Cleveland Indians All-Star Jason Kipnis Thinks Fans Shouldn’t Vote, Is He Right?

Jason Kipnis Thinks Fans Shouldn’t Vote For All-Star Starters, Is He Right?

Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis was recently named to the All-Star team as a reserve infielder for the American League squad.  There never was much doubt in this as he’s been one of the best overall players in all of baseball, let alone the best second baseman in the American League.  However, despite this he was not voted in as the starting second baseman by the fans. Instead, Jose Altuve will be the starting after leading the fan voting.  Kipnis finished just third in the fan voting, behind Kansas Royals second baseman Omar Infante.  This prompted Jason Kipnis to make the following comments in regards to changing the fan voting process:

"“I hope they do,” he said. “Not because I didn’t win it this year, but because once they decided that the All-Star means something (the winning league has the home-field advantage in the World Series), I think you have to take the voting out of the hands of the fans. They should still get to vote, but maybe not for the starters. Fans are always going to vote for their favorite players, whether they are having a good year or not.”"

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard someone call for the end of fan voting (and it won’t be the last). Kipnis does bring up a good point about the All-Star game “mattering” now.  He’s right that because of this the best players need to be in the game to try and win for that home-field advantage in the World Series.  However, is taking the selection of All-Star starters away from the fans the right move?

In my opinion, no and here are a few reasons why…

Next: Begin Slideshow: It's the All-'Star' Game and It's For the Fans

Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

It’s the All-“Star” Game and It’s For the Fans

The game is called the All-Star game.  It’s not called the All “Players Having the Best 1^st Three Months” Game.  Like it or not, players like Derek Jeter and Cal Ripken should be in All-Star games, even when they are past their prime and probably not the best players at their position.  In 2001, Cal Ripken made the All-Star squad despite hitting just .240/.270/.594 in the game.  Fans wanted to see him.  Cal Ripken may not have been the best third baseman in the American League that year (or even close), but he was still a star player. That’s what the All-Star game is all about. Bringing together the best “stars” in the game.

Most fans don’t want to see guys like Brock Holt or Darren O’Day in the All-Star game. They want stars that they recognize.  Players can complain about this but at the end of the day the game just isn’t about them. It’s about the fans and putting the best “stars” out there for them to watch and enjoy.

Next: Players Don't Pick Best Players Either

Jul 6, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis (22) and Houston Astros second baseman

(27) talk in the outfield prior to their game at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Players Don’t Pick Best Players Either

One issue it seems Kipnis and others have with the fan vote is that they feel the best players aren’t getting in as starters.  They definitely aren’t wrong here.  Guys like Jose Altuve and Salvador Perez are not the best players at their positions.  However, these players that are complaining about the fan voting aren’t doing a very good job in their own voting process.

The fans only vote in 17 players to the game (nine in AL, eight in NL).  The rest of the players are picked by players and the manager of each squad.  There’s a players vote that takes place while the fan voting is going on. Here’s who the players voted as “starters” for the American League squad this year:

Three of the nine are the same as the fan vote:  Miguel Cabrera, Josh Donaldson, and Mike Trout.  Three others were good picks: Jason Kipnis, Jose Iglesias, and Stephen Vogt.  Kipnis has been the best second baseman in the AL, Iglesias has been the best shortstop, and Vogt the best catcher.  However, are the rest of the picks really better than what the fans did?

Nelson Cruz was the fan choice at designated hitter.  He has the highest wRC+ of any designated hitter in the league.  He’s been the best hitter at a position that only hits.  If you’re talking about who “deserves” to start it is Nelson Cruz.  The fans got this one right.  Prince Fielder is having a great year and absolutely deserves to be on the team, but Cruz deserves to start over him, though it’s been very close.

Adams Jones finished with the second most votes among the players behind Mike Trout…but why?  He ranks tenth among American League outfielders in fWAR and ninth in wRC+.  There’s a stronger case that he shouldn’t even be on the team than being a starting outfielder for the American League.  The fans voted in Lorenzo Cain as their 2^nd best outfielder, and you know what, this year he’s actually has been the second best outfielder in the American League.

Jose Bautista finishing third in the player vote is not a bad selection.  A case could be made that he should start and is the 3^rd best outfielder in the American League.  However, J.D. Martinez could lay claim to that as well.  And the fan choice of Alex Gordon is a top five or six outfielder this year so can one really call him a “bad” choice either?  Not when Adam Jones is who the players picked (and is likely who will replace the now injured Gordon).

One can debate whether the players or fans had a better All-Star ballot. The players’ ballot probably had more guys that deserved to start though their ballot also had arguably the worst selection (Adam Jones) on it as well.  Recall that Jason Kipnis said “Fans are always going to vote for their favorite players, whether they are having a good year or not”…well Jason, the players seem to do it too.  The three outfielders that the players selected were the same three that started for the AL last year, but apparently the players didn’t get the memo that there were better choices this go-around.

