The Fans got it Right: Moose & JT off to Miami

By Patrick Zeng

📸: MLB.com
Fan voting is usually one of the most hotly debated topics when the all star game rolls around each summer. Shouts of bias and wrongful selections usually fill radio waves and twitter feeds and on most cases, these complaints are usually true. But for this year's 88th MLB All Star game, the fans got it right. Both with their selection of starters and the two winners of the "final vote". 

Starting in the National League, the fans selected Buster Posey, Ryan Zimmerman, Daniel Murphy, Zack Cozart, Nolan Arenado, Marcel Ozuna, Charlie Blackmon and Bryce Harper. All of these players thoroughly deserve their spots as all star starters with only Zimmerman getting the nod over Arizona's Paul Goldschmidt as a point of possible contention. This year there was no gaping poor choice such as Addison Russell starting the game last year despite sporting an average in the .220 range(Cubs fans though did try again with Jayson Hayward finishing fourth in the fan voting yet was not even selected as an all star reserve). The fans even selected Zack Cozart from a small market team blundering through their season over the bright lights shinning on Corey Seager in LA. This displays a growing intelligence of baseball fans as in an age of twitter and constant connectivity they are bale to distinguish those who are having the best season and not just by the name they recognize most.

📸: ESPN.com 

In the American League much is the same. Salvador Perez, Justin Smoak, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Jose Ramirez, George Springer, Mike Trout, Aaron Judge and Corey Dickerson were all selected as starters to the 2017 spectacle. Six of the nine starters are first timers with Perez, Altuve and Trout being the sole all star veterans. Again there isn't one starter that I would swap out as they all have earned their position as lead men for their league and the injection of newcomers should only add to the intrigue of the mid summer classic. One player that I was thrilled to see selected to his first all star team was the Indians' Jose Ramirez. Ramirez and his sweet swinging, switch hitting output as well as his versatility to play multiple positions in the field makes him a key contributor on a team that will be challenging for the American League pennant. Ramirez claims a .326 average, .379 on base and 15 dingers at this point in the season, helping lead the way with Frankie Lindor to a 44-39 record, good for first place in the AL Central. 

📸: Fansided.com 

The final vote even proved to be a ground of victory for fan voting. As the Dodgers Justin Turner and Kansas City's Mike Moustakas heading to Miami. Turner was a glaring omission by the players and coaches picks for reserves with his .384 average and well over 1.000 ops. He has turned into a true slugger during his time in Los Angeles and is a key part of one of the best lineups in baseball. And despite missing time this season with an extended stay on the DL, he fully deserved the over 20 million votes he received. Same goes for Moose. Moustakas is the heart and soul of a Kansas City team flying above expectations only sitting a half game behind the first place Indians. Moustakas has twenty five homers to his name this season and his power stroke will be on display in both the home run derby as well as Tuesday nights All Star game. 

                                                                              📸: MLB.com

Fan voting is far from an exact science and it usually wields questionable at best results. But this year something different happened and it's quite refreshing to see. All seventeen of the voted starters as well as the winners of the final vote in both leagues thoroughly deserve their places in baseball's marquee summer matchup. Hopefully the voting results of this years All Star game become so more of the norm rather than the exception but nonetheless, credit is due to the fans here. They got it right. 

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