#VoteAthletics: MLB All-Star Game Ballot Season
By Jason Burke
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
The MLB All-Star game ballots have been released, which means it’s time to vote for your Oakland Athletics. This year, the A’s have many options that are deserving of votes, not just from the fans in Oakland, but from around the league.
First of all, Josh Donaldson is a deserving All-Star candidate, playing MVP-caliber baseball. His 2.9 WAR thus far is 3rd in MLB to only Troy Tulowitzki and Giancarlo Stanton, both of whom are household names, but play in the NL. This WAR ranks him 1st among AL 3rd basemen, and is more than double the 2nd place candidate, Juan Francisco‘s 1.3. He leads AL 3rd basemen in RBI, HR, Hits and Runs, and is top-3 in AVG and OBP. Josh Donaldson should be starting at 3rd base, and we need to make it happen.
The second candidate the Athletics have is Brandon Moss, listed as a DH on the ballot. Nelson Cruz and Edwin Encarnacion are his main competition, and they are having solid years. Cruz has the lead in HR, RBI and AVG, and Moss is tied with Edcarnacion in HR, but hits for a much higher AVG and has a few more RBI. Moss can make a push to surpass Cruz, and hopefully capture more votes. Unfortunately for all 3 of these players, David Ortiz is the most well-known DH candidate, and will most likely get the nod for the team. His numbers aren’t bad, just not as good as the other 3 options.
The other candidate the A’s can push may surprise you. Derek Norris, beard and all, can make a solid case to be on the All-Star roster in July. Right now Norris is hitting .359, with 4 HR and 20 RBI. The problem Norris has at this moment is that he hasn’t accrued enough at-bats, and that could be held against him. By July this shouldn’t be an issue, because he has been starting more, but voting is occurring right now and every vote counts. He currently ranks 3rd in RBI, and 7th in HR.
The final candidate (call me crazy) for the MLB All-Star Game is Josh Reddick. Reddick has some work to do to vault into the discussion, but ever since Careless Whisper starting being his walk-up song, he’s been on fire. Since Whisper’s implementation, Reddick’s bat has been loud, compiling 3 HR and 8 RBI in 3 games. If this burst continues for any length of time, Reddick can catapult into the discussion of being a reserve on the team. As always, his arm may give him the nod over another candidate with similar statistics.
So there you have it, the MLB All-Star Game candidates from your Oakland Athletics! You can vote online, or fill out the ballots provided at the park. Be sure to vote early online, and often when in attendance.