COMMENTARY| Apparently there is a shortage of All-Star worthy secondbasemen in the American League. For those not big on Texas Rangers middle-bagger Ian Kinsler, or the Boston Red Sox's Dustin Pedroia, fan voters have another option this year: The pride of the Detroit Tigers, Ryan Raburn.
I can think of at least 20 secondbasemen better than Raburn, who is hitting a pulsating .157 with an astronomical six RBI.
I understand the concept of giving each team's fans options. Of course, Tigers fans want to vote their own into the mid-summer classic. However, even Detroiters wouldn't cast a vote for Raburn.
As I was skimming All-Star Game-related material, I stumbled upon the MLB Fan Voting page. To my surprise, Raburn was one of 14 AL secondbasemen featured.
Robinson Cano, the New York Yankees' power-hitting infielder? Na, he's a Yankee. No vote there. How about the Seattle Mariners' up-and-coming Dustin Ackley? Nope. Not him, either. Too young with too much potential.
I know Raburn is the butt of jokes. He has been for a few years in Detroit. Maybe MLB wanted to play a cruel joke on Tigers fans? Maybe the powers-that-be thought it would be funny to prod those in Detroit by putting up the most unlikely player for All-Star glory?
When it's all said and done, Tigers fans should negate their hometown allegiance and vote for a legitimate candidate like Kinsler. Heck, even the Chicago White Sox's Gordon Beckham seems like a better option at this point; he's hitting .205 with 10 RBI.
Jokes aside, Raburn is actually a good guy from what I've seen during his post-game interviews. It must be tough knowing that next to Brandon Inge, he was the most rooted against Tigers player -- and that cheering came from the bleachers at Comerica Park and from the living rooms all across the great state of Michigan.
Raburn would probably be the first to tell you that he's nowhere near an All-Star. He may even question MLB.com's logic of putting him in the voting.
Adam Biggers has followed Major League Baseball for over 20 years, specifically the Detroit Tigers. He can be found on Twitter @AdamBiggers81.
