Fans can now go online to cast their vote for which players should be named to the 2019 All-MLB team. Vote for your favorite Red Sox players!
Major League Baseball has released the ballot to select the game’s best players from this year. Fans can go online to MLB.com to cast their vote for which players to nominate for the 2019 All-MLB team. Despite an underachieving season for the Boston Red Sox as a team, they have several players worthy of your vote.
This is the first time that an All-MLB team will be named and they want fans to be involved in the process. Similar to All-Star voting, anyone can have a say in who gets the honor of being included among baseball’s best. Fan voting will account for 50 percent of the results with the other half coming from a panel of experts.
Fans can vote once every 24 hours up until 5 p.m. ET on December 3.
The ballot includes 60 position players and 30 pitchers. Only one player can be selected at each of the infield positions, plus three outfielders, five starting pitchers, and two relievers. The pool of players includes both leagues, which will lead to some tough choices.
The Red Sox trail only the Houston Astros (10) with seven players on the ballot: Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, Christian Vazquez, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Brandon Workman.
Red Sox fans will naturally favor these players but for unbiased voters, none of them should be considered a lock.
Bogaerts led major league shortstops with 190 hits, 117 RBI, 52 doubles and a .939 OPS. He tied Marcus Semien for the league-lead at his position with 33 home runs and trailed only Colorado’s Trevor Story (35) among MLB shortstops. The Silver Slugger recipient will get his fair share of votes but his lack of defensive value had him trailing well behind Semien (8.1) and Story (6.4) with 5.2 WAR. Semien was an MVP finalist so that may make him the frontrunner but Bogaerts probably has the best chance of any Red Sox player after finishing fifth on the MVP ballot.
A breakout season put Devers on the map. He led the majors with 90 extra-base hits and was the only third baseman to top 200 hits. Devers finished in the top 10 in most offensive categories at his position. Unfortunately for him, the hot corner is loaded with MVP finalists Alex Bregman and Anthony Rendon, plus Nolan Arenado and Matt Chapman. How do you pick only one?
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Betts should get plenty of attention. The 2018 AL MVP took a slight step back at the plate this year but still remained among the elite five-tool players. Three outfielders can be selected but you have to assume MVP winners Mike Trout and Cody Bellinger should get in. That leaves only one spot for Betts, Christian Yelich, George Springer, and Ronald Acuña Jr. Good luck sorting through those options. That’s before considering popular (yet undeserving) players such as Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper could steal some fan votes.
At least Martinez doesn’t face as much competition for the DH spot with only American League players in the mix. It would be surprising if it didn’t come down to Martinez or Nelson Cruz. The latter won the Silver Slugger and holds the edge in AVG, OBP, SLG and home runs so he should be the favorite, although Martinez may be more of a household name.
Vazquez had his best offensive season with an unexpected power surge that led to 23 home runs. That’s only seventh at his position though and his .798 OPS was ninth. Being named a Gold Glove finalist gives Vazquez an additional boost but he shouldn’t finish ahead of J.T. Realmuto, Mitch Garver or Yasmani Grandal.
E-Rod was easily the best pitcher in the Red Sox rotation this year but that’s not saying much. He won 19 games and finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting but nobody honestly believes he’s one of the top-five starters in the game.
Workman may be the most underrated option on the list. His 16 saves won’t put him near the top of the league since he didn’t take over the closer role until the second half of the season but the right-hander had an excellent year. Workman was eighth among MLB relievers with a 1.88 ERA and led the majors with a .123 batting average against. Kirby Yates, Aroldis Chapman, and Josh Hader will get more recognition but consider Workman a darkhorse candidate.
The Red Sox roster is loaded with star talent but they don’t have anyone who was the clear-cut best at their position this year. They will need some help from the fans in order to make the All-MLB team so get online and vote now!