Mercifully, he is not first in the voting at catcher right now, but why is Jason Varitek even close?

For most of its history, fans have been able to select the starting eight at the All-Star Game. From 1947 to 1957 the fans voted by paper ballot. Baseball stripped fans of their voting privileges after Cincinnati partisans stuffed the ballot box and voted in seven Reds for the ’57 game. Fan voting was eventually restored in 1970, and that has been the method ever since.

There have been two big developments in recent years that have improved the voting process. One was internet voting. Voting from your home computer, with easy access to statistics, allows for more informed selections. The second factor was the growth of fantasy baseball. The fan of today is much better informed than the fan of yesteryear. In the old days, fans knew their team very well, their league reasonably well, and the other league hardly at all.

Today’s fantasy fans know who the best performers are and which stars are having poor seasons. Fantasy fans do a better job voting in the All Star Game because they are less susceptible to the Ripken Effect. That is when you draw a blank and vote for a big-name player. Cal Ripken was a great player, but he should not have started as many All-Star Games as he did. Ripken played in 19 All-Star Games from 1983 to 2001.

We have less than two weeks before this summer’s All-Star Game and over 100 million votes have been cast already. The fans are doing a pretty good job despite some ballot stuffing in Red Sox Nation and in Chicago. Who would think that people in Chicago like to stuff the ballot?! Let’s take a look at the leaders in the latest polls, and which selections are for the better and which are for the worse.

For Better

1. Lance Berkman, First Base, Houston Astros: If Albert Pujols played ten or twenty years ago, he would start every All-Star Game. Pujols’ numbers (.357, 17 HR, 47 RBI, 43 runs) are nothing to sneeze at. However, Berkman’s stats (.365, 22 HR, 68 RBI, 72 runs) are better across the board. In this age of the well-informed fantasy fan, Berkman will finish ahead of Pujols, just as Prince Fielder did last season.


2. Chipper Jones, Third Base, Atlanta Braves: In another time, once a fan-favorite like David Wright got a foot in the door, he would start every year. See Ripken, Cal. Wright is having a decent year (.283, 15 HR, 64 RBI), but Jones is having a monster year, hitting around .400 for most of the season. Jones is sitting at. 394 with 16 home runs. He is literally sitting, with a sore quadriceps, so Wright might get to play anyway if Jones needs the rest.


3. Hanley Ramirez, Shortstop, Florida Marlins: The shortstop position is loaded in the National League with Ramirez, Jose Reyes, Jimmie Rollins and Miguel Tejada. Ramirez is leading the ballots and deservedly so. He has power (19 HR) and speed (20 steals) that none of his competitors can match.


4. Josh Hamilton, Outfield, Texas Rangers: Hamilton is second among AL outfielders, trailing only Manny Ramirez. He is also having a nice little year with 80 RBI. That is in half a season. 80 RBI. Let it sink in…. wow. Kudos to the fans for voting for Hamilton in greater numbers, ahead of established stars like Ichiro Suzuki and Vladimir Guerrero.


5. Kevin Youkilis, First Base, Boston Red Sox: Despite of the ballot stuffing in Boston, Youkilis is a deserving choice. Forget about his history of fading in the second half – this is recognition of first-half performance. First base is a surprisingly thin position in the AL, and you can make a case only for Youkilis and Justin Morneau. Their numbers are nearly the same. Youkilis has a slight edge in average, home runs, runs, and steals. Morneau has more RBI. The fans have them 1-2 in the voting and correctly so.

For Worse

1. Dustin Pedroia, Second Base, Boston Red Sox: Pedroia is a fine second baseman, but he is clearly less qualified than Ian Kinsler. Kinsler has a higher average, more homers, more RBI, more runs scored and more steals. Do we really need four Red Sox on the field for the AL?


2. Derek Jeter, Shortstop, New York Yankees: I guess you have to have the Yankees’ captain for the last All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. Jeter’s iconic status as a Yankee, his leadership, and his intangibles argue for his selection. His stats argue against it. Jeter certainly is overrated in fantasy, while his doppelganger, Texas’ Michael Young is underrated. Young has the better stats but is far behind Jeter in the balloting.


3. Ken Griffey, Jr., Outfield, Cincinnati Reds: Griffey slumped badly since hitting his 600^th home run on June 9. Griffey’s average is down to .237. Fans may want to see Junior in one last All-Star Game before he retires, which is too bad, as Ryan Braun would be a much better choice. The Brewers star is only fourth in the voting among NL outfielders despite 20 home runs and 58 RBI.


4. Alfonso Soriano, Outfield, Chicago Cubs: Soriano is leading all National League outfielders in voting. His overall numbers are reasonable (.283, 15 HR, 40 RBI, 7 SB), but he has been very inconsistent. Soriano is on the disabled list with a broken finger, so he may be unavailable when the All-Star game is played on July 15. Matt Holliday is currently fifth among NL outfielders. He is hitting .332 with 10 HR, 39 RBI and 9 SB. Holliday would be a better choice.


5. Ichiro Suzuki, OF, Mariners: The hero of last year’s game, Ichiro is hitting .293. That is well below his career numbers and not nearly enough for a singles hitter. His 33 steals are second in the AL, however. Ichiro’s not a terrible choice, but a better choice would be the White Sox’ Jermaine Dye (.305, 18 HR). Carlos Quentin is the most deserving outfielder, aside from Hamilton. Unfortunately, Quentin was not on the All-Star ballot, so we cannot blame the fans for that oversight.

Dishonorable Mention

Jason Varitek, Catcher, Boston Red Sox: Varitek is second in the balloting and within striking distance of leader Joe Mauer. Mauer is out-hitting Varitek .323 to .222.