The preliminary all star votes standings came out this week, and there are no Marlins players in the top 5 for infielders or catchers, or the top 15 for outfielders. There are certainly deserving Marlins out there, especially since the team is 2nd in the tough NL East. Just like student council elections, the all star vote is mostly a popularity contest. If Mike Stanton played in Philadelphia or St. Louis, you better bet that he would be in the top tier of outfielders receiving votes.
As most of you know, every team is represented in the all star game whether they are voted in by the fans or nominated by coaches and players. So who does deserve a trip to Phoenix this summer? Hanley Ramirez has been the starting NL shortstop the past three seasons, but in the midst of a slump even I second guessed myself before voting for him. I actually voted for Tulowitzki a couple of times, just to be fair. Omar Infante hasn’t had an amazing year, but I never projected him to be an all star. So the double play combo is out and the Fish haven’t had an everyday third baseman all year; therefore, the only real possibility for an infielder would by Mr. Gaby Sanchez.
Last fall, the Fish campaigned for Sanchez in his push for the Rookie of the Year award just as they did for Chris Coghlan the year prior. This year they are pushing for him to be an all star. Gaby has produced solid numbers this year, batting .316 with 9 dingers and 35 RBI. Burke Badenhop actually leads the team in batting average and on base percentage since the only time he stepped up this year, he lined a game winning single into Citi Field’s greenery.
Pitchers are always possibilities to represent teams without a standout all star. Josh Johnson has of course been consistently good; unfortunately, he has been on the DL, but looks to make his return start this week. Anibal Sanchez has been impressive as well, he and JJ compose my no-hit bid log. Johnson only has three wins to show for his talent–of all the starting pitchers on the team, he gets the worst bullpen support.
Mike Stanton will certainly be an all star whether it is this year or the years to come. Kevin Millar and Chris Rose agreed on Intentional Talk that he would make a great home run derby contestant, so we’ll see what he can do when he is in that contest.
The Midsummer Classic will be on July 12th at Chase Field in Phoenix. Fans can vote online for their favourite players at mlb.com. You can vote up to 25 times per email account, like me, or just once.
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