Let the All-Star Voting Begin!

With the season just about 1/4 over, it’s time to begin turning our attention towards the 2009 All-Star Game and voting for the right Dodgers to represent in St. Louis at the Midsummer Classic this year.  According to the voting rules, fans can vote online up to 25 times through July 2nd, as well as at the stadium (of course).

Needless to say, there are a number of intriguing options for LA fans to choose from, and we’ll be analyzing those over the course of the coming weeks.  Of course, the one situation that stands out is that Manny Ramirez is listed on the ballot and Juan Pierre is not.  While Pierre has been a breakout star of the team this year, I for one am a little dubious that he can maintain these super-human numbers over the course of the season (let alone the All-Star break).  Still, does he deserve All-Star consideration?  Absolutely.  The guy has been a key part of the Dodgers success since the Manny Ramirez suspension and his attitude has just been fantastic.  The guy is a gamer and wants to play, and for that I have nothing but respect.

Here’s where Pierre and Ramirez stand now, head to head.  Obviously Manny is suspended through the completion of All-Star voting, but Juan has a chance to significantly improve his stats and mount a legitimate write-in campaign.

                          At Bats   H   HR   RBI   AVG   SB   OBP   SLG

Juan Pierre      74        31   0       12   .412     7     .476  .554

M. Ramirez      92        32   6       20   .348    0     .492   .642  

Pierre apparently doesn’t have enough at bats to rank in the official MLB stats, but what’s even more interesting is that Manny Ramirez doesn’t either (a player needs an average of 3.1 plate appearances per game to qualify).  Still, can you imagine Manny Ramirez being elected to the All-Star Game this year?  Given that the voting tends to be more of a popularity contest than a true appreciation of fantastic play, it should be very interesting to see where Manny Ramirez’s name falls in the voting rankings.

Start thinking about those All-Star votes and we’ll see you at the ballpark!