Cleveland Indians: The MLB All-Star Game voting needs adjusted

Voting for Cleveland Indians players to participate in the 2017 MLB All-Star Game has been ongoing. However, adjustments to the process are needed.

Outside of shortstop Francisco Lindor, who else will represent the Cleveland Indians during the 2017 All-Star Game? Time will tell, but there is no reason not to believe that multiple Tribe players won’t be selected.

At this time of year, fans of all teams are advocating for their team’s players to be voted in. Even the organizations’ social media pages (mainly Twitter) are pushing for votes.

As great as that it is, there are a few issues with the promotion and actually voting process for the all-star game. Here is one example that I have seen that is unrealistic.

Catcher Yan Gomes could go to the all-star game, and was talked up as an option that fans should vote for.

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Yes, he is an Indian, but he is not as deserving as others. Gomes is very good defensively, but offensively is another story.

According to baseball-reference.com, he has a slash line of .238/.321/.410/.731. In addition, Gomes has accumulated four home runs and 13 RBI. Yet, he is not to the level of Kansas City Royals’ Salvador Perez.

I get the idea of wanting as many players from your favorite team voted in, but not all of them deserve that vote. When it comes to the all-star game, the best and to an extent your favorite players should only be voted in.

So, what would I like to see changed to the voting process?

First off, postpone the start date when voting can begin. It is very hard to vote for players early on in the season.

Also, 35 votes per fan is a lot! No wonder some players earn over 2 million plus votes. Instead, reduce the number to a TBD amount. I would prefer no more than 10, but that number is flexible.

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Have you noticed how much self-promotion has been expressed (when it comes close to the deadline in past seasons)? I compare that to a political tactic.

No player should be allowed to allowed to do that. If one of their teammates on the other hand decides to talk up that player, then no big deal.

The only exception to such change, whether it is with the Indians or in general, is when the last spot is up for grabs. Then and only then I would be okay with seeing such an approach.

Last, but not least, if player X does not meet a certain criteria depending on their position, they should not be on the ballot. Let’s take the designated hitter position as an example.

If a player cannot bat over say .235 and hit over eight home runs by either the half-way point of the voting or by the deadline, they cannot be eligible.

The sport of baseball has had a number of random and weird rules and regulations over the years. Some of my suggestions could very well be received. Others meanwhile may take some time for people to be comfortable with… just like how managers can now just signal for an intentional walk.

Next: What's Cleveland's updated rotation?

Regardless of the sport or the team, every all-star game’s voting process is flawed to a degree. With that in mind, there is always work to be done to improve the way MLB and others set up their voting layouts.