Yasiel Puig is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
At least that’s what ESPN and many Los Angeles Dodgers fans think.
After the announcement of the all-star rosters, the final vote players were announced with Puig going up against four others.
But the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays have joined forces to help ensure Puig doesn’t win the final vote. The Braves are pushing for their fans to vote for not only Freddie Freeman, but also for Toronto’s Steve Delbar. The Blue Jays have agreed to do the same.
So far it’s worked.
As of Tuesday morning, both players were leading their respective leagues in the final votes, with the results being revealed Thursday at 4 p.m.
This is occurring despite the fact that ESPN and MLB are pushing for Puig to get the vote because they think he deserves it.
It’s angered a lot of fans and had former Braves player Chipper Jones putting his two cents in on Twitter:
The fact remains that Puig doesn’t deserve the nod over everyone else.
Bryce Harper’s Classy Move
Last year, Bryce Harper pulled off one of the classiest moves when it came to the final vote. Pitted against Jones, Harper said he’d vote for Jones, according to the USA Today’s Gabe Lacques.
Harper knew he’d have more opportunities, saying Jones deserved it more than he did. Luckily for the two, injuries helped them both to Kansas City.
This year, the same holds true for Puig.
While he’s been exciting, he’s only been in the big leagues for a little more than a month.
He has 33 games under his belt and has been a one-month phenom. But that doesn’t mean he deserves to go to the All-Star game.
The PR Push
Luckily for Freeman, both Atlanta’s and Toronto’s PR departments have been pushing for fans to vote for him.
In fact, it was such a good move that the Tigers and Giants decided to team up to help their candidates as well. Hunter Pence is getting support from Detroit fans, while Joaquin Benoit is getting backing from San Francisco fans.
However, they got started a day later than the Braves and Blue Jays, which could mean all the difference in the world.
But the real race comes down to Freeman and Puig.
Both fanbases think their guy is more deserving, and one set of fans will cry foul when the winning player is revealed.
Whether it’s ESPN’s and MLB’s push for Puig or the Blue Jays teaming up with the Braves to push Freeman, it’s clear that inn the end someone is going to lose out.
But you have to admit, the Blue Jays and Braves made a great move in response to ESPN.
It will be interesting to see what the fans decide.
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