Being named a Major League Baseball All-Star Game starter is a daunting task for any player, but it is a nearly impossible one for American League designated hitters listed in the same position as Shohei Ohtani.
Toronto Blue Jays DH Brandon Belt is finding that out the hard way this season.
"Yeah, that's how you know it's rigged, I should be number one," he jokingly told reporters of the All-Star Game voting. "And everybody knows I'm a better hitter than he is. Better DH, better leader. But here we are."
MLB released an update on voting Tuesday, and Ohtani is the AL's leading vote-getter at 1,885,144 votes.
The Los Angeles Angels star is well ahead of Belt's 497,887 and will surely cruise toward his third straight start at the Midsummer Classic.
Belt is slashing .263/.378/.434 with four home runs and 16 RBI this season, which doesn't exactly match up with Ohtani's .300/.384/.632 slash line, 24 home runs and 58 RBI. Ohtani is leading the league in both home runs and RBI and would be an All-Star Game lock as just a hitter.
But he is also an ace pitcher with a 3.29 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 105 strikeouts in 82 innings.
Best of luck competing against that.
