Mauer overtakes Varitek in All-Star voting
Posted on June 23rd, 2008 – 2:15 PMBy Joe Christensen
SAN DIEGO — The All-Star Game is July 15 at Yankee Stadium. Major League Baseball has been sending weekly voting updates, and today’s shows Joe Mauer overtaking Boston’s Jason Varitek for the AL lead at catcher.
Mauer has 1,178,630 votes. Varitek 1,113,855.
At first base, Boston’s Kevin Youkilis has the lead at 1,482,011, with Justin Morneau running behind him at 1,214,603.
The teams will be revealed on July 6.
Asked for his thoughts Sunday, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Mauer, Morneau and closer Joe Nathan are obvious choices. Gardenhire also noted that reliever Matt Guerrier should be up for consideration.
Here’s more on the voting from MLB.com.
65 Responses to "Mauer overtakes Varitek in All-Star voting"
Wow! I wonder if the whole “Yankee fans vote for Mauer and Morneau to keep the Red Sox out” campaign has actually worked.
It looks like Morneau’s closed ground as well. That’s very good news. Youkilis is having a heckuva season, so there’s no shame in losing to him (losing ot Ortiz in an NL year is just ludicrous)
Hopefully this update doesn’t tear open the whole “face of the franchise” argument again. Both Mauer and Morneau have become the two-headed monster of the Twins marketing department, and get national respect on a regular basis.
Let’s hope things hold out like this, would be the first Twin voted in since Torii in 2002 would it not?
Go Mauer, and good luck to Morneau! There’s a push coming from SOMEWHERE. Let’s hope it keeps going.
Did Hunter start last year?
Mauer, Morneau, Santana and Nathan I think were the four Twins in 2007. (Maybe not Mauer, I know Morneau was though)
Hunter was the last starter in 2002 (when he stole Bonds’ homer) I don’t think he made it back to the All-Star game after that.
Here’s what I don’t get however…
“Ortiz extended his lead at DH to more than 750,000 votes over the Yankees’ Hideki Matsui”
So in the last three weeks of voting (during which I believe Ortiz has gone to the DL), he’s actually INCREASED his lead?
I swear, if it weren’t for my horse I wouldn’t have spent that year in college.
I’m sure an ever shrinking % of votes are actually cast at the park but for what it’s worth the Twins have 6 home games left before the close of voting, Red Sox 3, Yankees 4.
I know fan voting for the All-Star game will never go away. But the big market teams have a real advantage. I wish they could come up with a system to also give the player’s peers a large role in the outcome of the voting.
no Mauer in last years game. For some reason i thought Hunter might have started, couldn’t remember or think of anyone else who might have started since 02
we are still a far cry from Coomer being our All-star in 99
Last year, Morneau and Hunter were both first runners up and Johan pitched (I think) the seventh inning.
It’s rediculious. I googled some TV market numbers the other day and found a fortune magazine (I think) story from the early 00’s that basically said NYC has enough bodies and money to support 6 MLB teams. Sounds crazy but, London has that many teams in the best soccer league in the world.
bison,
i bet NYC could easily support another team. Stick em in Brooklyn and use the old Dodgers as a jumping off point
I think we should have a weighted system, where writers, players, etc. provide 33-50% of the total selection weight. Although I would love to see the fan vote gone, I would be okay with its influence being reduced.
Shawn in Binghamton says:
June 23rd, 2008 at 2:53 pm
bison,
i bet NYC could easily support another team. Stick em in Brooklyn and use the old Dodgers as a jumping off point
Call em “The Bum’s”
Last year’s Twins representatives were Morneau, Hunter and Santana. None of them started. Mauer was an all-star in 2006 with Santana and Liriano. And, as stated earlier, Hunter was the last Twin to start in an all-star game.
I’d make the 3-5 hr drive…. depending on the bridge or I-87 to see the Bums play.
Shawn in Binghamton I grew up watching the Bums in LA at Chavez Raveen
The problem with the All-Star voting is that fan votes starts WAY too early in the season to mean anything.
1) Instead of favorite by position, favorite by team.
