Cleveland Indians: Jose Ramirez and the practice of fan voting

CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 24: Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Indians hits a solo home run during the fourth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field on June 24, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 24: Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Indians hits a solo home run during the fourth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field on June 24, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez is starting in the 2017 MLB All-Star Game thanks to the fans, which is not a problem.

Cleveland Indians fans were ecstatic once Jose Ramirez was announced as the starting third baseman in the 2017 MLB All-Star Game. And rightfully so.

Indians fans voted like crazy, making up a huge margin to get Ramirez in as a starter.

Ramirez’s main competition was Miguel Sano of the Minnesota Twins, who is still making the American League squad as a reserve.

Twins fans on Twitter, a place of civil social gathering, are generally upset about how Indians fans made up tens of thousands of votes to get Ramirez into the starting spot. But no one in Cleveland is batting an eye.

First, Ramirez is doing much better than Sano this season.

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The loyal of efforts of Indians fans in the voting process was not just an act of being homers, but of ensuring the best player made it to Miami in a starting role. There is nothing unfair about that.

As for fan voting in general, the process would be altered if fans went on a rampage to vote in Abraham Almonte or write-in Erik Gonzalez, but that is not the case. Indians fans used their voting power to elect a worthy starter, who happens to be one of the best players in baseball in 2017.

This was not an instance of gaming the system to benefit a fan favorite not worthy of starting. Jose is a fan favorite because of how great he has been, as opposed to just being loved for his awesome hair and his strut.

Next: 5 Indians minor leaguers who are future All-Stars

So anyone out there who is upset about Indians fans showing up and voting in their players, your argument is invalid. Just look at Kenley Jansen, who called out Los Angeles Dodgers fans for not voting. Every fan base has the same amount of time to vote, so no one should hate on Indians fans for being loyal to the players who make us smile every day.

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