MLB All-Star Election Tomorrow...Wat!?
- Thread starter Heim
- Start date
The process to elect the All-Star starters has changed, starting this year with the 2019 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, which is in Cleveland on July 9. The new election process began with The Primary, and with the voting wrapped for that three-week phase of the 2019 Google MLB All-Star Ballot, the top three vote-getters at each position (nine for outfielders) have been revealed for the Starters Election.
But while the way starters are chosen has evolved, the way pitchers and position-player reserves are selected is largely unchanged, though there is no longer a Final Vote.
Here's a handy FAQ to guide you through the particulars of the selection process.
How many spots have to be filled?
Finalists who don't win the Starters Election at their position are not automatically added to All-Star rosters, so after the starters are selected by fans, the NL has 24 roster spots to fill, while the AL has 23. The difference, of course, is that fans vote in a starting designated hitter for the AL team. There are 32 roster spots for each league, with 20 position players and 12 pitchers per side.
Who picks the reserves and pitchers?
In short, it's a group effort between the player ballot and the Commissioner's Office. A change made in 2017 resulted in All-Star skippers no longer having a say in selections, so there's no longer the potential for any perceived conflicts of interest.
How many player ballot selections are there?
The ballots gathered in all 30 clubhouses shortly before the roster announcements account for 16 players in the NL and 17 in the AL -- eight pitchers (five starters and three relievers), as well as one backup for each position (including DH in the AL).
What if the players select a guy already voted into the starting lineup by the fans?
Next man up. The guy who was second on the player ballot at that particular position is selected as the backup. This doesn't change the number of player ballot selections. The player ballot is basically used as a pecking order to fill the backup slot at each position.
How many MLB selections are there?
The Commissioner's Office is responsible for selecting eight NL players (four pitchers and four position players) and six AL players (four pitchers and two position players). At this stage, MLB must ensure that every club is represented by at least one All-Star selection.
Is every team represented?
Yes, and it is the job of the Commissioner's Office to ensure this stipulation is accounted for with its selections. It should be noted, however, that if a player is selected to the roster and can't participate, he does not necessarily have to be replaced by a teammate.
How is the starting pitcher for each team determined?
By the league managers. The announcement is made the day before the game.
Who picks the replacements for injured players or those who decline to participate?
If an elected starter is unable to play, the reserve who received the most votes on the player ballot at that particular position moves into the starting lineup. The roster replacement is then chosen by the league.
If a player-elected reserve position player must be replaced, the next in line on the player ballot becomes a reserve. Once the top three finishers on the player ballot at a given position are covered, then it becomes a selection by the Commissioner's Office.
Does an injured or otherwise unavailable player have to be replaced by a player from the same position?
Not necessarily. Pitchers are replaced by pitchers. But on the position-player front, we've seen situations like infielders replacing outfielders and vice versa.
Are starters who pitch the Sunday before the game allowed to participate?
Initially, Sunday starters were deemed ineligible. Then, they were allowed to make the decision themselves (albeit limited to a single inning if they opted to play). Now, clubs or players are allowed to make requests for usage accommodation if there are factors (such as an IL stint, recent surgery, innings workload or other reasons) that would affect the pitcher's availability. If an accommodation is granted, then the parties agree upon the pitcher's status and workload availability.
What if a selected player gets traded to a team in the opposite league before the All-Star Game?
This happened to Jeff Samardzija in 2014, when the Cubs dealt him to the A's. Samardzija was deemed ineligible to participate in the game, but was still recognized as an All-Star for the NL (he wore a generic NL jersey and All-Star Game cap for the pregame player introductions). With the game no longer counting for home-field advantage in the World Series, it's unclear if MLB would take as stringent a stance should a similar scenario play out.
Source: MLB.com
But while the way starters are chosen has evolved, the way pitchers and position-player reserves are selected is largely unchanged, though there is no longer a Final Vote.
Here's a handy FAQ to guide you through the particulars of the selection process.
How many spots have to be filled?
Finalists who don't win the Starters Election at their position are not automatically added to All-Star rosters, so after the starters are selected by fans, the NL has 24 roster spots to fill, while the AL has 23. The difference, of course, is that fans vote in a starting designated hitter for the AL team. There are 32 roster spots for each league, with 20 position players and 12 pitchers per side.
Who picks the reserves and pitchers?
In short, it's a group effort between the player ballot and the Commissioner's Office. A change made in 2017 resulted in All-Star skippers no longer having a say in selections, so there's no longer the potential for any perceived conflicts of interest.
How many player ballot selections are there?
