Daily Archives: July 6, 2012

Josh Hamilton Snags the Most All-Star Votes in History in 2012

Josh Hamilton is the first player in baseball history to amass eight-figures’ worth of all-star votes. He popped over the 11 million mark as the voting – a record year itself with 40 million votes cast, eight million more than last year – wrapped up.

Hamilton breaks last year’s record, held by Jose Bautista, who started 2011 on an absolute slugging tear.

The Internet age has surely changed all-star voting, with more fans having a say than ever, and several times over. Most of the time they get it right, but as in the case of mostly-injured San Francisco third baseman Pablo Sandoval‘s selection over the .354 batting New York Met David Wright, there is the occasional case of “stuffing the ballot box” via all-star promotional campaigns that encourage fans to vote many times online (to a max of 25 ballots per voter).

These are the top 16 players with the most all-star votes since 1970, the year fan voting was reinstated. Nine of the 16 occurred in the 2000′s (2009-2012 are four of the top five years).

You have to give props to Ken Griffey, Jr., who reigned supreme with his unheard of six million votes back in a much-less-digital 1994.

And also to guys like Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson, Joe Morgan and Gary Carter who rank, despite having played in the punch-out ballot days.

Thanks to sportsillustrated.cnn.com, my source for the numbers on this one, where you can see typically vivid SI photos of all the players on the list in a great little slideshow.

For coverage of the 2012 MLB All-Star Game, visit the official site.

Follow me on Twitter @VinGetz.

Photo: zimbio.com