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FanPost Friday: Mariner-less in the Seattle-hosted All-Star Game?

Okay there will be at least one Mariner, but still, this is far from ideal!

By sanford_and_son
/ new
MLB: Seattle Mariners at Cleveland Guardians
it’s a nice patch
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Hello and welcome back to FanPost Friday. Apologies for the absence last week, I was dealing with a household full of head lice thanks to my children. Would not recommend.

First off, a quick plug for tomorrow’s watch party at Growler Guys! Come on out and have a wackadoodle good time!

All right, moving onto today’s topic. The All-Star Game on July 11 is rapidly approaching and the first phase of voting is over and done with. Predictably, as the Mariners have been extremely middling so far this season with no one position player having a standout season (starters and relievers, you’re beautiful, this isn’t about you), no Mariners players were leading vote-getters.

And this is pretty grim tidings for any of them making it as reserves, as of June 20:

To me, this is all feeding the general feeling of 2023 being a massive missed opportunity by the team to capitalize on the excitement of 2022 AND the hype and increased media coverage of hosting an All-Star Game. While the 2001 All-Star Game was a total outlier in terms of team representation and a confluence of a bunch of things breaking exactly right for the team, why would not want to at least try to do something approaching this?

@Mariners

The blame lies partly with the individual players for all slumping at various times throughout the first few months of the 2023 season, but it lies more so with the front office and ownership for not building a better team. A rising tide would have lifted all ships, more Mariners players would have had more productive stat lines, the team would be in contention for first in the division, and players would have likely received more votes. I really hoped that Julio’s popularity combined with the home game would have carried his vote totals a bit more, but that hasn’t been the case so far. Honestly, if Julio Rodríguez doesn’t play in the All-Star Game at his home stadium, what are we even doing here? (EDIT: HE’S IN THE HOME RUN DERBY AT LEAST, LET’S GO!!!!)

Making money, that’s what. This all feeds my horrible, unprovable, and aluminum-foil-hat-laden theory that the Seattle All-Star Game is a huge reason why ownership did not push all their chips in and pay to build a true contender in 2023 because the ASG (and the attendance windfall from making the postseason in 2022) would provide a massive amount of revenue for the team anyways, so winning becomes mostly irrelevant to the team’s bottom line. This is extremely cynical and impossible to prove as I noted, but god dammit it sure feels at least a little bit true given how things have gone so far this season. You don’t like it, I don’t like it, but the people making money off the team are certainly fine with it.

So we’re left with a All-Star Game in our back yard that few Mariners fans will feel any investment in besides maybe watching the highlights on the shitty MLB app late at night. As much as I do love the sport, I just can’t help but be a Mariners fan first and a baseball fan second. The personal investment in the team and the players is what will always draw me in the most. Having my favorite team and players under-performing in a season where our hometown gets the national spotlight for a week is just embarrassing and it didn’t have to be this way.

Welp, onto the polls.

Poll

Will the amount of Mariners representation in the All-Star Game impact your excitement and investment in the game?

This poll is closed

  • 52%
    Yes
    (167 votes)
  • 15%
    Not really, will watch regardless
    (48 votes)
  • 21%
    I wasn’t planning on watching anyways
    (68 votes)
  • 8%
    I wanted 8 All-Stars again dammit!!!
    (27 votes)
  • 2%
    Not sure
    (7 votes)
317 votes total Vote Now

Poll

If Julio doesn’t make the ASG game....

This poll is closed

  • 8%
    Cancel it
    (25 votes)
  • 67%
    Shoulda played better!
    (210 votes)
  • 12%
    We riot
    (39 votes)
  • 11%
    I don’t care
    (35 votes)
309 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Which Mariners starter do you think will get named to the ASG roster?

This poll is closed

  • 43%
    Luis Castillo
    (136 votes)
  • 31%
    George Kirby
    (99 votes)
  • 2%
    Logan Gilbert
    (8 votes)
  • 5%
    Bryce Miller
    (17 votes)
  • 16%
    None, there is no justice
    (53 votes)
313 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Will a Mariners reliever get the nod?

This poll is closed

  • 40%
    Yes
    (126 votes)
  • 30%
    No
    (93 votes)
  • 9%
    Not sure
    (28 votes)
  • 19%
    VIVA LOS BOMBEROS
    (61 votes)
308 votes total Vote Now

Have a great weekend and I hope to see some folks at Growler Guys on Saturday!

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