1a) If you must stick with favorite by position, then keep AL lineups as is (w/DH) You can determine the NL DH by fan vote (with team’s determining who that guy would be) or make it a special vote similar to the 26th man thing.
2) Have a DH in the NL parks. In the All-Star game hitters should hit and pitchers should pitch. End of story.
3) Initial “by team” voting is done at the park ONLY. This prevents potential ballot stuffing to weaken a position to assist another player. This would also take away the initial “weakness” of a poor balance of home/away games, as the majority of people voting at a home game are going to be home fans.
4) Take the top 5 “by team” and compile that into your “by position” ballot leading up to the All-Star game. If there’s 10 shortstops and 3 catchers…oh well.
5) Split “OF” into LF/CF/RF. Each position has different responsibilities. You don’t list “MIF” as one position…do you?
Some tweaks to that would make a much more interesting ballot. As you would only have a max of 5 players from a team on a ballot. Splitting the outfield, and keeping the DH as DH would also ensure a greater variety as well.
How about fresno State Jimmy Bee?
All Star voting is always a mess. For the good of the Twins’ franchise, it would be best for Mauer to stay home for the three days, but he truly deserves to be the starting catcher.
Morneau and Nathan probably should be on the team, as well. No one else.
He’ll catch 5 innings max w/ at least one off day before and two after. No worries.
I just hope that if he does make it that Morneau will decline if asked to join the HR derby because it ruined his second half last year and he still hasn’t found his HR stroke yet.
Shawn in Binghamton Fresno St woooo hooooo. I love to watch the games but that noise, that horrible tinging noise of the metal bat.
BC,
Morneau said last year that he would never do the HR Derby again as that was partly to blame for is second half power slump.
I know sweetone i was being sarcastic i don’t but that do you?
It is astounding that Mauer is battling a guy who is .113/.175/.170/.345 in June with a grand total of 6 hits.
Which part shouldn’t I buy:
The part where Morneau partially blames the HR Derby for ruining his swing the 2nd half of the year.
or
The part that He will actually decline the Derby if asked.
Put Cue Ball in the Derby it doesn’t matter if his swing gets tainted
Besides, they’ll have newcomers Hamilton and Quentin to ruin their swings this year.
Maybe if Mauer DID enter the HR Derby he would FIND his HR swing?
Hey… a guy can hope.
To say the HR derby hurt his swing would be like Ray Allen saying that the three point shootout hurt his shot.
jhawk,
sadly, what’s probably more astounding is that Mauer isn’t running 3rd… behind Veritek AND Posada.
Put DY in the derby.
not to think there might be east coast bias, but they are already pushing schilling for the hof. if he hadn’t pitched in boston he wouldn’t even be considered. it’s the world series bloody sock thing him battling, getting after it(gardy would love him). of course those same things don’t seem to be enough for black jack, but rings with the tigers, twins and jays don’t mean as much. sorry this east coast crap makes me sick, jerks! same thing that makes a mockery out of all star games. who’s on tv tonight, what the red sox? how rare is that?
38 Pitches isn’t getting in until deep in his eligibility if at all. Everyone will calm down over the next 5 years, plus there are probably going to be a number of 1st ballot guys eligible the same summer he is so that’ll change perspectives a bit as well.
BC,
Hunter said the same thing after he did as well and other players have said as well.
If the base his HOF entrance on playoff performance, then Schilling should get in. But if they take his career stats, he is only a slightly above average pitcher. He only won 216 games over 20 years and has a career era of 3.46.
Re: Schilling and HOF,
here are his numbers using the 4 statistical criteria existing to compare possible HOFs with HOFs (from baseball reference):
Black Ink: Pitching - 42 (Average HOFer ? 40)
Gray Ink: Pitching - 205 (Average HOFer ? 185)
HOF Standards: Pitching - 46.0 (Average HOFer ? 50)
HOF Monitor: Pitching - 171.0 ( (Likely HOFer > 100)
3 out 4 say he is in.
here are the same stats for Blyleven and Kaat for comparison:
Blyleven:
Black Ink: Pitching - 16 (Average HOFer ? 40)
Gray Ink: Pitching - 237 (Average HOFer ? 185)
HOF Standards: Pitching - 50.0 (Average HOFer ? 50)
HOF Monitor: Pitching - 120.5 (Likely HOFer > 100)
Kaat:
Black Ink: Pitching - 16 (Average HOFer ? 40)
Gray Ink: Pitching - 125 (Average HOFer ? 185)
HOF Standards: Pitching - 44.0 (Average HOFer ? 50)
HOF Monitor: Pitching - 129.5 (Likely HOFer > 100)
I wasn’t aware that Lewis Black was a poster on this site! Thanks T for making my day.
