Freeman v. Puig

In any other year, Freddie Freeman would likely be a shoo-in for a spot on the All-Star team.  He has been the most consistent run producer in the Atlanta lineup since the start of the season, but he has been somewhat overshadowed by media coverage on players like Upton and Gattis.  Playing in the same league as Joey Votto, Paul Goldschmidt, Allen Craig, and Adrian Gonzalez doesn't help his case either.  With the All-Star rosters nearly finalized, Freeman finds himself in an American Idol-style vote-off for the final spot.  None of the other four names in the pool are particularly exciting except for one: Yasiel Puig. 

Freeman's production has been spread out through most of the season, sans the two week stretch he spent on the DL.  Puig's has come over the course of one month.  It could be argued, and rightfully so, that Freeman is more deserving of the final spot, but that's not what this game is about.  The game is a popularity contest, pure and simple. 

When thinking about potential advantages from choosing one player or the other, one must ask the question: does his presence give the NL an edge greater than it would have if Puig were there in his place?  Probably not.  That's no slight against Freeman, but it's important to keep the context of this game in mind when thinking through this issue.  

In spite of all marketing and fanfare that says otherwise, the All-Star game is not a showcase of the game's best players.  Necessitating that each team send a representative automatically creates the inefficiencies necessary to ensure this fact, and the fact that uninformed fans play such a huge role in determining starters goes to further ensure the irrationality.  Thanks to Bud Selig, the All-Star game now carries significant weight insofar as it determines home-field advantage during the World Series, a reactionary policy that has proved polarizing since it's inception in 2003.

Now, we have no other choice than to accept the fact that the game carries the weight that it does, regardless of our opinions about whether or not it should.  And because the best players aren't necessarily going to be present thanks to the aforementioned reasons, fans must decide what's more important: seeing their favorite players on the team, or putting the team in the best position to win for the sake of the greater good.  As a fan of a team with playoff aspirations, one should have a strong interest in seeing "their league" win.  Assuming that same fan is rational, they must set aside perceived obligations to myopically vote for their entire team to play in the All-Star game.

As social media has evolved, MLB has tailored the All-Star game to capitalize upon the technological advancement.  It is chasing a youthful and tech-savvy demographic in order to maximize its' profits, and there's nothing wrong with that.  That demographic spans a spectrum from the nerdiest nerd to the most casual, carefree observer.  There's a good chance that both sides of that spectrum are familiar with Puig, be it from watching him in a game, on Sportscenter, or hearing tales of his exploits from other fans.  Puig is afforded that prestige because he plays in one of the world's largest media markets, on a team with a massive fan base with incredibly high, and perhaps unrealistic, expectations.  That in and of itself gives him a lead that is likely insurmountable.  Freeman may be the more deserving of the two, but as usual, circumstances play a crucial role in determining outcomes.  Under these circumstances, Puig will be tough to overcome.