Ben Rice Is Crushing It, And The AL First Base Race Is Already a Disaster

Alright, Emerald City, listen up! The MLB All-Star voting update hit the wire on Monday, and honestly, if you thought fans were gonna get it right, well, think again. We're barely into Phase 1, with over a week remaining for these votes to lock in, and already, it’s a full-blown mess. We all love having the power to pick our guys, but when you look at these numbers, it's clear some folks are voting with their hearts, not their stats sheets. And trust me, that's gonna lead to some serious snubs.

This AL First Base Vote Is a Straight-Up Travesty

You wanna talk about a crime in progress? Look no further than the AL first base vote. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is out here leading the pack, racking up almost 100,000 more votes than the Yankees' absolute breakout star, Ben Rice. Now, I get it, Vlad is a household name, big market guy, but are we even watching the same game? Rice isn't just having a good year, he's having a *monster* year. The dude's sitting at 2.8 fWAR, with 20 dingers, 49 RBIs, and a 174 wRC+! That wRC+ is second only to Yordan Alvarez in all of MLB! Meanwhile, Guerrero's numbers aren't even mentioned as being close. This isn't just a slight, it’s a full-on disregard for actual performance. We're letting popularity contest overshadow a dude who's putting up legitimate MVP-caliber numbers at first base. It's infuriating.

Fan Bases Running Wild, And Talent Is Paying The Price

And it’s not just the AL. This whole voting update

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just screams "bigger fan base wins," regardless of who's actually dominating on the field. Take Pete Crow-Armstrong over in the NL. The guy started slow, sure, but he flipped a switch in June after adjusting his stance and has been absolutely molten. He's sitting at 4.0 fWAR, which is number three in all of MLB, trailing only Shohei Ohtani and Bobby Witt Jr. Think about that! He's also the best defensive outfielder in the league, a stat that always gets overlooked, and his OPS is up to .846, putting him on pace for 30 homers. But where is he in the voting? Number 14 among NL outfielders! He's got fewer votes than Brandon Marsh, Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker, Mauricio Dubón, Justin Crawford, and Adolis García, none of whom are performing anywhere near his level. No Cubs player is even in the top five at their position! It's a joke, plain and simple. Deserving players are getting shafted because their team doesn't have the sheer volume of voters. It's a constant battle, folks. So, what do we do about this mess? We gotta vote smarter, Seattle. We've got just over a week left in Phase 1 to try and right some of these wrongs before it's too late. Let's make sure that when the final ballots are counted, the players who are truly earning it on the field, with the stats and the fire, get their shot. Don't let the noise from the big markets drown out real talent. Every vote counts, so make yours count for the right reasons. This isn't just about an exhibition game, it's about recognizing the players who are absolutely crushing it right now.

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