Shannon
here is a gem from AP
read this unedited (or MS Word Dictionary edited) article about the Twins
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-twins-casillasimprovement&prov=ap&type=lgns
“Brian Buster” and “Carols Game”
Bisonaudit…to your 2:42 post.
In Greater London (inside their Beltway)
Premiership Teams (Level 1)…5
Arsenal
Chelsea
Fulham
Tottenham
West Ham
Championship Teams (Level 2)…4
Charlton Athletic
Crystal Palace
Queens Park Rangers
Watford
(Charlton, Crystal Palace & Watford have been in the Premiership in the last 3 years)
League 1 Teams (Level 3)…2
Leyton Orient
Milwall
(Milwall has been in the Premiership in the past 10 years) Also, Milton Keynes Dons was a Premiership team in Greater London, as Wimbledon FC until 2000, before the Football Association allowed them to move. We supporters of WFC said up yours and started our own team AFC Wimbledon. We HATE MK and just got promoted to Level 6 (Conference South)
League 2 (Level 4)…1
Brentford
That’s 12 of the 92 professional clubs in UK Soccer in Greater London. 9 of these Clubs have been in the Premiership within the past 3 years. Milwall and Queens Park Rangers have also been in the Premiership. Brentford is the only one That has not played top flight football in a very long time, a cursory look says 70 odd years.
One thing you must understand, at least about UK Soccer, is unlike US sports, where most franchises are City/Metropolitan area based, Soccer Clubs are more community oriented.
Regards,
Regards,
Dragon,
there is a (not so) small difference here:
a. England is about the size of New England + North Atlantic US.
b. Football (soccer) is the premier competitive sport in the British Isles so you better compare it to Football this side of the pond. (How many Cricket teams are there in the greater London area)
c. Being a soccer fan, I beg to differ that the English Premier league is the best soccer league in the continent (the German, Spanish, Italian, French, Greek leagues are equally competitive)
d. Professional baseball, unlike any other sport in the universe is organization based. No other sport has a 5-6 layer deep minor league organizational system
and yes, before the westward expansion NY had 3 MLB teams and Boston 2, so that would be about equivalent to what London has today
I always vote against Twins players for the All Star Game. I figure it’s better for our guys to get the rest.
Black Ink: Pitching - 42 (Average HOFer ? 40)
Gray Ink: Pitching - 205 (Average HOFer ? 185)
HOF Standards: Pitching - 46.0 (Average HOFer ? 50)
HOF Monitor: Pitching - 171.0 ( (Likely HOFer > 100)
WTF is Black Ink? Gray Ink? ETC?
JP,
check this link for explanations (way too long to post here)
http://www.baseball-reference.com/about/leader_glossary.shtml#black_ink
Mauer overtakes Varitek you say,i thought all he did was hit singles and hit into double plays.I bet he didn’t get any votes from the negatives types on this board
Thrylos98,
First I’ll address (c.). I don’t think I said anything regarding the Quality or lack thereof of the English Premiership. Other than if you are looking for investing opportunities, League’s 1 & 2 offer more value, Wigan Athletic in the Premiership. Last year Almeria and Racing Santander in Spain’s La Liga, Sivasspoor in Turkey, Hoffenheim in Bundesliga 2, Tampere United in Finland, Zenit St. Petersburg & Kazan Rubin in Russia 
Second, I was responding to a post of Bisonaudit referencing New York supporting 6 MLB Teams and his question/thought about London and professional Soccer Teams.
