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MLB All-Star Game: Michael Saunders and Brandon Belt Join Rosters

By Ryan Schultz

Jul 6, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Michael Saunders (21) celebrates after scoring in the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Rogers Centre. Blue Jays won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 6, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Michael Saunders (21) celebrates after scoring in the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Rogers Centre. Blue Jays won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports /
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Fans have voted and chosen Michael Saunders and Brandon Belt to be the final members of each MLB All-Star Game roster. Did the fans make the correct picks?

The MLB All-Star Game Final Vote concluded on Friday, and the winners of the fan vote from each league were announced soon after. Fan voting is a topic often debated because of fans’ ability to consistently select the wrong players. The fans voted in Michael Saunders in the American League and Brandon Belt in the National League.

Michael Saunders has emerged as somewhat of a star for the Blue Jays, especially because of his connection with Canadian fans (he’s Canadian himself), so it’s natural that the fans pushed incredibly hard to get him in the game. Brandon Belt had the backing of a great fan base in San Francisco, and their incredible social media presence helped him get into the game.

It is easy to see why these two players were selected by the fans to be on the All-Star rosters, but did the fans make the right choices?

It’s tough to say that the fans made the wrong choice, because both Saunders and Belt have been very good players this season. Michael Saunders has been so good that Jeff Sullivan of Fangraphs said he has been the Blue Jays’ best player back in late June. Saunders currently has a slash line of .298/.372/.559 with 16 home runs, 41 RBI and a wRC+ of 146. He’s been a very good hitter for a Blue Jays team stacked with good hitters. His defense in the outfield has been passable at the very least, which makes him a very well-rounded player.

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The fans certainly made the right choice in the American League, choosing a player that has performed better than almost all of his peers. Michael Saunders could have and should have been on the initial roster, but the fans did him right by voting him in.

On the National League side it’s not quite the same story. With a strong social media presence and overall fan base, the Giants were able to push another team member onto the roster in Brandon Belt. Belt is by no means having a bad season; he’s hitting .299/.404/.517 with 10 home runs, 46 RBI and a wRC+ of 152. Those are pretty stellar numbers, and in most seasons would be enough to get him on the All-Star roster pre-Final Vote. His competition is incredibly thick in a National League first base group that includes Anthony Rizzo, Paul Goldschmidt and Wil Myers. Belt fits the bill for a typical All-Star; he’s hit the ball well, played good defense and has a recognizable name on a good team.

All of that is good and nice for Brandon Belt; he’s having a great season with a great team. However, there was a player on the Final Vote ballot that is having one of the best seasons of anybody in the National League. Jake Lamb has put up numbers better than even Nolan Arenado and Kris Bryant, depending on which metrics you prefer. He’s made some adjustments to his game, and they have helped him hit the ball better and for more power.

On the season he is hitting .291/.373/.621 with 20 home runs, 61 RBI and he holds a wRC+ of 154. His numbers are incredibly close to Brandon Belt’s, but just slightly better in certain aspects. He’s hitting the ball for more power and driving in more runs, but he’s also striking out at a slightly higher rate than Belt.

The comparisons between the two could be made and argued over for hours, and maybe even days. Both have performed well enough to be considered All-Stars, but only one of them could be chosen. In the end, the player who brought an actual lamb into the clubhouse was bested by the player from San Francisco.

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Although Saunders and Belt are said to be the final members of their respective rosters, more additions will be made to both rosters as more and more players with injuries drop out of the game. It is unlikely that anyone in front of Lamb will leave the roster, but he can still hold out hope on making the team.

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