Every year, the MLB finishes the All-Star Roster with a fan voting event that fills the final roster spot for each team. Fans vote from a selection of five. This year, the Final Vote competition was as follows:
AL: Paul Konerko (CWS), Victor Martinez (DET), Alex Gordon (KC), Adam Jones (BAL) and Ben Zobrist (TB).
NL: Shane Victorino (PHI), Andre Ethier (LAD), Todd Helton (COL), Michael Morse (WSH) and Ian Kennedy (ARI).
The AL vote, from the start, seemed to be between Konerko and Martinez - both have been important bright spots for their teams. Konerko is hitting .316, with 22 HRs and 64 RBIs. Martinez, who primarily DHs for the Tigers, is hitting .319, although with only 6 HRs and 48 RBIs. I could have seen this vote swinging either way, but even as a Tigers fan, I can say that Konerko was probably more deserving - he's helped lift the oft-struggling White Sox up in a way that Martinez does not for the Tigers, if only because Martinez is surrounded by a solid lineup. That doesn't change the fact, though, that Martinez was the best free-agent pickup the Tigers made this year and he's been a huge presence to the team. Perhaps the most telling stat for an All-Star is WAR - Wins Above Replacement - which Konerko figures in at 2.7, versus Martinez's 1.7, which may come from Konerko playing the field more often.
In the NL, Shane Victorino jumped out early and never let go. He led every vote from the start with his batting average of .303 - best on the Phillies squad - and 9 HRs, 34 RBIs. He also has 14 doubles and 9 triples, with an OBP of .376, slugging percent of .524 and OPS of .900. Not bad. His primary competition looked to be Ethier, who is hitting .313, with 7 HRs, 42 RBIs and 23 doubles. You may remember Ethier from his hitting streak in April. But again, I'll look to that WAR statistic - Victorino's is 3.3. The next closest NL Final Vote candidate is Helton, at 2.1. Ethier comes in at 1.5, Morse at 1.4. Kennedy, the only pitcher in the Final Vote, was at 2.7 WAR.
All in all, good voting by the fans. I like both selections - both are players who don't just put up good stats, but are important on their team, in their clubhouse. That makes them All-Stars.
Around the MLB -
Atlanta 6, Colorado 3 - A five-run third inning was all the Braves needed to complete a four-game sweep.
Chi. Cubs 10, Washington 9 - After being down 8-0 after four, the Cubs surged to a six-run sixth inning to carry them to a comeback victory.
Tampa Bay 5, NY Yankees 1 - HRs from Ben Zobrist and B.J. Upton powered the Rays to the win behind a solid seven-inning start by Jeff Niemann.
Cleveland 5, Toronto 4 - Travis Hafner will remember this one - down 4-1, his grand-slam gave the Indians the walk-off victory in the ninth.
Boston 10, Baltimore 4 - Dustin Pedroia, Jacob Ellsbury, David Ortiz, Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Reddick and Jarrod Saltalamacchia all cranked HRs in routing the Orioles.
Florida 5, Houston 0 - Brad Hand allowed two hits in seven shutout innings against Houston, while his lineup backed him up with five runs over six.
Texas 6, Oakland 0 - Derek Holland pitched a complete game, 4-hit shutout, shutting down the A's while the Rangers bats backed him up.
Milwaukee 5, Cincinnati 4 - Home Run Derby contestant Rickie Weeks hit a 3-run HR in the fifth that put the Brewers on top for good.
Detroit 3, Kansas City 1 - Max Scherzer picks up his tenth win behind the HRs of Ryan Raburn and Don Kelly.
Minnesota 6, Chi. White Sox 2 - Carl Pavano pitched a solid game as the Twins continue their winning ways against the White Sox, who have yet to beat them this season.
Arizona 4, St. Louis 1 - Two rain delays shortened the night for Joe Saunders, who tossed five shutout innings for the Diamondbacks.
LA Angels 5, Seattle 1 - Jered Weaver notches his 11th win on his fourth complete game of the season, allowing one run on six hits.
LA Dodgers 6, NY Mets 0 - Clayton Kershaw bounced back from his last start, going eight shutout innings and striking out nine.
San Francisco 2, San Diego 1 - Barry Zito continues to win since his return from the DL, going eight innings and allowing only one run.
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