The ballots gathered in all 30 clubhouses shortly before the roster announcements account for 16 players in the NL and 17 in the AL -- eight pitchers (five starters and three relievers), as well as one backup for each position (including DH in the AL).
What if the players select a guy already voted into the starting lineup by the fans?
Next man up. The guy who was second on the player ballot at that particular position is selected as the backup. This doesn't change the number of player ballot selections. The player ballot is basically used as a pecking order to fill the backup slot at each position.
How many MLB selections are there?
The Commissioner's Office is responsible for selecting eight NL players (four pitchers and four position players) and six AL players (four pitchers and two position players). At this stage, MLB must ensure that every club is represented by at least one All-Star selection.
Is every team represented?
Yes, and it is the job of the Commissioner's Office to ensure this stipulation is accounted for with its selections. It should be noted, however, that if a player is selected to the roster and can't participate, he does not necessarily have to be replaced by a teammate.
How is the starting pitcher for each team determined?
By the league managers. The announcement is made the day before the game.
Who picks the replacements for injured players or those who decline to participate?
If an elected starter is unable to play, the reserve who received the most votes on the player ballot at that particular position moves into the starting lineup. The roster replacement is then chosen by the league.
If a player-elected reserve position player must be replaced, the next in line on the player ballot becomes a reserve. Once the top three finishers on the player ballot at a given position are covered, then it becomes a selection by the Commissioner's Office.
Does an injured or otherwise unavailable player have to be replaced by a player from the same position?
Not necessarily. Pitchers are replaced by pitchers. But on the position-player front, we've seen situations like infielders replacing outfielders and vice versa.
Are starters who pitch the Sunday before the game allowed to participate?
Initially, Sunday starters were deemed ineligible. Then, they were allowed to make the decision themselves (albeit limited to a single inning if they opted to play). Now, clubs or players are allowed to make requests for usage accommodation if there are factors (such as an IL stint, recent surgery, innings workload or other reasons) that would affect the pitcher's availability. If an accommodation is granted, then the parties agree upon the pitcher's status and workload availability.
What if a selected player gets traded to a team in the opposite league before the All-Star Game?
This happened to Jeff Samardzija in 2014, when the Cubs dealt him to the A's. Samardzija was deemed ineligible to participate in the game, but was still recognized as an All-Star for the NL (he wore a generic NL jersey and All-Star Game cap for the pregame player introductions). With the game no longer counting for home-field advantage in the World Series, it's unclear if MLB would take as stringent a stance should a similar scenario play out.
Source: MLB.com
Thirty-two players on each side is ridiculous.
Twenty-five is the right number.
Twenty-five is the right number.
FairWarning
Bells Beer Connoisseur
Merrifield wasn’t getting votes the old way also.
Sportsrmylife
EOG Master
They need to make this an exhibition game again and add some skills competitions.
An outfielders throwing challenge. Throw to third and home off a ground ball and fly ball.
A catchers throwing challenge. Throw to a target at each base.
An INF skills challenge.
A hitters challenge where you have to try to hit targets on the field. Think of the moving targets used for the NFL QB challenge that moved across the field and had point values on them. This could showcase the guys that aren't power hitters but have a great ability to hit the ball to all fields.
I know the HR derby is nice but I think it has lost some luster. Guys are starting to understand it fucks up your swing if you go deep into the competition.
How great would the All star game be if a pitcher like Verlander and a hitter like Yelich faced each other and Verlander just yelled at him "here comes 3 fastballs. If you can hit em you can name it."
Just guys challenging each other without regards to having to play to win for this stupid playoff home field stuff.
Just rambling.
An outfielders throwing challenge. Throw to third and home off a ground ball and fly ball.
A catchers throwing challenge. Throw to a target at each base.
An INF skills challenge.
A hitters challenge where you have to try to hit targets on the field. Think of the moving targets used for the NFL QB challenge that moved across the field and had point values on them. This could showcase the guys that aren't power hitters but have a great ability to hit the ball to all fields.
I know the HR derby is nice but I think it has lost some luster. Guys are starting to understand it fucks up your swing if you go deep into the competition.
How great would the All star game be if a pitcher like Verlander and a hitter like Yelich faced each other and Verlander just yelled at him "here comes 3 fastballs. If you can hit em you can name it."
Just guys challenging each other without regards to having to play to win for this stupid playoff home field stuff.
Just rambling.
FairWarning
Bells Beer Connoisseur
They are not playing for HFA anymore.
Pence has a big nationwide fan base. I saw quite a few Giants games in recent years and on many road games, there would often be Pence signs visible.
