New York Mets poor 2019 reflected in All-Star voting apathy

The finalists in MLB’s new all-star voting format were announced this week. No New York Mets players made the cut. It’s a clear message from the team’s fans.

It’s been a tough season so far for the New York Mets in 2019. Going into Saturday afternoon’s road game in Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs, they had a record of 36-40, good for fourth place in the National League East. The team’s disappointing play couldn’t motivate their fans to put one of their own into the top three at his position in the first stage of all-star voting.

This is a major statement or rather non-statement by the New York Mets fanbase. Fourth place and eight games out in the division place, plus four games back behind six other teams for an NL Wild Card spot was not enough to motivate them to vote. That is despite the fact that there are some worthy candidates on the roster.

So far offseason free-agent acquisition, catcher Wilson Ramos has had a lukewarm relationship with Mets fans. However aside from an early May slump, he’s been a consistent hitter in the middle of the order. That should be enough for him to at least challenge for a spot instead of garnering a little over 10% of the votes received by the third-place finisher.

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That may not be the best example, but the distance is what matters. What about Jeff McNeil? He’s third in the NL with a .341 batting average and 21st in OPS. Going into the final days of voting McNeil was 20th in NL outfield voting, but ninth place Charlie Blackmon had two and a half times McNeil’s votes for the last ticket into the final stage.

Maybe the player who was hurt the most was rookie Pete Alonso. The freshman phenom is on pace to hit 54 home runs in 2019. That total would break Aaron Judge‘s record for home runs by a rookie in a season. Yet the New York Mets slugger couldn’t break into the top three either.

The fact that the majority of New York Mets fans didn’t care enough to check off a few boxes online, speaks volumes. These results should scare the hell out of Mets ownership. Losing is one thing, but the Amazins have very loyal fans. Apathy, on the other hand, is a killer in professional sports.

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There are unpopular owners in every sport. Names like Snyder, Melnyk, and Sterling litter the landscape. Add to the list Wilpon (Fred or Jeff, take your pick). The fans have spoken by remaining silent. Is anyone in New York Mets ownership listening?

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