A guy like Curtis Granderson from the Tigers, who’s one of the few five-tool players in baseball, is in the midst of a season where he’s batting .263 with 18 home runs, 43 RBIs, 48 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. He’s a key cog on a first place team that has a chance to go to the World Series. He should get the chance to play for home-field advantage in the Fall Classic. He probably won’t. He’s 13th in outfield voting.

This wouldn’t happen if fans weren’t allowed to vote in players. Who knows how this system started in the first place. It was probably a ploy by the league to spark interest and make the fan feel involved.

Nice try, terrible result.

Instead of getting the most deserving player in the All-Star game, we are stuck with the most popular player. Not exactly the system MLB should have stuck with when home-field advantage was awarded to the winning league of the Midsummer Classic.

The voting should rest with the players and the managers. By the time the All-Star games rolls around almost every team will have played all the other teams from its own league. The players and managers will have had an up close view of the best of the best.

Let them decide who should help their league try and lock down home-field advantage, not the guy with the beer belly 12 rows up in the nosebleed section.