It is a story that has been beaten into the ground not only this season, but for every season that there have been “unworthy” All-Star starters voted in by the fans. Fans want to moan and complain about the potential of eight Kansas City Royals travelling to Cincinnati for the Mid-Summer Classic as starters. That lot would also include the worst statistical every day player in the game, second baseman Omar Infante. It is easy to bellyache about a problem though and not present a viable solution. So here is a proposal to change the voting process that still keeps the fans involved while not devaluing the game. Let’s see if Commissioner Rob Manfred is really open to change.
1. ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR WRITE-INS
In a digital age, we as fans should have all the players of every team at our disposal when it comes to All-Star voting. Many a worthy representative falls by the wayside because they weren’t put on the initial ballot. To some fans, writing a player in is too tedious instead of just clicking or checking a box. If the entire player pool is at their disposal, a dropdown menu works perfectly fine, there is less chance that a candidate will slip through the cracks.
2. REMOVE POSITIONS FROM THE BALLOT
Some of the most egregious miscarriages of All-Star voting justice have come at spots where position depth is very thin. If fans could just vote for their favorite players regardless of position, it may solve a bit of the conundrum. Say for instance this season you think both Jose Altuve and Jason Kipnis are deserving All-Stars. Normally, you’d be tied to either one or the other. Remove positions from the ballot and you could vote for what matters to you most. Most home runs? Vote for all those guys. Best WAR? Vote for all those guys. It makes no sense to force fans to vote for a catcher if A) They don’t know any catchers outside of their own team’s. B) Have no grasp on what makes a “good season” for a backstop. Leave that task to the professionals when the players and managers round out the rosters with their selections. Let the fans vote their nine favorite players in to the game.
3. MAKE THE VOTING FOR ALL-STARS, NOT STARTERS
To have step two in place, you need step three. For instance, the potential for a team completely comprised of outfielders, while entertaining, wouldn’t make for the most level of playing fields. Also, this allows the managers of each league to construct their lineups themselves rather than having it picked for them. The fans still get their say. Throw in a caveat that every voted in player must play, and everybody wins. For the game to have meaning, while still being a show for the fans, it is vital that the men in charge of either side get to mold their squad to their liking.
4. SET A LIMIT OF PLAYERS PER TEAM PER BALLOT
This is a strategy akin to the way one constructs a Fantasy Premier League team. Most sites only allow you three players per team. This keeps users from picking an entire defense and midfield against a low scoring opponent knowing they’ll get bonus points all around. For those I’ve lost so far, let me relate this to baseball. Ballot stuffers make the most noise by voting in every single player on their team, regardless of merit. Take away that troll’s ability to vote for nobody but their own and a problem such as the current Omar Infante one probably never crops up. Limit the number of players per team per ballot and you force the fans to choose between which players from their team they actually feel are deserving of an All-Star bid. In the 2015 case, Royals’ fans would more than likely focus on keeping Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, and Alex Gordon afloat in tougher position battles and not bother trolling America with Omar Infante votes.
5. VETO POWER
The final and definitely most controversial part of this proposal is the concept of veto power. Whether it be the commissioner himself or either NL or AL manager, there should be the option to veto a player voted in by the fans. For this proposal’s purposes, there would only be one veto allowed per league per season. It would be the last line of defense to protect both the quality and integrity of the process. Now whether new commish Rob Manfred or any manager would have the gall to use such a power remains to be seen. It may not have to though, as just having it in place may be deterrent enough for voters to not force the league’s hand.
Do you agree with this proposal at all? Anything you’d change or tweak? Leave a reply below.