The four philosophies of voting for All-Stars and the lineups they give us
You can probably reduce voting for All-Star starting lineups down to four schools of thought. Which one's yours?
By
Dayn Perry
•
4 min read
When it comes to fleshing out All-Star rosters, the fans' primary duty is to vote in the nine starting position players for the American League and the eight starting position players for the National League (they don't pick the NL's DH). Insofar as this exercising of the franchise is concerned, there's four general schools of thought guiding our decisions.
As you might expect, each approach yields different results in a given year. As we ponder the decisions the fan collective has made for 2016, let's enjoy a quick walking tour not of the five people you meet in Heaven, but rather of the four ways in which we vote for All-Stars. Come with us, won't you?
Philosophy No. 1: It's the All-Star Game, so you should vote for stars.
Guiding wisdom: This is the All-Star Game, and it should be populated with genuine, established stars. We don't want to see guys who rode a hot yet aberrant first six weeks of the season to make it when the remainder of their body of work isn't All-Star-caliber. Basically, if you attended an All-Star Game in person, whom would you want to say you saw on the field, the possible future Hall of Famer or flash in the pan?
Upside: You see the true current legends of the sport on the field.
Downside: You see true current legends of the sport on the field despite some being in their deep decline phases. Think of Cal Ripken Jr. in his final appearances, or, more recently, Derek Jeter in 2014.
Likely 2016 AL lineup according to this philosophy ...
C: Brian McCann, Yankees
1B: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
2B: Robinson Cano, Mariners
3B: Adrian Beltre, Rangers
SS: Troy Tulowitzki, Blue Jays
OF: Mike Trout, Angels
OF: Carlos Beltran, Yankees
OF: Jose Bautista, Blue Jays
DH: David Ortiz, Red Sox
Likely 2016 NL lineup according to this philosophy ...
C: Yadier Molina, Cardinals
1B: Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers
2B: Chase Utley, Dodgers
3B: Nolan Arenado, Rockies
SS: Brandon Crawford, Giants
OF: Andrew McCutchen, Pirates
OF: Ryan Braun, Brewers
OF: Bryce Harper, Nationals
Philosophy No. 2: It's the 2016 All-Star Game, so you vote for the best players of 2016.
Guiding wisdom: Look, these aren't lifetime achievement awards or strict popularity contests. If you want to make the All-Star team for a given year, then you should thrive in that given year. Sometimes, there will be some overlap with Philosophy No. 1, but that's mere coincidence. The players who have been the best thus far during the season in question should go to the All-Star Game.
Upside: You get to see, for the most part, the best players in the game right now.
Downside: You get to see some players who will surely regress and eventually turn into "Can you believe he made an All-Star team one year?" sorts.
Likely 2016 AL lineup according to this philosophy ...
C: Salvador Perez, Royals
1B: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
2B: Jose Altuve, Astros
3B: Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays
SS: Francisco Lindor, Indians
OF: Mike Trout, Angels
OF: Ian Desmond, Rangers
OF: Mookie Betts, Red Sox
DH: David Ortiz, Red Sox
Likely 2016 NL lineup according to this philosophy ...
C: Wilson Ramos, Nationals
1B: Anthony Rizzo, Cubs
2B: Matt Carpenter, Cardinals
3B: Nolan Arenado, Rockies
SS: Corey Seager, Dodgers
OF: Marcell Ozuna, Marlins
OF: Gregory Polanco, Pirates
OF: Dexter Fowler, Cubs
Philosophy No. 3: The hybrid approach
Guiding wisdom: Pick the best player at each position. If it's close, go with the more established and time-tested guy. If, however, it's a struggling veteran versus a productive youngster light on sample size, then maybe go with the latter. Pick the best team, but sometimes you won't be picking the player who's been the best so far in the season in question. Rather, you pick the player who figures to be the best going forward. Sometimes that's the same player, but sometimes it's a positive regression candidate who's better than his current numbers. There's obviously a lot more nuance in this approach.
Upside: You get to flesh out the lineup with established names and with some "narrative" picks from the current year.
Downside: Requires more thought for what is ultimately a meaningless exercise.
Likely 2016 AL lineup according to this philosophy ...
C: Salvador Perez, Royals
1B: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
2B: Jose Altuve, Astros
3B: Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays
SS: Carlos Correa, Astros
OF: Mike Trout, Angels
OF: George Springer, Astros
OF: Mookie Betts, Red Sox
DH: David Ortiz, Red Sox
Likely 2016 NL lineup according to this philosophy ...
C: Buster Posey, Giants
1B: Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks
2B: Ben Zobrist, Cubs
3B: Nolan Arenado, Rockies
SS: Brandon Crawford, Giants
OF: Bryce Harper, Nationals
OF: Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies
OF: Yoenis Cespedes, Mets
Philosophy No. 4: Rank tribalism (i.e., just vote for all the players on your favorite team)
Guiding wisdom: I like my favorite team, and I want the players of same to occupy as many All-Star spots as possible. MLB has tacitly endorsed this approach by allowing the excessively committed fan to vote 35 darn times without resorting to ISP concealment or island-hopping among coffee shops.
Upside: Your flag, it shall fly.
Downside: Some players on your favorite team are not good.
Likely 2016 AL lineup according to this philosophy ...
C: Royals player
1B: Royals player
2B: Red Sox player
3B: Red Sox player
SS: Red Sox player
OF: Royals player
OF: Royals player
OF: Red Sox player
DH: Red Sox player
Likely 2016 NL lineup according to this philosophy ...
C: Cubs player
1B: Cubs player
2B: Cubs player
3B: Cubs player
SS: Cubs player
OF: Cubs player
OF: Cubs player
OF: Cubs player
So, people, which torch lights your All-Star voting path? Wrong answer, probably.
