Chicago Cubs: Early All-Star voting pretty spot-on as far as the Cubs go

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Despite what some fans may think, there’s not a Chicago Cubs player deserving of starting the All-Star Game in D.C. next month.

Before we delve into the early returns in the voting for next month’s All-Star Game, know this. The way the Chicago Cubs dominated the National League roster two years ago? That was a culmination of national excitement over the prospect of the franchise finally winning that elusive World Series championship.

Without said excitement – the Cubs stand literally no chance of such an event transpiring again. Know that. Accept it. And move forward.

If the Midsummer Classic were held tomorrow, no Cubs player would have earned a starting spot on the roster. That being said, several currently sit as runners-up in their respective positions – including Willson Contreras, Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant.

Why aren’t they in the lead, you might ask? Well, for multiple reasons. 1) The players ahead of them in voting have played better so far this season. You might not like to hear that, but, for the most part, that’s the case. Plain and simple. 2) You’re not voting enough. Same rules apply to the All-Star Game as presidential elections. If you are able, but don’t vote, don’t complain.

Contreras battling traditionalists – and an all-time great

Let’s start with Contreras – the Cubs’ young fiery backstop. There’s no doubt about his abilities – with the bat or behind the dish. While he leads all catchers in OPS, he faces a tall task in unseating San Francisco Giants backstop Buster Posey. Posey has put up very solid offensive numbers, slashing .294/.365/.431 – numbers largely in-line with Contreras.

But the simple truth is outside Chicago, if you ask a semi-casual fan to name top catchers in the game, Posey has the name recognition that usually proves invaluable in fan voting. That, coupled with the fact that Contreras isn’t driving the ball out of the yard like he did down the stretch last year and he could very well wind up on the outside looking in when the dust settles.

Chicago Cubs: Anthony Rizzo heating up, KB looking for his stroke

As for Rizzo, this isn’t a Sherlock Holmes-type mystery. For the first month, the guy couldn’t hit his weight. Now, over the last month or so, he’s been the best hitter in a Cubs uniform – basically driving in a run per game. But you can’t just erase those first 30 contests. Especially when the guy you’re chasing could very well be the National League MVP.

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Freddie Freeman leads a Braves team no one expected to compete in 2018. Yet, here we are in mid-June and Atlanta is neck-and-neck with the Nats in the East. For his part, Freeman is leading the league with 85 hits, 14 doubles, a .998 OPS and 173 OPS+. Yeah, you might say he’s pulling his weight.

A power outage for Bryant

Kris Bryant is a bit of an enigma. He’s not having a bad year by any stretch of the imagination – despite what many believe. Year-over-year, his average is within 10 points of last season – and his on-base percentage consistently pushes .400. It’s his slugging percentage and OPS that have really took a nosedive. Why? He’s just not hitting for power.

More than a third of the way through the season, he has just eight long balls. He hasn’t homered in a game since May 14 in Atlanta – nearly a month ago. Meanwhile Nolan Arenado is doing what he always does. Playing Gold Glove-caliber defense and absolutely mashing – with a .956 OPS and a dozen homers under his belt.

If Bryant flips the switch, then buckle up. But, for now, Arenado is playing all-around better baseball and is more deserving of an All-Star Game start.

Chicago Cubs: Javier Baez has the best case to start

The race for second base is probably the most exciting one in the National League voting. Ozzie Albies, Javier Baez and Scooter Gennett are separated by less than 100,000 votes after the first update.

And all have a strong case to start.

For Gennett, languishing with the dismal Cincinnati Reds, this is a guy who’s going out and getting his on a nightly basis. He may very well drive in 100 runs this season – and with a .340 average, he might take a run at the batting title while he’s at it. He’s a feel-good story, to be sure, but can he draw enough attention outside of Ohio? I doubt it.

Albies, the leading vote getter at the position, is part of that aforementioned Braves team turning the NL East on its head through the first two months. He’s come back to earth after a scorching start, but still leads the league in doubles, runs, at-bats and plate appearances. Anytime a kid this young comes in an makes an immediate impact like this – heads turn.

Speaking of attention-grabbing talents – what about El Mago himself? For much of the season, he carried the Cubs offense. He and Rizzo are tied for the team lead with 46 RBI – putting him well on-pace for a career-high.

Next: It's too early to evaluate the Ohtani, Darvish signings

And the national excitement Gennett probably won’t ever grab? Baez snatches it on a near-daily basis with both his bat and glove. If he can keep up what he’s doing – even without walking as much as we’d all like – he may very well get his first All-Star Game nod next month in Washington. DC.

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