Pablo Sandoval won the fan vote to become the starter for the National League All-Star team at third base despite missing over a month because of a hand injury and having inferior stats to David Wright. The Mets have understandably been upset that Wright wasn’t voted in as the starter given how much he’s outperforming the competition.
Mets GM Sandy Alderson let loose at the whole spectacle with the following tweet:
ASG election of “Kung Fu Panda” shows the value of a cute nickname. Surprised Giants fans didn’t elect a “ball dude” to start at 3B.
— Sandy Alderson (@MetsGM) July 3, 2012
Pretty strong burn from Alderson. He and anyone who values integrity in the All-Star Game starting lineups should be upset that Sandoval was voted in as the starter, but Alderson’s tweet overlooks two important factors in Sandoval winning the vote: He’s liked by Giants fans because he’s good, and Giants fans stuffed the ballot box for almost all their eligible players.
Buster Posey won the fan vote over Yadier Molina and Carlos Ruiz, both of whom were more deserving. Giants fans also made Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt, Melky Cabrera, and Angel Pagan some of the most-voted players.
So no, the Pablo Sandoval didn’t win the vote because he has a cute “Kung Fu Panda” nickname, but because Giants fans stuff the ballot box. And don’t think they’re above rigging the vote, either. They’ve done it before.
H/T Hardball Talk
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