Red Sox come up short in fan voting for 2019 MLB All-Star Game starters

Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez made it to the final ballot but both Boston Red Sox players ultimately fell shot in the fan voting.

The votes are in and it’s not great news for the Boston Red Sox. MLB revealed the starting position players for the 2019 MLB All-Star Game and the list didn’t include Mookie Betts or J.D. Martinez.

The fan voting process was altered this year with a Primary round used to select three finalists at each position (nine for outfielders). Fans then participated in an Election round that began on Wednesday. Betts and Martinez both made it to the final ballot but came up short for the starting roles.

Mike Trout led all players in votes and was an obvious choice to be a starter considering he’s been the best player in baseball over the last several years. Houston Astros fans rallied behind their team to elect George Springer and Michael Brantley to the American League squad.

Betts has seen his offensive production slip this season, hitting .261 with a .838 OPS and 13 home runs. However, he’s still getting on base at a strong clip with a .379 OBP and he has more walks (59) than strikeouts (55). He remains an elite defensive player and base runner, which explains why he’s tied for third among AL outfielders with 2.9 WAR.

Hunter Pence was a surprise winner at the DH position. The veteran has been revitalized by his move to Texas where he has hit .294 with 15 home runs and ranks fourth in the AL with a .962 OPS. He’s only played 55 games though and he’s currently on the injured list.

Martinez has been in a funk lately but his overall numbers remain solid with a .287/.364/.528 slash line and 17 home runs.

If we’re basing these selections only on the first half of this season, Betts and Martinez probably don’t deserve to be starters. If track record and star power have anything to do with it, they should have been a lock. We’re talking about the reigning MVP and a guy who won two Silver Sluggers last season!

Credit the fans in Texas for getting their Astros and Rangers players into the starting lineup. Red Sox fans may have been too busy complaining about how “disappointing” their team has been to go online and show their players the same level of support.

The fan voting results only determine the starting lineup so there’s still a chance that Betts and Martinez can be All-Stars. The same can be said for Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts, both of whom are even more worthy based on this season alone. The players select the reserves and they tend to have a more educated opinion than most fans who stuff the online ballots.

We know that the Red Sox will end up with at least one All-Star due to MLB’s archaic rule that every franchise must be represented. It would be shocking if they didn’t have multiple All-Stars and the fact that none of the players from the defending World Series champions are in the starting lineup is disappointing. Only it’s not the production from the players that’s disappointing, it’s the lack of interest from a city that was once full of die-hard fans eager to support their team.