Roundtable: Which player deserves more All-Star votes?

The first round of All-Star voting results have been released and it certainly feels like we’re having a case of déjà vu. Over in the American League, the Kansas City Royals fans are stuffing the ballots for their players once again. In the National League, the Chicago Cubs are experiencing a similar surge.

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While we can appreciate the tenacity of fans, we can’t say we’re super excited to see the Royals take on the Cubs in the All-Star game. That’s especially true when more deserving players are being passed over in favor of guys who play for these rabid fanbases.

With that in mind, we’ve asked our experts to highlight one player they believe deserves more votes moving forward. These players are having excellent seasons, but were underrepresented in the first round of voting. By highlighting some of these performances, hopefully we can bring some attention to these players.

Here are the players we believe deserve more attention in the All-Star voting moving forward.

MOOKIE BETTS, OUTFIELDER, BOSTON RED SOX
Boston outfielder Mookie Betts must have been offended that he ranked seventh in All-Star voting among AL outfielders. Just a few hours after the results came out, he smashed three home runs against the Orioles.

The 23-year-old Betts emerged as one of the game’s rising stars last season, and has shown improvement this year. Through 52 games, he’s hitting .283/.325/.522, with 12 home runs. Combine that with his above-average defense, and it’s easy to see why Betts deserves better than seventh among AL outfielders.

Given that he plays on a well-represented team, it’s likely Betts will shoot up the rankings over the next couple weeks. He’s a future superstar who is basically already playing like one. That’s exactly the type of guy fans should want to see in the All-Star game. (Chris Cwik)

MARCELL OZUNA, OUTFIELDER, MIAMI MARLINS
What a difference a year makes. By last season’s All-Star break the Marlins had grown frustrated enough with Ozuna to demote him to Triple-A. This year, he’s almost single-handedly keeping them afloat with Dee Gordon suspended and Giancarlo Stanton basically a no-show for the last month. The biggest feather in Ozuna’s cap was a 36-game on-base streak that just ended Monday. Overall though, there’s no denying he’s putting up All-Star numbers with a .333/.384/.579 batting line and a team-leading 27 RBIs. It’s a deserving résumé and a redemption story all in one. (Mark Townsend)

WILSON RAMOS, CATCHER, WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Among the NL catchers, Yadier Molina and Buster Posey are the All-Star stalwarts and there’s nothing at all wrong with that. They’re both great players and their popularity speaks for itself. This season, however, there are a few other NL catchers who deserve some All-Star love, so if you’ll allow me, I’d like to advocate for an under-appreciated guy who is having a great season. That’s Wilson Ramos of the Washington Nationals. Jonathan Lucroy deserves a mention here too, but he’s made an All-Star team in the past.

Ramos, on the other hand, is an under-the-radar success story. He’s hitting .338, tops among all catchers. And his .383 on-base percentage doesn’t just lead all catchers by a nice margin, it’s No. 35 in all of baseball. He also leads all MLB catchers in RBIs and has seven homers, which is tied for second most at his position. He may not get the votes that the others will, but Ramos has definitely played like an All-Star so far this year. (Mike Oz)

ODUBEL HERRERA, OUTFIELDER, PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Odubel Herrera has been doing incredible things for the going-nowhere 2016 Phillies. He makes diving grabs with ease. His at-bats routinely turn into intense battles. In 52 games he’s already surpassed his walk total for all of 2015 (in which he played 147 games). And his bat flips are filled with swagger. He’s the best hitter on the Phillies by far, and his improvement from 2015 is incredible. Herrera even has a fantastic story: he was the Phillies’ 2014 Rule 5 pick, and now he’s hitting like a superstar. He deserves a spot on the All-Star Team. (Liz Roscher)

[Elsewhere: Indians infielder Jason Kipnis took out his anger on a celebrating ketchup mascot]

MICHAEL SAUNDERS, OUTFIELDER, TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Who leads the Toronto Blue Jays in OPS? No, it’s not the reigning American League MVP Josh Donaldson or perennial All-Stars Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Troy Tulowitzki. It’s Michael Saunders, whose .900 OPS is tied for third in the AL with Nelson Cruz and whose bat has has been vital to keeping Toronto afloat as the rest of the lineup comes around.

Saunders missed all but nine games last season due to a torn meniscus and this season, after a long road of rehab and recovery, he’s realizing the potential he showed when he was considered a top-30 prospect while in the Mariners’ system. A spot in the All-Star game next month would be a wonderful place for Saunders to end up, and based on his play in 2016 it would absolutely be deserved. (Israel Fehr).

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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