The All-Star Game is hardly a month away, and MLB has just released the balloting for both leagues. But instead of celebrating the inclusion of their favorite players, the baseball community is heavily disappointed with the reveal. The Phase 1 balloting shows heavily partial voting patterns and major snubs. 

Out of 30 teams, the results show only a handful of them occupying most of the top spots in all categories. Clubs like the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays have 6 out of 7 positions covered. That’s why people were quick to question if popularity outweighed the on-field performances. 

Take Vladimir Guerrero Jr, for example. The Blue Jays first baseman is at the top of his category in the American League with 603,014 votes. He is batting at .280 with a .737 OPS this season. Fans are furious as he ranks above Ben Rice (.998 OPS), Nick Kurtz (.973 OPS), and Munetaka Murakami (.938 OPS). 

On the other hand, the New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto is 9th in his category in the National League. He is batting at .293 with 15 HRs and a .948 OPS. The Dodgers’ CF Andy Pages got the highest number of votes with a batting average of .273 and an .817 OPS. In fact, many of the players ranked above Soto have poorer stat lines than his. 

The Miami Marlins’ shortstop Otto López is 5th with only 230,286 votes. Mookie Betts from the Dodgers is 3 spots above him. López has a .343 AVG while Betts is batting at .204. Bryce Harper, the perennial powerhouse from the Phillies, is 3rd in the first baseman category in the NL.

He is locked out of a finalist spot because Freddie Freeman and Matt Olson are swallowing up the bulk of the Dodgers and Braves fanbase blocks.

Meanwhile, a big name like Alex Bregman, who plays third base for the Chicago Cubs, is not even in the top 6.

But this lack of impartiality isn’t new.

MLB experienced one of the worst examples in 2015 All-Star voting.

The Kansas City Royals’ loyal fanbase was successful in stuffing the ballot boxes, and 7 Royals players were leading their respective categories. 

But stuffing the ballot boxes goes back as early as 1957.

MLB had physical ballots back then. And the Cincinnati Reds fans took over the local ballot boxes. It resulted in 7 Reds players winning 8 NL starting spots. 

This has now become a pattern.

MLB has hence introduced Phase 2 to offer a 3-day window when the fans can vote against large-market players to flip any unjustified snubbing. But that didn’t stop some of the fanbases from flooding the Phase 1 voting.  

Fans blast voting results as familiar All-Star debate returns

MLB allows individuals to vote a maximum of 5 times per 24 hours. And they can use any valid email address to cast their votes. That means any fanbase or even a franchise can run an online campaign to hijack a specific position. 

“This is why popular voting sucks. If you’re not a Dodger, Philly, or Brave, good f—ing luck starting in the National League,” a fan commented on Bob Nightengale’s post of National League All-Star balloting. 

Another fan followed suit, saying, “Oh cool so its just all Dodgers. Fun.”

The Dodgers have 7 finalists in the NL while the Braves have 5. The same pattern follows in the AL, where 6 Blue Jays players made the cut. 

“Juan Soto at 9th is pathetic,” read another comment. 

Braves OF Michael Harris II has an .850 OPS this season. He ranks 4th in the category, earning 200k+ votes more than Soto, making fans furious with the results. 

“Enough with letting idiot fans vote, Hunter Goodman is the best Catcher in the league this is a joke,” wrote another fan. 

Goodman only got 110,450 votes. He is one of the elite catchers in MLB and is great with the bat as well. The Colorado Rockies catcher has already hit 20 HRs this season and has a .536 slugging percentage. Even though he might earn a spot through the manager/player ballot reserve, people are frustrated with the impact this list will have in the future. 

“This is actually a f—ing joke 😂, worst part is this will be used in contract negotiations hall of fame consideration, etc., etc., the All-Star Game might as well be a Blue Jays and Phillies scrimmage,” a fan gave the hardest reality check. 

Despite these backash, what are your thoughts on the ballot?