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MLB All-Star Game: 3 head-shaking numbers from the early votes

By Kevin Henry |
Jun 11, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (13) hits a RBI double against the Atlanta Braves in the fifth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 11, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (13) hits a RBI double against the Atlanta Braves in the fifth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
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The initial voting tallies are out for the 2022 MLB All-Star Game, and there are already some numbers that will have you shaking your head about MLB fans having a say in the Midsummer Classic lineups.

3 things that made us shake our heads about the early MLB All-Star Game voting results

With the results that were released on Tuesday morning, it’s clear that fan favorites have the advantage in the MLB All-Star Game voting process more than those players who may play for smaller market teams but are actually putting up numbers worthy of a start in Los Angeles when Dodger Stadium hosts Major League Baseball’s best on Tuesday, July 19.

That brings us to our first head-shaking number from the early MLB All-Star Game votes.

Ke’Bryan Hayes isn’t getting his due

Absolutely, third base in the National League is a loaded position with Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres and Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals ranking first and second, respectively, in the race to start at third base. However, not even cracking the top 10 at the position is Ke’Bryan Hayes of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the player who actually leads all MLB players in Defensive Runs Saved and is sixth among all third basemen in fWAR.

How does Hayes not even have 50,000 votes so far at a position where Machado is over 969,000? Sure, Pirates fans are in the minority compared to other fan bases, but for Hayes to not even have cracked the top 10 in the early going is mind-boggling.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – MAY 11: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres looks on from the dugout during the sixth inning of a game against the Chicago Cubs at PETCO Park on May 11, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – MAY 11: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres looks on from the dugout during the sixth inning of a game against the Chicago Cubs at PETCO Park on May 11, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Fernando Tatis Jr. … has votes?

The fact that Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres has yet to see the field this season after an offseason injury but is fifth among National League shortstops with more than 165,000 votes cast is almost laughable. Sure, Tatis Jr. has All-Star talent, but casting a vote for the 23-year-old coming off his first All-Star Game appearance just doesn’t make sense. It also proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that fan voting is a popularity contest more than anything else.

Trea Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers is leading the ASG balloting at National League shortstop (as he should be with his slash line of .301/.352/.480 this season) and it’s a shallow pool of candidates at the position with players such as San Francisco’s Brandon Crawford having a down season. However, Tatis Jr. is showing you don’t even need to step on the field to earn a vote to play in a contest designed to honor the best in the game during the first part of the season.

Luis Arraez is fourth?

On the American League side at first base, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led all MLB players in fan voting a year ago, so to see his name at the top of the list on this year’s first vote is not a surprise. However, to see Luis Arraez of the Minnesota Twins in fourth after he is leading all MLB players in batting average (.361) and on-base percentage (.443) was a surprise.

There is also this nugget of knowledge…

Arraez, who is second on the Twins with 2.3 fWAR this season and has a 160 OPS+, received just over 307,000 votes while Ty France of the Seattle Mariners (3.0 fWAR and 156 OPS+) sits in second with almost twice as many votes (596,030) and Anthony Rizzo of the Yankees (1.7 fWAR and 148 OPS+) is in third with more than 445,000 votes.

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Granted, it’s a close race at the position, but to see the MLB leader in two offensive categories who is producing a higher fWAR and has a larger OPS+ (Arraez) than the leader in voting (Guerrero) but have less than a third of the votes simply doesn’t make sense … except that Blue Jays fans are voting early and often.

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