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UPDATED: Originally, this article read that Lucroy took over the lead, but there was a lot of ambiguity to MLB's tweet that it seems I, along with several others, misinterpreted.
Jonathan Lucroy is inching ever closer to Yadier Molina for the All Star vote. In the past 24 hours, he has gained 24% more votes than the frontrunner, but apparently is still behind Molina for a starting spot.
With today being the last fans can vote, Lucroy will need Brewers fans to step up even more than they have if he has any hope of starting the All Star Game for the National League.
Lucroy should be starting the All Star game, and that's not a knock on Molina. It's just how good Lucroy has been. Over 79 games this year, Lucroy has an incredible .331/.399/.511 line with eight homers and 29 doubles. Of qualified catchers in the MLB, only Carlos Ruiz has a higher walk rate and only Kurt Suzuki strikes out at a lower rate. Only Mike Zunino has a higher ISO. The next closest catcher to Lucroy's .393 wOBA is Salvador Perez, at .343. The next closest NL catcher is Buster Posey at .338.
And, yes, Molina is a phenomenal defensive backstop. But by all indications, Lucroy is no slouch as well. He's also still somehow underrated in that category despite seemingly every baseball writer in the world posting about how good he has become. Molina has the name value, and he does edge Lucroy in defense. But not so much so that he makes up for 74 points of wOBA.
Today is the final day of voting, too, so Lucroy will need plenty of help in a short period. The final vote total is sure to be close, but Lucroy has a real shot with a Brewers fanbase that loves to vote. Go get 'em.
