's frustrating to watch, especially knowing how much pure talent can get ignored in favor of sheer popularity.
Look, there's still time for things to change in this All-Star voting mess, but fans seriously need to start looking at the stats, not just the names. While the rest of the league tries to sort out its fan voting craziness, our Mariners are out here proving what real performance looks like, every single game. We just shut down the Baltimore Orioles with a crisp 3-0 victory, showing that gritty, no-nonsense baseball still wins in the Emerald City. That's the kind of play we focus on! Let's keep that energy going! What do you say, 12s? Let's keep showing up for our guys and rocking T-Mobile Park every single game!
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.