Who should start the 2013 All-Star Game: A Sabermetric ballot

Surprise! Voters are terrible at picking the most valuable players for the All-Star Game

Robinson Cano
(Image credit: AARON JOSEFCZYK/Reuters/Corbis)

Baseball's All-Star Game is a popularity contest.

Fans can vote up to 25 times to determine the game's starting rosters, resulting in widespread ballot stuffing that ensures undeserving fan favorites (read: overrated players) get the nod while deserving players get shut out. There's a reason Derek Jeter has only missed the Midsummer Classic twice in the last 15 years. Fans picked him to start the 2011 All-Star Game even though he was the 20th most valuable player at his position, based on Wins Above Replacement (WAR), through the midway point of that season.

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.