As the MLB All-Star Game approaches, the race for the final AL outfield spot is shaping up to be a close one. We rank the top 10 options.
With a little over a week to go before MLB All-Star voting concludes, the race for the third American League outfield spot remains a hotly contested affair. Mike Trout is clearly entrenched as the top vote-getter, just under 600,000 votes ahead of his nearest competitor. His position is well-earned, as he has vociferously erased any doubt Bryce Harper conjured up last season over whether Trout remains the game’s best player.
Jackie Bradley Jr. appears to have all but locked up a spot of his own, sitting in second place, solidly ahead of the rest of the field by more than a quarter million votes. Bradley Jr. is likewise deserving of the honor, despite his inability to distinguish himself from a handful of others in the pack. The perks of playing for perhaps the league’s most engaged fan base, combined with the notoriety his hit streak brought his way has led to his being situated so comfortably in second.
It is, however, the third spot that will come down to the wire. If voting commenced today Bradley Jr.’s teammate Mookie Betts would get the nod, but the situation is far from settled. Looking at the list of names currently residing in 3rd-15th place, some are clearly more deserving than others, while some are bordering on John Scott levels of absurdity.
The purpose of the All-Star Game has been ambiguous for some time now, and the league appears genuinely confused as to what it would prefer. On one hand, empowering fans with the opportunity to mold the game to their liking is a public relations boon.
On the other hand, allowing such populist sentiments to garner influence over the outcome of a game the league has foolishly attached to inappropriately high stakes is quite dangerous. At what point they begin reaching to a sort of “superdelegate” system designed to override the playful and illogical whims of the masses remains to be seen. For right now, though, let’s evaluate the candidates for this final starting spot.
Next: Undeserving Players in Top 15