And 2015 isn’t the only example that can be used.  Last year the American League had four catchers on it: Matt Wieters, Salvador Perez, Derek Norris, and Kurt Suzuki. Sure the fans voted in Weiters despite him being hurt (that was bad), but somehow three other catchers got added while the best American League catcher in the first half, Yan Gomes, was left out thanks to the players’ vote?!  Ouch…

Then of course there are the pitcher choices.  Fans (for whatever reason) don’t’ get to pick any pitchers for the All-Star game.  The players instead get first crack at it and while they did pretty well they made some unforgivable errors.  Both of last year’s Cy Young winners were left off their respective rosters: Corey Kluber and Clayton Kershaw.  Now, just because a player won an award the previous year doesn’t mean they automatically belong in the following year’s game. However, Kluber and Kershaw have both been one of the three best pitchers in their respective leagues this year.  It’s inexcusable for the players to leave off talents like this.

Next: Managerial Choices May Be the Worst Yet

Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

Managerial Choices May Be the Worst Yet

After the fans and players get their votes/choices, the manager of each squad gets to fill out the rest of the roster (minus the Final Fan Vote pick).  Some picks can’t be blamed too much on managers though as they have to ensure that each team is represented. They may have to leave off a deserving player at one position to a team’s lone representative on the roster.  However, there are many times when the choices by the manager will leave everyone stunned.

Ned Yost is this year’s American League manager, “thanks” to the Kansas City Royals winning the American League pennant last year.  Of the 33 roster spots already filled, he got to pick the last eight.  While it was bad that Kluber didn’t get in via the player vote, the fact that Yost passed on him as well is even more mindboggling. Instead of picking one of the best pitchers in the game, he chose to load up on relievers.  In fact, thanks to Yost’s picks the American League will actually have more relief pitchers on the roster than starting pitchers (7 RP, 6 SP).

Many have pointed out that with the game counting for something that loading up on relievers, who are used to pitching out of the pen, is the smart move. However, I’m not sure you can convince many people that a guy like Darren O’Day is a better pitcher than Corey Kluber.  

Next: The All-Star Game Shouldn't Decide Anything

Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher in the game today, but he’s not a 2015 All-Star as of this moment. Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The All-Star Game Shouldn’t Decide Home-Field in the World Series

Coming full circle to the root of Kipnis’s argument for why fans shouldn’t vote for the starters is the relatively recent decision by Major League Baseball to have the All-Star Game decide home-field advantage in the World Series.  Perhaps it’s just me, but this rule seems to do more harm than good.  It sure doesn’t seem to get fans more interested in the game, which was something former commissioner Bud Selig seemed to think it’d do.  It also never really made sense why an exhibition game should decide something like home-field. The way the game is set up there’s no guarantee that a player from the eventually pennant winning team will even play in the game that will eventually decide whether his team will have home-field advantage or not.

I understand why MLB added this provision. The tie-game in Milwaukee back in 2002 was a bit of a black-eye on the game. Fans were upset and baseball needed to act. But I think there were many options they could have turned to instead of the one they did.  Why not let the game finish in a tie after 9 innings, but then have a mini Home Run Derby decide the winner?  Pick one or two guys from each team, give them a couple swings and team that finishes with most home runs wins.  I mean, what fan doesn’t love watching a walk off win, especially on a home run?

Next: Conclusion

Apr 6, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; A general view of the MLB All Star Game banner prior to the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports

Conclusion

So looking at all of this, what’s the best course of action for the All-Star Game and determining starters?  I vote to leave the fan voting as is.  They’ve shown that while they may make a “bad” pick here or there, for the most part they get the picks “right,” or at least as right as the players/managers do.  And besides, even if the fans pick a player that isn’t the most deserving (like Salvador Perez this year), there’s no reason a manager can’t remove that player after 3 innings and put in a better player (like Vogt or Martin).  The reserves can end up playing more of the game than the starters under the current system.  So while I understand Kipnis’s frustration with the fan voting, he very well may play more of the game than Altuve.

And lastly, I strongly feel the one change that needs to be made with the All-Star Game is taking away the home-field advantage aspect of the game.  It hasn’t improved the game for the fans, if anything it’s hurt the product on the field. Now fans are forced to watch middle reliever after middle reliever come into games instead of guys like Scott Kazmir, Clay Buchholz, Clayton Kershaw, Corey Kluber, and Johnny Cueto.  So while Kipnis is right that the best players aren’t getting in, it’s not the fans he should be upset with, but rather with Major League Baseball for what they’ve turned the All-Star Game into.

Next: Cleveland Indians Minor League Update: Prospect Lists, Futures Games and All-Stars