The 2022 MLB All-Star ballot is out, and Phase 1 voting is underway. From June 8 through June 30 fans can vote their favorite AL and NL players to the Midsummer Classic up to five times per day. According to Major League Baseball, fan votes during this time are more influential than in previous voting cycles. In 2022, “the player with the most votes per league will automatically win the starting spot at their position.”
After a short break for the July 4 holiday weekend, voting resumes with Phase 2. The player from each league that received the most votes in Phase 1 moves right past go and collects two hundred dollars. They’re automatically named to the starting lineup, thus bypassing Phase 2. The rest of the high vote getters square off for the remaining eight slots on their respective rosters. During Phase 2 voting from July 5 to July 8, fans are allowed to vote once per day to make their voice heard.
Eventually, players that make the final cut are headed to the 2022 MLB All-Star Game in Los Angeles on July 19.
Seattle fans, let’s get voting.
There are a couple of Mariners that deserve to be sweating their faces off in the California heat.
Last week, Mariners PR assembled a case for several players that aggregated key stats. It’s definitely worth a read. Instead of trying to best that, I will augment with a few thoughts, updated numbers, and the occasional visual.
If you couldn’t tell already, I LOVE A GREAT VISUAL AID.
Today’s spotlight belongs to Tyler Lawrence France.
Ty France
France is an AL leaderboard mainstay this season in several offensive categories. Pick your flavor. He’s got stats for ever palate. For classic batting average lovers, France is hitting .324 (4th in AL). His OBP of .401 (4th in AL) also qualifies him for dual citizenship on the basepaths. He’s been on base 110 times this season. That’s first in the American League, ten ahead of second place Aaron Judge.
Other notables:
| Category | Total | Rank in AL |
| Hits | 78 | 2nd |
| RBI | 39 | 8th |
| Total Bases | 117 | 6th |
| WRC+ | 163 | 7th |
| WAR | 2.9 | 8th |
| Offensive WAR | 2.7 | 6th |
| Base-Out Runs Added (RE24)* | 21.87 | 2nd |
| Win Probability Added (WPA) | 2.2 | 2nd |
*Given the bases occupied/out situation, how many runs did the batter or baserunner add in the resulting play, compared to average. 0 is average so anything above is better than average. Via Baseball Reference.
This is also pretty.
When I wrote about France a few weeks ago, I mentioned his high leverage splits. He’s slashing an eye-popping .408/.464/.592 with runners in scoring position. Behind in the count? Not a problem for #23. France is hitting .326/.341/.461 in pitcher favorable situations.
Let’s just take a moment to admire his Clutch Stats on Baseball Reference.
Ty France is a difficult out. He might not walk much (aside from getting hit by all those pitches), but he doesn’t strike out much either. His K% is 12.7% (10th best in AL).
As Angie Mentink noted while crushing the color commentary on a Root Sports broadcast this year, “there aren’t a lot of holes in that swing.”
His swing/take profile on Baseball Savant denotes a +20 run value already this season.
And since I’m going ham on supplemental graphics, allow me to add his 2022 spray chart.
France does not discriminate with his hit placement. He will place the ball anywhere.
When you pull up the 2022 All-Star ballot, there are only five AL first basemen with an OPS over .800.
José Abreu (.802)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.834)
Ji-Man Choi (.857)
Luis Arráez (.880)
Ty France (.886)
France’s BA is second only to Arráez (.362). His RBI second only to Anthony Rizzo (41). I’m open about my Seattle bias, but numbers don’t lie. Vote this man to his first All-Star Game in his home state of California. Ty France deserves a starting spot on the roster.
Whatever the temperature, I promise to dress properly for the occasion.
