{"time":1782578100845,"blocks":[{"id":"mqwfod03","type":"video","data":{"url":"https://us-central1-deweb-519a7.cloudfunctions.net/mediaService-api/videos/78c4dab1-4d99-4faf-b8e7-c96068831a41/mp4","caption":"","autoplay":false,"controls":true,"muted":false,"stretched":true,"width":0,"height":0,"image":{"url":"https://us-central1-deweb-519a7.cloudfunctions.net/mediaService-api/videos/78c4dab1-4d99-4faf-b8e7-c96068831a41/thumbnail"},"cdn":{"videoId":"78c4dab1-4d99-4faf-b8e7-c96068831a41","libraryId":"372172","collectionId":"30032062-eefd-4041-a355-12ad05bc987b","cdnBaseUrl":"https://vz-052fc010-b27.b-cdn.net","mp4Url":"https://us-central1-deweb-519a7.cloudfunctions.net/mediaService-api/videos/78c4dab1-4d99-4faf-b8e7-c96068831a41/mp4","thumbnailUrl":"https://us-central1-deweb-519a7.cloudfunctions.net/mediaService-api/videos/78c4dab1-4d99-4faf-b8e7-c96068831a41/thumbnail","previewAnimationUrl":"https://vz-052fc010-b27.b-cdn.net/78c4dab1-4d99-4faf-b8e7-c96068831a41/preview.webp"}}},{"id":"OmfCkb_6nn","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The Major League Baseball All-Star Game starting spots should be\ndetermined by a player's first-half performance, but it’s becoming apparent\nthat popularity, not production, is the deciding factor."}},{"id":"IVrDmUSVnH","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Each year, All-Star voting highlights the problem of fans selecting\nstarters based more on popularity than merit. Players who put\ntogether strong first-half performances are passed over in favor of stars with larger fan bases. It’s too often that fan voting rewards\npopularity over performance."}},{"id":"7pyFrdpdlR","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"To see just how flawed the fan voting can be, take the names away and\nlet the statistics tell the story. The story it tells is that there is a clear case of\npopularity being rewarded."}},{"id":"MK4cGBaI_8","type":"embed","data":{"service":"twitter","source":"https://x.com/MLB/status/2070270277523501555","embed":"https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?id=2070270277523501555","width":600,"height":300,"caption":"","meta":{"title":"MLB (@MLB) on X","site_name":"X (formerly Twitter)","description":"Here are your National League All-Star Ballot FINALISTS!\n\nPhase 2 voting opens Monday, 6/29 at noon ET and closes on Thursday, 7/2. Vote totals reset.\n\nShohei Ohtani earned an automatic bid as the top overall vote-getter in Phase 1.","image":{"url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HLsTuBuWYAA5Gnm.jpg:large"}}}},{"id":"3gmbKv5UYi","type":"header","data":{"text":"Example 1","level":1,"linkUrl":"","anchor":""}},{"id":"9D-NHyJ8DV","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Player A: .340 batting average, .856 OPS, 3.8 WAR, 107\nhits, 21 doubles, three triples, six home runs and 35 RBI."}},{"id":"gkO2zGWDsK","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Player B: .286 batting average, .897 OPS, 3.0 WAR, 83\nhits, 15 doubles, two triples, 17 home runs and 57 RBI."}},{"id":"jAr4xqLfKp","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Player C: .230 batting average, .705 OPS, 1.5 WAR, 42\nhits, seven doubles, no triples, nine home runs and 21 RBI."}},{"id":"yBGkwa-F9e","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Based on just the numbers alone, Player A should not only have a spot in\nthe final two, but he should be the clear favorite to start leading in five of\nthe eight major offensive categories while also posting the highest WAR. Yet Players B and C are the options fans can pick from in the final round of All-Star\nvoting."}},{"id":"hw8DkHHrQK","type":"header","data":{"text":"Example 2","level":1,"linkUrl":"","anchor":""}},{"id":"yc1oAFDLdq","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Player D: .287 batting average, .888 OPS, 5.1 WAR, 88\nhits, 13 doubles, four triples, 17 home runs and 45 RBI."}},{"id":"iejdfNXPpy","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Player E: .251 batting average, .793 OPS, 0.9 WAR, 49\nhits, 10 doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 22 RBI."}},{"id":"pzh7iJIjM-","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Player F: .276 batting average, .785 OPS, 0.8 WAR, 50\nhits, eight doubles, no triples, seven home runs and 31 RBI."}},{"id":"4c8v2rgS84","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Player D, like Player A, should be in the final round of All-Star voting\nand has the strongest case to be an All-Star starter, considering he dominates\nevery statistical category compared to the other two Players. But\ndespite his dominance, fan voting ultimately determined that Players E and F have had better seasons than Player D."}},{"id":"Yz2eHeLuw1","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"That’s the thing about numbers, they don’t and can’t lie. You can’t\n spin them or misinterpret them like you can with words. And the numbers tell you who has been the better players on the field with unbiased\nprecision. "}},{"id":"E7F8cuj3Ik","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Baseball player success is usually defined by those numbers. That is, until you\nreach All-Star starter voting, where suddenly the numbers no longer seem to\nmatter."}},{"id":"2od669Tn93","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Based on the statistics alone, Player A, Otto Lopez of the Miami\nMarlins, and Player E, Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs, should at\nminimum be in the final round of voting if not the ones starting at shortstop\nand in the outfield at this year’s Mid-Summer Classic in Philadelphia."}},{"id":"r_p330g8R-","type":"embed","data":{"service":"twitter","source":"https://x.com/austinjonalbers/status/2070521929157464440","embed":"https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?id=2070521929157464440","width":600,"height":300,"caption":"","meta":{"title":"Austin Albers (@austinjonalbers) on X","site_name":"X (formerly Twitter)","description":"Otto Lopez absolutely deserves to be an All-Star over players like Mookie Betts. It’s become a popularity contest. Get rid of fan voting.","image":{"url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HLv4uGmXIAAN44U.jpg:large"}}}},{"id":"5RxBN3m5YN","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Instead, it’s Mookie Betts, whose WAR is 2.3 points lower and who does\nnot lead in a single major offensive category, who has taken one of the spots\nover Lopez and others. "}},{"id":"RujZg_o-x8","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Meanwhile, Teoscar Hernández and Ronald Acuña Jr., by\nthe numbers, are nowhere close to having the on-field production that Crow-Armstrong\nhas delivered this season, yet both earn a spot. Acuña WAR is 4.2 points behind\nCrow-Armstrong, while Hernández trails by 4.3."}},{"id":"flsAtSLalY","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"For a player like Lopez, who spent years working to reach this point and\nhas earned the opportunity to start in the All-Star Game through hard work, it\nfeels like a slap in the face for fans to overlook the season he is putting\ntogether. "}},{"id":"k27JH1d7Qu","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Taking away a player’s dream of starting in the All-Star Game because\nfans refuse to notice his performance on the field shows how flawed the system\nhas become."}},{"id":"gyS-AHvEbH","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“I work really hard to be where I'm at right now, and being in the\nAll-Star Game, it's just a dream,” Lopez said."}},{"id":"Hnqb-llLFm","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"In a game meant to honor the best first-half performers, the All-Star\nstarter vote too often rewards popularity. If the goal for the game\nis to showcase baseball’s best players this season, the numbers suggest it’s time\nto rethink whether the fans should still get a say."}},{"id":"IyWGIvcYKs","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members."}},{"id":"4OXW7gWTrh","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected! "}}],"version":"2.31.6"}

Statistics Say One Thing, All-Star Voting Says Another

Ex-Marlins Starters Shine in Debuts with Yankees, Cubs