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The MLB All-Star ballots are officially open for fans to vote on who they believe belongs at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on July 14th.
As for the Tampa Bay Rays, some players are rightfully seeing themselves as the top vote getter at their respective positions, but not all.
Rays third baseman Junior Caminero rightfully holds an early lead for the most votes at the hot corner after starting the season strong for the organization. So far this season, he has hit 15 home runs and is holding a .855 OPS at the plate.
However, its not all good news for the Rays, as one of the teams long time cornerstones is finding himself disrespected in the ballot box.
Yandy Diaz, who is the team’s leader in hits and one of the top players in MLB in terms of batting average, is only 3rd among designated hitters. He has picked up 267,585 votes and is behind Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros (1,015,768) and George Springer of the Toronto Blue Jays (323,112).
Will Leitch of MLB.com believes that Yandy is one of the players who deserve more love in the polls after the type of season he has had so far this year, as well as his contribution to the Rays over his long career. Leitch writes:
“Díaz has been the avatar of this team for more than half a decade, a player who just keeps coming at you, consistently, every season. He’s not the flashiest, most well-known player, but he still finds ways to beat you.
Díaz has been a Ray for longer than you think (since 2019), and he’s climbing the all-time franchise leaderboards. He’s fourth in hits (and about to pass Ben Zobrist for third), seventh in homers, and fifth in runs. He’s having one of the best seasons of his illustrious career, behind only 2023 (when he finished sixth in AL MVP voting), and he has only made the All-Star Game once. This might be the most fun Rays team he has been a part of -- and he has been on a few.”
The Rays DH will have a ton of ground to make up, and it’s unlikely that he will be able to do that when facing Alvarez, a player who many teams are hoping will hit the trade market this summer.
The winners will be announced on July 4th on FOX.
Continue reading...
As for the Tampa Bay Rays, some players are rightfully seeing themselves as the top vote getter at their respective positions, but not all.
Rays third baseman Junior Caminero rightfully holds an early lead for the most votes at the hot corner after starting the season strong for the organization. So far this season, he has hit 15 home runs and is holding a .855 OPS at the plate.
However, its not all good news for the Rays, as one of the teams long time cornerstones is finding himself disrespected in the ballot box.
Yandy Diaz, who is the team’s leader in hits and one of the top players in MLB in terms of batting average, is only 3rd among designated hitters. He has picked up 267,585 votes and is behind Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros (1,015,768) and George Springer of the Toronto Blue Jays (323,112).
Will Leitch of MLB.com believes that Yandy is one of the players who deserve more love in the polls after the type of season he has had so far this year, as well as his contribution to the Rays over his long career. Leitch writes:
“Díaz has been the avatar of this team for more than half a decade, a player who just keeps coming at you, consistently, every season. He’s not the flashiest, most well-known player, but he still finds ways to beat you.
Díaz has been a Ray for longer than you think (since 2019), and he’s climbing the all-time franchise leaderboards. He’s fourth in hits (and about to pass Ben Zobrist for third), seventh in homers, and fifth in runs. He’s having one of the best seasons of his illustrious career, behind only 2023 (when he finished sixth in AL MVP voting), and he has only made the All-Star Game once. This might be the most fun Rays team he has been a part of -- and he has been on a few.”
The Rays DH will have a ton of ground to make up, and it’s unlikely that he will be able to do that when facing Alvarez, a player who many teams are hoping will hit the trade market this summer.
The winners will be announced on July 4th on FOX.
Continue reading...
