Giancarlo Stanton fourth in All-Star voting for NL outfielders

Giancarlo Stanton is the best young power hitter in the game, leads the National League in home runs, is batting over .300 on the season, and is second in baseball in WAR (Wins Above Replacement).

None of this apparently matters to baseball fans, as Stanton is in fourth place among NL outfielders in terms of votes for the All-Star game.

The last Marlin to start in the All-Star game was in 2010, when Hanley Ramirez started at short for the National League.

Unless Marlins fans start to vote in greater numbers, the 2014 season will be the fourth consecutive season to not feature a Marlin in the starting lineup.

Stanton sits behind the most surprising player in baseball Charlie Blackmon, and perennial MVP candidates Andrew McCutchen and Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun in the first ballot update for the NL starting lineup.

Stanton has 426,228 votes, 20,552 behind No. 3 Braun.

Here is a quick look at how Stanton’s numbers compare to the three guys ahead of him in the first turnout of the All-Star votes (through games played 5/27):

[table id=42 /]

Stanton clearly is the superior this season, in terms of offensive numbers, to the other three players ahead of him.

Yasiel Puig is actually fifth in All-Star voting and has superior offensive numbers to Stanton on the season.

In my opinion, Puig, Stanton, and McCutchen should be the starting outfield for the National League in the Mid-Summer classic. Those three are the best all-around outfielders in the NL this year, and have a strong case for the top 5 in all of baseball this season.

His teammates, including Tom Koehler, are going to do their part to make a push for Stanton’s campaign to make the All-Star game as a starter.

"“If we’ve got to campaign for him, then something is wrong with the process,” he said. “I’ll make sure to send out my Tweets, #StantonForAllStar. But if he’s not in Minnesota, then there is a problem.”"

It’s on you, Marlins fans. You need to get out there and vote, vote for Giancarlo Stanton to take his deserving place as a starter in the All-Star game! Go vote on MLB.com right now.