Vote for Pedro

Which Phillies will make the 2009 All-Star team? That's up to you.

by E. James Beale

This past Sunday, the Philadelphia Phillies walked off the field at Citizens Bank Park in shame. They'd lost their sixth game in a row, and the eighth of their nine-game homestand. The fans, predictably, booed. And on one hand, that's fair. The Phillies haven't been winning at home, and when 40-some-thousand fans pay good money to see them, those fans have every right to voice their displeasure.

On the other hand, it's absurd. The Phillies are the reigning World F. Champions, and still ahead of the two-time National League East runner-up New York Mets. If a team brings our fair city a trophy, our fair city should repay that team with a season of unconditional love.

Fortunately, this week, Philadelphia has a chance to make amends. Next Thursday at 11:59 p.m. All Star voting for Major League Baseball officially closes. As things stand now, only two Phillies will be selected. That's not enough. The champs deserve better, and it's up to us to give it to them. To help you help the Phils, we've put together this primer of who to vote for. Now, Fan Up.

First Base

Current leader: Albert Pujols (2,934,794 votes)

Phillie on the ballot: Ryan Howard (second place, 1,541,258 votes behind)

Can he catch up: No

Why he should: Despite three consecutive top-three finishes in the MVP voting and improved defense, Ryan is stuck over one million votes behind Pujols. The more votes he gets, though, the easier it'll be to justify adding him as a reserve.

Second Base

Current leader: Chase Utley (2,922,796)

Phillie on the ballot: Chase Utley

Can he catch up: N/A

Why he should: The only real drama surrounding Utley is whether or not he will retake Pujols as the overall vote leader. Help him get there.

Third Base

Current leader: David Wright (1,698,366)

Phillie on the ballot: Pedro Feliz (fourth place, 743,421 votes behind)

Can he catch up: No

Why he should: Even if you put aside the fact that David Wright is a douchebag Met (which you shouldn't), Pedro should warrant some consideration. Not only does he wield a golden glove at third, he also has a sense for the moment: According to baseballreference.com, Feliz hits .371 in "high leverage" situations (compared to just .253 in "low leverage" ones). Thus far this year his average is 70 points higher if a game is close (within four runs). The man comes through.

Shortstop

Current leader: Hanley Ramirez (1,648,482)

Phillie on the ballot: Jimmy Rollins (second place, 154,016 votes behind)

Can he catch up: Absolutely

Why he should: So maybe young James was a bit off when he predicted he'd hit .400 over the month of June (as of press time he's hitting .195) but if any guy should be rewarded for last seasons' chip, it's the team's catalyst. Besides, if you vote him in, he'll have to shut up about Philadelphia front-running forever — a worthy cause if ever there was one.

Catcher

Current leader: Yadier Molina (1,496,285)

Phillie on the ballot: Carlos Ruiz (fifth place, 516,121 votes behind)

Can he catch up: Probably not.

Why he should: Just months after being considered a placeholder for young stud Lou Marson, Chooch Ruiz, the unsung hero of last year's World Series (reason enough to vote him in), has emerged as a force. Even with a recent cold streak, he's sitting on a .377 on-base percentage, and the entire staff trusts and loves him. Besides, Molina stinks.

Outfield

Current leaders: Raul Ibanez (2,465,539), Ryan Braun (2,178,144), Carlos Beltran (1,779,344)

Phillies on the ballot: Ibanez (first), Shane Victorino (fifth, 407,982 votes behind), Jayson Werth (ninth, 771,088 votes behind)

Can they catch up: Yes for Shane, no for Werth

Why they should: Rauuullll has earned the starting spot. But he's hardly the only Phillie who deserves a mention. Victorino leads NL outfielders in both hits and triples, and he and Werth tail only Ibanez and Braun in scoring runs. Both are also in the top 10 in steals.

Are they the second- and third-best National League outfielders this year? No, almost certainly not. But you're a Phillies fan! Sure, you're being an unabashed homer when you mark down an all red-and-white ballot, but this year, it's not about the guys who are playing the best. It's about the guys you believe have earned it.