Take the Power Away

In recent years, the All-Star balloting process has become more and more ludicrous and full of itself. The ability to vote five times a day is massively stupid. And these various rounds of voting drag out a process that was once less "transparent". I feel the same way about announcing finalists in advance of the major awards at the end of the season. It's dumb. Given that probably a third to a half of those players under consideration won't end up playing in the game for any number of reasons (injury, lack of desire, fake injury, or bad timing in the case of pitchers). 

Where's the mystery? Where's the built-in excitement of NOT knowing? I miss that. I want that. So, that leads me to state emphatically and unequivocally (and uselessly) that: 

All-Star voting should be taken out of the hands of fans. 

Fans have proven, year over year, to not know what they are doing. It's always been a sort of popularity contest, I get that, but I think the time has come to have the players selected based solely on their performance. Let the League Leaders decide who is, and who isn't, an All-Star. If MLB wants to still let people vote, fine: but don't let it hold any weight or value. 

There is no universe in which, in 2026, Alec Bohm should be a finalist. I question, too, Bryson Stott. Ronald Acuna, Jr? Not only is he injured but hasn't he missed half the season already? Same thing with Alejandro Kirk. Mookie Betts? Are you kidding me? George Springer for DH? Weak.  Philadelphia fans should be embarrassed to have had Bohm and Stott get farther in the voting than Harper. But, I also think it's a reflection on Harper. He should have been in the finals along with Olson. But the fans do not know what they are doing. 

Maybe possibly it's always been like this, but it seems worse more recently. I guess that's recency bias. All I know is that a) players should wear their own team's uniform and b) we need only reference the awful uniforms they issued for the game in Texas in 2024 to remind us that a) is the way. Any player voted in who opts not to play should be ineligible for at least two future All-Star games. Any replacement player who opts not to play should face a four year ban from All-Star games.

And, for the love of all that has meaning, if a team doesn't have an All-Star quality player, they should not be given the opportunity to make the squad. I also wouldn't there being a four player cap, meaning a team cannot have more than four members in the dugout/bullpen. 

Here are some of my favorite All-Star cards of Darryl Strawberry.

  
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