Nobody's Talking About These Outfield Snubs and That's the Real Problem with All-Star Voting

Yo, it's mid-June already, and All-Star voting results recently dropped, right? And man, it's exactly what we expect: a popularity contest. Forget who's actually crushing it, fans are simply picking their faves, and sometimes, that means the wrong guys are gonna start. But hey, the customer is always right, supposedly. So let's dive into these early numbers and see where the fans are getting it ridiculously wrong, especially when it comes to who's really earned a spot.

NL Fan Picks: Some Right, Some Wild

Alright, starting in the National League, fans are actually kinda dialed in at a few spots. Drake Baldwin from Atlanta is leading at catcher by a huge 310,000 votes over Will Smith. And guess what? Even with time missed due to injury, Baldwin's slashing .303/.389/.543 with 13 homers in 48 games. He's legit the best backstop so far. First base is solid too, with Freddie Freeman ahead of Matt Olson. Olson's been the NL's top first baseman, and Freeman's a close second, so no complaints there. Two for two, right? Then it gets murky. Ozzie Albies has a solid lead at second, but the source says guys like Brice Turang and rookie JJ Wetherholt have been tearing it up more. CJ Abrams is leading at shortstop and he's been the best, even with Mookie Betts struggling and hurt. And at third, Max Muncy is absolutely dominating the ballot box and deserves to be there. Shohei Ohtani's a no-brainer leading the DH vote. Fans aren't totally lost, but wait until you see the outfield.

AL Headscratchers and the Outfield Mess

Over in the Ame

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rican League, Shea Langeliers at catcher is running away with it by over 400,000 votes, and yeah, he's earned it. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is leading at first, but the source says he's had a "disappointing first half" and Ben Rice or Nick Kurtz are more deserving. Blue Jays fans are really stuffing the ballot box, because Ernie Clement also has a massive 600,000-vote lead at second base. Bobby Witt Jr. is cruising at shortstop. Junior Caminero and rookie Kazuma Okamoto are 1-2 at third, but Miguel Vargas is lurking and needs White Sox fans to wake up. Yordan Alvarez is the rightful DH leader. But the outfield? This is where it gets absolutely criminal. You've got guys like Aaron Judge and Mike Trout way out in front, which okay, legends. Cody Bellinger is also up there. But the *actual best performers* by Fangraphs WAR are Pete Crow-Armstrong, James Wood, and Corbin Carroll. None of these dudes are even in the top six! Wood is closest, but still 230,000 votes behind third place. This is where fan voting is a total joke, and frankly, we should expect zero justice before this phase of voting wraps up. So, what does this all mean? The first phase of voting ends June 25, and unless a whole lot of ballots get stuffed for the right guys, we're gonna see some absolute head-scratchers starting in the All-Star Game. It's a popularity contest, always has been, always will be. But man, it's frustrating when the best players aren't getting the shine they deserve. We simply have to keep watching our guys fight every single game. Speaking of which, huge shout out to our Mariners, who recently took down the Orioles 3-1. Now that's what I call a righteous win!

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