Jesse Winker and Nick Castellanos are both among the league leaders in multiple offensive categories. They rank 1st and 2nd in the National League in OPS and only Fernando Tatis Jr. is within 50 points of either of them. And today it was revealed that the two of them are also among the leading vote getters in the National League All-Star balloting.
In the first release of the voting Jesse Winker and Nick Castellanos would be joined by Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. in the outfield as the starting three if the voting were to end today. Of course, the voting doesn’t end today and we’re still a month away from the actual All-Star game at Coors Field in Denver, but so far the fans are doing their job well – at least when it comes to the outfield.
This year, MLB is doing something incredibly stupid (you’re shocked, I know). Instead of all of the votes counting up to the naming of the team, they are having “voting phases” that cut down the number of players you can vote for in each phase at each position, with the vote totals starting over from scratch at each phases beginning. All-Star voting is kind of stupid, anyways, in that markets can dictate popularity and that the best players don’t always get voted in as a result….. but that’s a longer story for a different day.
As things sit today, Nick Castellanos leads the National League in batting average with a .361 mark, doubles with 23, and total bases with 148. He’s also 3rd in the league with a .416 on-base percetnage, 3rd in slugging at .635, and he’s 4th in runs scored. . Jesse Winker only leads the league in one category, but it’s a pretty important one as his 1.056 OPS is tops in the league. He’s also hitting .344/.418/.638 – all three categories where he ranks 2nd in the league. He’s also second in the league in runs scored, and total bases, while ranking 3rd with 17 home runs.
No other Cincinnati Reds players are currently listed as being in the top five at their position in the vote totals.
Great result thus far. I was worried that these men might slip by a little unnoticed because of the team they are playing for and their very recent ascension to the elite status. As otherwise mentioned, the voting process seems more akin to a high school double elimination tournament than a serious quest to find the accomplishment and popularity mix in a 70/30% ratio or thereabouts.
These players have been phenomenal and a casual fan can just tell the work they have put in by the beauty and quality of their swing not to mention some fine baserunning and fielding by Nick especially.
Nice to see them getting their proper recognition, though I agree that the new voting format is (no surprise) pretty weak. Winker and Castellanos should be all-star locks this year. Miley, Mahle and Antone also deserve serious consideration but if I’m guessing only one of them will actually be selected – I’ll take a flyer and bet on Miley, largely on the back of his no hitter.
But the best news in all this is that two of the three or four best hitters in the league play for Cincinnati. Go Reds!
“two of the three or four best hitters in the league play for Cincinnati”
This is why i hope the owner opens the wallet and gets some help. Have the Reds EVER had this situation on offense, except maybe in the BRM era?
Gotta strike while the iron is hot, and it looks like there are some young phenoms that can toe the rubber coming up through the ranks that may help out if the Reds make serious contention in August and September.
The problem is that the 4 of the best pitchers in the NL not named DeGrom pitch for Milwaukee ((
Vote early and often in an election where such activity is legal and even encouraged. And if you have multiple email addresses and some time on your hands, vote even more often?
Your comment reminds me of the 1957 All Star voting where Reds fans voted in seven of the eight starting positions. It was called ballot stuffing but not in Cincinnati. Fittingly the game was held in St. Louis. The NL lost 6-5.
The correct answer is 10 minute mail. Create a billion email accounts. Vote Red.
Glad for their recognition, but the game itself has pretty much become a waste of time, and as of late a tool of political correctness. Also, players can get hirt and run a good season.
The All-Star game is great. It’s no more a waste of time today than it was in 1972. It’s fun to watch the best players face off against each other inning after inning. Players could and did get hurt in the All-Star game a long time ago, too. It ruined some seasons and even some careers.
Sincerely, I believe MLB leadership needs to quit tinkering with the game. It’s never going to be as ‘exciting’ as the NFL or mixed martial arts. It’s not about the speed of the game or the number of strikeouts/homeruns. It’s more subtle and I think actual fans are more attuned to those subtleties. Limiting the way the teams are chosen, reflects in my opinion, a complete indifference to the fan base and the way fans root for their respective teams. If Winker/Castellanos sink in the vote totals and are eliminated in subsequent rounds, does the leadership of MLB actually think that will enhance attention to the Allstar Game among Cincinnati fans? Never thought I’d see the day when I actually miss Bowie Kuhn.
I mean it’ll stink that they won’t be starters, but there’s no way those two guys aren’t chosen as backups if they don’t get voted in unless they go into a month long slump.
CBS sports posted a story a day or two ago about the race for the NL rookie of the year listing 7 potential winners…no mention of anyone wearing our favorite shade of RED
Which Reds deserves to be in the top 7?
India’s hitting .250/.360/.396 right now. Stephenson is hitting .267/.368/.420 right now. Solid on both, but nothing spectacular. In terms of WAR (fangraphs) they rank 4th and 7th among position players. But the award isn’t just for position players. Trevor Rogers in Miami and Ian Anderson in Atlanta are clearly ahead of them right now. What about Huascar Ynoa in Atlanta? He needs a few more innings and starts, but he’s been really good. What about Ryan Weathers out in San Diego?
The guys wearing Red just aren’t sticking out right now. Plenty of time to change that, but right now, it’s tough to argue that there is some reason to wonder why they weren’t talked about…. they’ve been solid-average. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. But the top guys have just been better.
Don’t forget my man Jazz Chisholm Jr. I think he could be a lefty middle infield version of Eric Davis! He’s got a .834 ops presently
Yeah – I didn’t mention any of the position guys by name, but Jazz is up near the top for the award. A whole heck of a lot of baseball to still be played, though. We’re just now in mid-June. Most guys have 350 at-bats or 100 innings left to throw. That can change a whole heck of a lot.
I agree they are not near the top contenders but I thought the dark horse category might at least mention one of them
It seems to be a bumper year for rookies and to me Trevor Rogers is way ahead of the others
Give Castellanos a day off, he plays hard every day and is not a machine.