All-Star Game voting is open: Which Diamondbacks have made their case?

PHOENIX — Fans have been able to make their picks for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game next month for a week, as voting opened online last Wednesday.

Baseball fans have a chance to vote for position player starters every day through June 25, at which point the top two vote-getters at each position (six outfielders) in each league move onto the next phase. The top vote-getters in each league overall will be inserted into the starting lineup, automatically.

Reserves and pitchers are picked via player ballots and commissioner’s office votes.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have several players with cases to make the Midsummer Classic roster, including outfielder Corbin Carroll, who has been among the top offensive producers in the sport this far into the season.

“Man, we’ve got Corbin. Corbin has been doing really good,” shortstop Geraldo Perdomo said. “(Ketel) Marte has been showing up so far. (Ildemaro) Vargas is on the list. The pitcher, (Eduardo) Rodriguez has been awesome. I hope these guys can get some votes and some credit.”

“I feel very strongly about Corbin,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “I feel very strongly about Ketel. I’d love to see that (Ildemaro) Vargas is on the ballot and getting votes. Nolan Arenado is having a fantastic year. I feel strongly about him. I know a lot of it is sometimes a popularity contest and I respect that, but at some point the players vote on it and that’s the part of it that I really like when it gets down to the nitty gritty and the backups are chosen.”

Let’s go through which Diamondbacks position players have the best chance:

Which Diamondbacks have made their All-Star case?

No doubter

• OF Corbin Carroll

Carroll might be a National League MVP finalist if the season ended today based on his numbers, which continue to be impressive considering he broke his hamate bone in his right hand right before the start of spring training.

Overall, Carroll is slashing .283/.372/.558 for an OPS of .930, fourth in the National League and second among NL outfielders (James Wood at .946). Carroll leads the major leagues with eight triples, still more than 14 teams in MLB.

Work to do

• 3B Nolan Arenado
• 1B Ildemaro Vargas
• 2B Ketel Marte

Arenado does not have the same caliber of statistics, but there was an extended stretch from the middle of April into June when he was among the hottest hitters in the sport.

From April 13 to June 2, Arenado has the second-best OPS in the National League at .972, hitting eight home runs with 11 doubles. His bat has quieted down since then, but he went into the voting period on a high note.

Max Muncy of the Los Angeles Dodgers is probably the fitting starter at this point, but Arenado has made a case to be the second-stringer.

The argument for Vargas is that he had arguably the most remarkable month of April in the league. A journeyman infielder in his 10th major league season, Vargas won the NL Player of the Month, carrying a batting average of .404 on May 1.

He was bound to cool off, but could he keep his numbers high enough to compete for an unlikely All-Star spot? Vargas is batting .183 since May 2.

First base is stacked in the NL, as well. Atlanta’s Matt Olson leads the position group with 19 home runs and is second with a .903 OPS. Freddie Freeman has put together another very good season for the Dodgers, while two-time MVP Bryce Harper has hit 14 home runs for the Phillies, who are hosting the event.

Vargas is probably going to need to heat back up quickly, but there is something to be said for being named the best player in the league over an entire month.

Marte is in the opposite situation. His start to the season was worse than expected when it came to results, but he hit the ball hard consistently enough to expect better fortune. That proved to be true, as Marte won an NL Player of the Week award on May 26, and has hit some massive home runs in the past few weeks, including two walk-off shots.

The second base pool has also been very good in the NL this year with five players having amassed at least 2.3 WAR (FanGraphs), none of whom are named Marte (1.3). Milwaukee’s Brice Turang leads the group at 2.7, so Marte will have to tear the cover off the ball to make up some of the ground.

Pitchers who should be considered

• LHP Eduardo Rodriguez
• RHP Michael Soroka
• RHP Paul Sewald

Even though fans cannot vote for pitchers, looking at All-Star cases can shed some light on deserving cases, regardless.

Rodriguez is the clear frontrunner for the Diamondbacks. After two years of underwhelming results after he signed an $80 million deal, Rodriguez has been the ace of the staff this year.

The left-hander is fifth in the NL in innings pitched with 78.2, and he is fifth among qualified starters in ERA at 2.52. Only Cristopher Sanchez, Jacob Misiorowski, Chase Burns and Chris Sale have better ERAs. Rodriguez is ahead of Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Paul Skenes.

His success has translated into wins, as Arizona is 9-4 when he starts games with five total runs scored in the four defeats.

Soroka’s case is nearly as strong with a 3.28 ERA and eight wins, which rank second in the NL. He also provides a comeback narrative, as a phenom who suffered injuries and had to re-establish himself as a big league starter. He says he is a better pitcher now than when he made the All-Star Game as a 21-year-old in 2019.

And Sewald is fourth in the NL with 15 saves and has only blown one opportunity. The veteran has been one of the most pleasant surprises for this Diamondbacks season.

Related

Which players interest the D-backs at the trade deadline? John Gambadoro has 5 trade targets.Diamondbacks unable to get to Gavin Williams ahead of rain delay in disjointed loss to GuardiansDiamondbacks-Guardians finale resumes after 1.5-hour rain delay, benches clearing beforeDiamondbacks fans react as Dodgers land Cy Young ace Tarik Skubal in blockbuster moveDiamondbacks bullpen holds on to clinch series at Guardians after Paul Sewald shelledDiamondbacks trade deadline: Latest buzz and potential targets