Third, There is no US sport that compares to the organiztion structure of Soccer (I presume worldwide) particularly in Europe. As I mentioned, US sports are generally City supported, with New York, Chicago, LA, and the Bay Area exceptions where depending on the sport there are multiple teams (2/3). Soccer’s support is substantially wider due to worldwide appeal, but other than a few top name teams, Man Utd, Real Madrid, Barca, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, and several others with appeal outside their home countries, Most clubs are community based in very compact geography.
Fourth, You are correct, Soccer is the primary sport in the UK. But, Cricket, Rugby, or fox hunting are not in the same discussion as soccer. In the US, there are 5-7 sports in the mix, depending on how you slice them. NFL, College FB, Baseball, NBA, College BB, NHL, even NASCAR. You can rank them however, yet the gap between any of those sports or even top to bottom is less than soccer and whatever else is 2nd best in the UK.
Regards
Please remember, young ladies, that voting for your favorite hunk Joe Mauer does not mean you can’t also vote for other Twins like Justin Morneau. So please vote accordingly and then you can go back to making your “Marry Me, JOE! Whooo!” signs.
“The part where Morneau partially blames the HR Derby for ruining his swing the 2nd half of the year.”
I believe Thome declined one year for this reason. A-Rod also has passed on the Derby on more than one occasion.
It seems like a guy will do it the first time he’s invited, then realize what it does to their swing and not do it again.
It won’t take long for the Twins to started sputtering and losing games once Punto returns to the lineup.
Hey herb,
Say hello to tommy, Eve, Sybil, and your other personalities when they pop out at your shrink’s office during therapy sessions this week.
Hey herb you lick the sweat off of baseballs. Woooooooooh!!!! The Nature boy says sane is right and you are a horses arse
Like old Jack Burton used to say,”the checks in the mail”. Woooooooh!! Herb cleans monkey cages with a toothbrush before posting on the blog
how about Johan giving up the Granny to King Felix last night!! in typical Johan fashion he blamed it on Wright’s error and Felix closing his eyes and somehow the bat found the ball… The Met fans booed plenty during the game according to NY newspapers.. I guess Johan has 10M more reasons to not be a Twin but NY is started to exact it’s pund of flesh from him..
if i recall santana got what he wanted, he can now live with it.
i, for one, feel real sorry that it hasn’t worked out perfectly for him.
We need to take attendance on the blogs during winning streaks and losing streaks.
If we corelate wins and losses with whoever posts, we can categorize commenters as:
1) Regulars
2) Front Runners - Bandwagoners
3) Whiners, bitchers and haters.
4) Psychopaths
Then, each category could get their own blog and we could read only the comments that match our own current mood swings.
All good stuff.
sane I would hope that I fall under regular/possitive for the most part/humor
sane one more thing I must mention is gooooooo Fresno St.
“sane one more thing I must mention is gooooooo Fresno St.”
Not a SoCal school, but with many key ex-SoCal HS players and ex-CSN head coach Mike Batesole.
Psychopaths? so you think some commenters are women too??
FIRE,
“Psychopaths? so you think some commenters are women too??”
Sorry, I’m not getting it.
sane I know, I am a So-Cal native but still there were no So-Cal teams in it this year. I root for Cal teams at that point over places like Georgia and Miami which I am not even close to being from. Fresno is at least in the same state. I would also consider Fresno Central Cali and not Nor-Cal.
Cuddyer doesn’t seem to be very intelligent, he has a mindset of a little league player. I think it may account for all his mental mistakes in the field and on the base paths. Maybe the team would benefit from Denard Span being the starting right fielder.
“According to Castrovince at MLB.com, the Indians have signed reliever Juan Rincon and infielder Tony Graffanino to minor league deals.”
“T says:
June 23rd, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Mauer, Morneau, Santana and Nathan I think were the four Twins in 2007. (Maybe not Mauer, I know Morneau was though)
Hunter was the last starter in 2002 (when he stole Bonds’ homer) I don’t think he made it back to the All-Star game after that.”
Hunter made it in 2007. (Did not start but made it)
[…] Mauer overtakes Varitek in All-Star voting Mauer has 1,178,630 votes. Varitek 1,113,855. At first base, Boston’s Kevin Youkilis has the lead at 1,482,011, with Justin Morneau… […]
