All-Star Vote by VORP

It's June, and that means it's the stretch drive for the All-Star campaign. Like the vote for high-school class president it's "not supposed to be a popularity contest" (which is kind of contradictory to having a, er, popular vote), but it is. Still, we can pretend that participation in baseball's midsummer classic is decided by meritocracy, so to that end, let's review the candidates based on VORP -- Value Over Replacement Player -- to see who is the most deserving. Following are the top five vote-getters at each position (as of May 30) and their VORP (as of Jun 1):

First Base	Votes	VORP
1. Albert Pujols, Cardinals	726,854	40.0
2. Carlos Delgado, Mets	220,484	9.2
3. Lance Berkman, Astros	174,278	17.5
4. Derrek Lee, Cubs	131,359	7.9
5. Nomar Garciaparra, Dodgers	129,034	20.3

The Great Pujols is that rare combination of a candidate who is not only the most popular but also the most qualified. And accordingly, the best player in the league has the most votes.

Second Base	Votes	VORP
1. Craig Biggio, Astros	303,616	12.6
2. Chase Utley, Phillies	286,247	21.5
3. Marcus Giles, Braves	153,988	1.9
4. Todd Walker, Cubs	150,322	9.6
5. Jeff Kent, Dodgers	140,691	9.9

Biggio appears to be the sentimental candidate, though voters still have a chance to push the more worthy Utley ahead. Luna (8.1) and Miles (5.9) together (14.0) make a strong case for a platoon spot on the National League roster.

Third Base	Votes	VORP
1. Scott Rolen, Cardinals	340,733	14.6
2. David Wright, Mets	292,335	20.9
3. Morgan Ensberg, Astros	198,930	19.1
4. Chipper Jones, Braves	184,331	12.4
5. Aramis Ramirez, Cubs	142,404	1.0
Miguel Cabrera, Marlins		32.7

Sco-Ro's having a tremendous season -- certainly as good as Cardinal fans might've hoped for -- but it's nowhere close to Mig Cabrera's. Only problem for Cabrera is that Rolen's got about four times as many fans watching him in St. Louis (40,743) as Cabrera does (11,570) in -- what team does Cabrera play for again? If you're at a Cards-Cubs game this weekend, you can always remind the nearest Cub fan that the Cardinals have not one but two third basemen who are better than Aramis Ramirez (Spiezio has a 7.8 VORP).

Shortstop	Votes	VORP
1. David Eckstein, Cardinals	284,547	16.0
2. Edgar Renteria, Braves	236,673	19.2
3. Jose Reyes, Mets	221,335	8.0
4. Jimmy Rollins, Phillies	206,780	3.7
5. Omar Vizquel, Giants	146,904	20.1
Hanley Ramirez, Marlins		20.6

Sorry, Eck -- you're lovable and you're producing, but the Marlins' Hanley Ramirez is the best shortstop that no one is voting for. Jeff Passan's buddy, Omar Vizquel, is a close second.

Catcher	Votes	VORP
1. Paul Lo Duca, Mets	273,059	8.5
2. Mike Piazza, Padres	264,787	6.6
3. Yadier Molina, Cardinals	256,270	-14.4
4. Brad Ausmus, Astros	186,933	6.9
5. Michael Barrett, Cubs	182,309	9.0
Brian McCann, Braves		15.8

Unfortunately for McCann, his team's fans are more concerned about the upcoming college football season than they are about voting for him for the All-Star Game. On the other hand, it's a good thing for YaMo that Cardinal fans are loyal and plenteous. After all, he's not even the team's best catcher (Bennett: -5.7 VORP)! Or maybe all of his brothers are voting for him...

Outfield	Votes	VORP
1. Andruw Jones, Braves	420,462	21.0
2. Carlos Beltran, Mets	341,769	21.5
3. Jim Edmonds, Cardinals	334,027	4.2
4. Ken Griffey, Jr., Reds	326,592	4.3
5. Alfonso Soriano, Nationals	273,373	20.7
6. Bobby Abreu, Phillies	244,212	17.3
7. Carlos Lee, Brewers	224,829	15.7
8. Barry Bonds, Giants	210,146	13.9
9. Adam Dunn, Reds	180,379	14.8
10. Aaron Rowand, Phillies	162,741	9.9
11. Xavier Nady, Mets	142,278	5.0
12. Juan Encarnacion, Cardinals	137,439	-4.6
13. Jeff Francoeur, Braves	136,478	-7.0
14. So Taguchi, Cardinals	135,178	0.5
15. Juan Pierre, Cubs	134,527	-5.3
Jason Bay, Pirates		24.7
Eric Byrnes, Diamondbacks		22.0

Like multiple-term incumbent senators, old centerfielders are hard to get rid of. To wit, Jim Edmonds and Ken Griffey Jr., both suffering from injury and subpar performance, are having Ted Kennedy-like (read: inexplicably popular) showings at the polls. The best two outfielders in the league so far -- Jason Bay and Eric Byrnes (no, that's not a typo) -- aren't even in the top 15. By and large, the voters to this point don't even have the best player in the top five at each position. But a lot of ballot-stuffing can happen in a month, so perhaps the best players really will be voted in. Interestingly, the majority of the league's best players are from East Division teams (five) with the Central (two) and West (one) hardly contributing, unless you consider that Albert's VORP comprises about 20% of the entire NL lineup's. Oh, and if you're needing another barb to throw that Cub fan's way, try this: Hector Luna is better than your whole team*! *The Cubs' cumulative VORP-to-date is 6.0.