Where’s the Love for Matt Joyce?

The initial All-Star voting results are in (as of June 1) and I’m not really surprised by any of the results. There are a lot of Yankee and Red Sox players up there in the balloting, but as someone said on MLB Network Radio this morning, the voting is a popularity contest and the Yankees and Red Sox have the “biggest back yards.” The Yankees have the entire infield including catcher Russell Martin. Curtis Granderson is one of the leaders in the outfield balloting.

The Rays do have two outfielders in the top 15 in the voting, but in my opinion they are the wrong two. Sam Fuld is 13th and B.J. Upton is 15th. Where is Matt Joyce? He leads the league in hitting at .361, third in the league in on base at .421. His nine homers and 30 RBI lead the team and has added solid defense in left and right field. Casey Kotchman, who isn’t even on the ballot, also deserves some recognition. Like Joyce, he’s hitting .361 (although he doesn’t have enough plate appearances yet to qualify for the batting title) and has provided great defense at first base.

I’m wearing my Rays Colored Glasses as well, so I’d like to see a lot of Rays in the festivities in July, but honestly there would be no bigger All-Star snub than Matt Joyce.