The All-Star game isn’t until July 16, but voting ends on Thursday, July 4. That’s not very much time for Matt Wieters to catch up to Joe Mauer, who, in the last round of voting, created enough separation to virtually guarantee him as the American League’s starter behind the plate at Citi Field.
MLB All-Star Game 2013 voting: AL Catcher
Joe Mauer has a commanding lead with very little time left to change that.
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Joe Mauer, 3,869,330
You can’t blame the voters for their loyalty to Mauer, as he’s hitting .318/.402/.475, and leads all American League catchers in OPS+. Mauer is also widely regarded as a quality defensive backstop, so it’s difficult not to fawn over someone so utterly dominant, even if he does spend an awful lot of time as a designated hitter these days. It almost seemed like people forgot just how talented Mauer was due to his one down campaign in 2011, but he’s looked nearly as good as he ever has over the last two years -- and more importantly, he looks like he’ll be healthy for the mid-summer classic.
Matt Wieters, 2,677,959
Why should Wieters win?
"If you're looking for a reason to vote for Matt Wieters over Joe Mauer, there is this: Wieters actually spends a lot of time behind the plate. Mauer has made just 51 starts at catcher this season while Wieters had logged 72 games with top notch defense. Plus, it would be really cool to have five Orioles in the starting lineup." -- Stacey, Camden Chat Orioles fans have come out in droves to vote for their guys at various positions, but that hasn't been enough to push Matt Wieters over the likes of Mauer in the polls. Wieters is best known for his glove work behind the plate, and has continued to produce with the gear on in 2013, most noticeably by tossing out 42 percent of opposing basestealers. His offense hasn't been on the same level, though, as Wieters is hitting just .229/.286/.400 following two strong campaigns at the plate where he was well, well above the average catcher at the plate. Still, though, between his pre-2013 reputation and the push from the O's fan base, he's made a game of this race despite those struggles.
A.J. Pierzynski, 1,441,827
It’s not surprising to see Pierzynski in third despite having a better season than Wieters, mostly because he’s A.J. Pierzynski -- only fans of the team he’s on are allowed, by Baseball Law, to like him. Rangers fans have done their best to foist him on the rest of us for July 16, but, thankfully, Joe Mauer and Orioles fans have kept this from being an actual threat. That’s not to say Pierzynski isn’t deserving, by the way: he’s having your typical quality Pierzynski-esque season at the plate, and could very likely make the squad through manager selection.
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