The 2013 All-Star Game is right around the corner and another set of votes came in over the weekend. There are a few positions already out of reach, and few that may come down to the wire. I will dissect the voting, as well as tell you who really belongs at each position. My fellow Sports Script writer, Maria, is going to take on the AL and I am going to tackle the NL.

1^st Baseman:

Leading Vote: Joey Votto

Who Should Play: Paul Goldschmidt

Votto is the current leader in votes; he has a 400K lead over Goldschmidt. Votto is not having a shabby season himself. He’s hitting .326 with 13 HRs & 37 RBIs but Goldschmidt should start this game. He is hitting .306 with 19 HRs & 65 RBIs. He currently sits 1^st place in HRs, RBIs & 3^rd in hits in the NL.

2^nd Baseman:

Leading Vote: Brandon Phillips

Who Should Play: Phillips

Phillips has around a 300K lead over Marco Scutaro, which isn’t a very big lead. Giants fans have been known to vote and vote often for their players. But no matter what the vote comes down to, Phillips belongs in this game. He has more than double (60) RBIs than the next 2^nd baseman; he is 2^nd in HRs behind Uggla & 4^th in hits. Phillips more than deserves to play in this game.

3^rd Baseman:

Leading Vote: David Wright

Who Should Play: Wright

Wright has a very slim lead over Sandoval but there is no other deserving 3^rd baseman than Wright. He is either 1^st or 2^nd in every hitting category at his position. It would be also cool for Wright to start an All-Star game on his home field.

ShortStop:

Leading Vote: Troy Tulowitzki

Who Should Play: Jean Segura

While Tulowitzki is the leading vote getter by a large number, he is also injured and most likely will not be available for the All-Star game. If he is however, then he should start. Going off the basis that he doesn’t start, Jean Segura should be the player to get the nod here. Segura is off to a surprisingly hot start, hitting .336 with 11 HRs, 31 RBIs and 23 SBs. His stats are a lot better than 2^nd place vote getter Brandon Crawford.

Catcher:

Leading Vote: Yadier Molina

Who Should Play: Yadier Molina

In the latest votes, Molina overtook Posey in 1^st place by a margin of 90 thousand votes. No matter the outcome, Molina belongs behind the backstop in this game. He has more hits, runs, doubles, 3 less homers, 1 less RBI, 2 more SBs and he is batting 46 points better. So my case here is closed.

Outfield:

Leading Vote: Carlos Beltran, Justin Upton & Bryce Harper

Who Should Play: Carlos Beltran, Carlos Gonzalez & Domonic Brown

We all know the All-Star game is really a popularity contest and it really shows in this category. Upton, who started the season hot, has just come up short on every account since. Harper is also near the top for some of the same reasons. Even though he was hitting pretty well before he was injured, he has been out for a little while and doesn’t belong in the game. Gonzalez is within 300k of Harper but I don’t think he will catch him. The big travesty here is Brown being in 14^th place and nowhere near the starting lineup. Brown has more HRs than Upton and Harper, as well as a better batting average over Upton by 30 points and 16 more RBIs. There is no doubt in my mind that Brown and Gonzalez belong with Beltran in the All-Star Game.

Now for those who I think should be the Starting Pitchers for the game.

Candidates: Adam Wainwright, Matt Harvey, Patrick Corbin, Cliff Lee, Jordan Zimmerman

The popular pick of everyone is to have Harvey start, not only because he is having one heck of a season, but also because the game is at Citi Field. I don’t think he should be awarded the start though just because of the game being at his home park. There will be plenty of All-Star games in the future for this kid to pitch and start it; this shouldn’t be one of them. Lee, Zimmerman and Corbin are all having monster seasons, and are very capable of starting this game. I think this position should go to Wainwright, the starting pitcher for the NL’s best team. He is tied for 1^st in the NL with 10 wins, tied for 1^st in complete games, tied for 1^st in quality starts, 1^st in shutouts and 4^th in strikeouts. For all the reasons noted, Wainwright should get his 1^st All-Star start of his career.