The latest All-Star voting update is out and to no surprise the Angels All-Star nominees are doing poorly in the balloting. That would seem to be a disappointing and damning result for the team but, really, it is perfectly acceptable. In fact, it might actually be a good thing.
Sure, the Angels could orchestrate a ballot box stuffing campaign like we’ve seen so many other teams do in recent years. Heck, you can just look at this year’s early returns to see what Kansas City is doing to get an idea of what a well-organized team can do to bring out the vote from an energized fan base. That’s a great effort by Royals fans and a real testament to how much they suddenly care about their team now that they aren’t a pile of hot garbage anymore.
It is also a massive joke. The Royals are a pretty good team with some pretty good players, but they are dominating the voting like their entire roster is destined for Cooperstown. As it stands right now, the Royals would have seven of the nine starters for the AL which is… ridiculous if not a little embarrassing.
I like Lorenzo Cain a lot, but him leading outfield voting over Mike Trout is something even the overzealous Royals voters have to be just a tiny bit ashamed of. Similarly, Alcides Escobar is a solid shortstop in a weak class of AL shortstops, but he isn’t nearly good enough to have more than double the votes of any other AL shortstop. Thank goodness they haven’t quite been able to get Omar Infante, who might be one of the worst everyday players in baseball this year, over the Altuve-sized hump at second base yet. Clearly actual talent and production aren’t real big factors to these discerning Kansas City voters.
Imagine if Anaheim fans turned out in droves to vote for the Angels All-Star nominees this season like Royals fans have. Matt Joyce might set a record for the worst fWAR (-1.1) of any All-Star starter ever. C.J. Cron might be the first All-Star ever who had to spend a stint in the minors due to poor performance. All the Freese haters in the Angels fan base would lose their mind to see him starting the Midsummer Classic. I can’t even imagine how apoplectic Royals fans would be to see Johnny Giavotella as an All-Star. I guess what I’m saying is, “you’re welcome, America.”
The laziness and apathy of the standard Angels fan has prevented the All-Star Game from becoming an even bigger farce than it already is. Because we don’t really care to vote Angels into the All-Star Game and seemingly never have, just ask Tim Salmon, the starting lineup won’t be a traveshamockery. Disaster averted, no need to call in The Rock and his helicopter.
You know, now that I think about it, maybe a disaster is exactly what is needed. A comically bad starting nine might be just what MLB needs to justify taking the vote away from fans, or at the very least rolling back how much influence they have over selections. The All-Star Game is supposed to be a showcase of the best players in the league. It is supposed to be a collection of all the players that America wants to see play. What better way to make that point than to vote in the entire starting lineup for one of the most frustrating and underachieving offenses in all of baseball?
I can practically hear the nation changing the channel all at the same time after they bear witness to Chris Iannetta staring at strike three right down the middle of the plate despite their being two outs and runners on second and third. If Bud Selig were still alive, he’d change the All-Star voting procedures before the first pitching change of the game.
Really, any team getting most of their lineup into the All-Star Game should be cause to change the voting process (Yankees or Red Sox excluded, because you know the networks would love that). The TV ratings sinkhole that is the Royals collection of mostly anonymous “stars” should be bad enough, but they are playing just a little too well right now. The high profile suckass supporting cast for Mike Trout, however, should do the trick.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
