Yadier Molina is batting .231 for the St. Louis Cardinals. Ivan Rodriguez, a lock for the Hall of Fame, is batting .306 at age 38. Currently, Molina will be starting over Rodriguez (also behind Brian McCann) for the NL in this year’s All-Star Game in Anaheim.
When the game first came to be in 1935, the manager for each squad selected the team, but as interest in the mid-summer classic waned in the 1970s, fan voting was introduced. At times, though, this has lead to curious results. Fans, of course, have a tendency to vote reputation over performance. For example, Chase Utley has nearly twice as many votes as Martin Prado, despite a batting average .059 points lower than the Braves second baseman.
Arguments can likewise be made that Troy Tulowitski should be starting over Hanley Ramirez and that Jayson Werth should be starting over Jason Heyward. Fans, though, should get some credit in the AL, as the starting lineup does reflect this season’s performance.
Managers’ selections too have had their imperfections, as skippers have tended to pick their own players over the most deserving ones, such as Bob Brenly selecting Damian Miller over Paul Lo Duca in 2003.
And why are fans not allowed to pick reserves or pitchers? The system, clearly, does not exactly make sense.
