The All-Star fan voting is coming down to the end with Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds in the lead followed by Nick Swisher. Anyone who wants this to be a vote for talent and not popularity should vote Votto. He is hands down one of the best if not the MVP of the entire majors so far this season and he deserves to be in this game. More to the point, he needs to be in to compete in the home run derby, which is becoming more anemic by the minute.
Robinson Cano pulled out of the derby today with a back injury and only 2 National League players are committed to the derby so far. The All-Star game needs Votto and so does the derby. Votto has 21 homers this season already. In all of 2009, he had 25. He is smoking smoking hot. The derby would give the rest of the baseball world a look at the MVP of the league up close and personal. Most baseball fans are just missing out. The casual fan probably doesn’t even realize that the Reds are in control of their own destiny and are besting the vaunted St. Louis Cardinals week in and week out.
It would be quite refreshing to see a lesser known talent who is having a year that words like outstanding and amazing don’t do justice. It would be extremely refreshing to see a player get in on talent. It would be refreshing to see the Reds who have had some years to forget have reason to be celebrated for their accomplishments so far this season. Accomplishments that are in large part due to the bat of one Joey Votto.
What would be even more refreshing would be to see Votto take that bat and lay the schooling down on players like Ortiz, who for the first part of this season couldn’t hit anything and who dominates this competition every year from the media perspective. Let’s give some love to the guy who actually deserves it this year. Go now and vote for Joey Votto…..do it now. It’s the right vote. It’s good for the game. It’s the way all of America gets to see the one bat to rule them all.
© photo credit: SeeMidTN.com (aka Brent)
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s really a sham and a shame Votto was now originally placed on the all star team. He is out playing Howard this year. It’s just Votto’s manager didn’t get to pick the all stars.
Votto absolutely deserved to be on from the jump. He is having an MVP season and it’s crazy that he had to get voted on at the last moment. Just shows how much the game is about popularity and not talent unfortunately.
That should read: NOT originally….