Sometimes you get frauds. This is the kind of thing that happens when you let the public decide. It’s the downside of any popularity contest. Because getting the most votes doesn’t actually mean you’re the best.

And that’s especially true in Major League Baseball the past couple years, where the shift to online-only voting has led to some serious ballot-box-stuffing.

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Remember Omar Infante nearly becoming the starting second baseman last season even though he was one of the worst hitters in the AL? Fun fact: Infante was released by the Kansas City Royals recently, but he’s still No. 4 at his position this season.

Updated AL & NL All-Star tallies. Last day to vote is Thursday, at https://t.co/FrTqzo76k4 pic.twitter.com/AAtsxBO1Xv — Big League Stew (@bigleaguestew) June 27, 2016





Of course, most of the ballot is made up of deserving players. You can see that from the most recent tallies above. The frauds are few and far between, but make no mistake, they are there. And not just at the top of the standings either. Some are in the middle of the pack, receiving far more votes than they ought to. So for this week’s Big League Stew roundtable, we’re calling them out.

ADDISON RUSSELL

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Of all the amazing talents the Cubs have brought to the big leagues under Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer, I believe Addison Russell will make the greatest long term impact. At 22, though, he hasn’t yet turned that corner, which makes the likelihood that he’ll be voted as an All-Star starter a disappointment.

The numbers tell the story. Russell only hit .242 in 142 games last season and he’s right at that same level this season. He’s also on pace to match last season’s home run total of 13. That’s fine for the Cubs. He’s still playing elite defense and they’re getting offense from other sources, but it’s not worthy of All-Star consideration.

Trevor Story of the Rockies and Corey Seager of the Dodgers both have better resumes and will hopefully get the call to be there regardless. (Mark Townsend)

YADIER MOLINA

There’s no debating that Yadier Molina has earned his stripes as one of the National League’s top catchers the past 13 seasons. He’s the backbone of the Cardinals, a fan favorite and if we were talking about an all-decade team, he might warrant all the love he’s getting as an All-Star this season. Molina leads the vote among NL catchers, mostly because Cardinals fans adore him and he has a recognizable name. But in terms of value, Fangraphs puts him sixth among the six qualified catchers in the NL right now.

So this isn’t a matter of a position that has two worthwhile candidates and the No. 2 guy getting more fan support — this is just flat-out wrong. Wilson Ramos and Buster Posey lead all NL catchers in Wins Above Replacement (at 2.3) with Jonathan Lucroy not fair behind (2.1). Yadi? He’s at 0.5.

If there’s justice in the All-Star voting, Molina loses the 5,000-vote lead he has on Posey by the time the rosters are announced. (Mike Oz)

Jason Heyward is way too close to being an All-Star considering his production this season. (AP) More

JASON HEYWARD

With the Cubs doing so well this year, it makes sense that a number of them are getting All-Star love. Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant make a lot of sense. But Jason Heyward does not.

He’s received the fourth most votes of any outfielder in the National League despite batting .237/.327/.328 with four homers. That’s not really All-Star caliber, is it? I’m not sure why he’s getting so many All-Star votes. Maybe it’s because he’s on the Cubs, who have a definite team-of-destiny feel about them. Or maybe fans are remembering his performance last year, and in previous years.

Unfortunately, that Jason Heyward hasn’t shown up yet for the Cubs, even though that’s the one fans might be voting for. (Liz Roscher)

Story continues