The MLB All-Star Game is supposed to reward the best players in baseball. But once again, the process meant to spotlight elite performance has been overshadowed by something else with the Washington Nationals.
It is what the results have indicated for Nationals’ premier OF James Wood. One of the breakout stars of the 2025 campaign won’t be starting in the All-Star Game. He didn’t even crack the top six National League outfielders in Phase 2 of fan voting. The numbers? They make that decision look laughable.
By the Numbers, Nationals’ Wood Is an Obvious All-Star
There’s no ambiguity here. Wood leads all NL outfielders in home runs, RBIs, and OPS. He’s second in bWAR among National League outfielders, thriving in clutch moments with one of the league’s highest high-leverage OPS marks. He’s also top five in FanGraphs WAR.
Yet somehow, names like Teoscar Hernández and Andy Pages made the cut. They’re good players. But they don’t stack up to what Wood has done for the Nationals this season.
So what gives? Simple. They wear Dodger blue. Wood plays in Washington. This wasn’t a vote for performance — it was a vote for platform.
This is nothing new. Baseball’s All-Star fan vote has long rewarded teams with massive followings and media reach. That’s how you end up with eight Dodgers named as finalists. That’s how a 22-year-old phenom like James Wood ends up watching the first pitch from the bench.
Yes, fan engagement matters. But when marketing budgets shape lineups more than performance does, the game loses something real. It stops being a showcase of who’s earned it—and becomes a billboard for who’s most followed.
All-Star appearances aren’t just midseason headlines. They factor into arbitration cases, help determine long-term contracts and appear on Hall of Fame ballots.
For a young star like Wood, this snub is damaging for his growth as a player. He’s done everything right. And still, it wasn’t enough.
That’s the kind of message that sticks: If you’re not in L.A., New York, or another media behemoth, you’ll need to outperform everyone else just to be part of the conversation.
Time Is Now For A Smarter Voting System
There’s a fix here, and it doesn’t require cutting fans out of the equation. Let the top overall vote-getters — players like Ohtani or Judge — lock in their spots. But allow the remaining starters be selected by a blend of baseball writers and league personnel.
These are the same people we trust with MVP votes, Cy Youngs, and Hall of Fame entries. If they’re qualified for those, they’re qualified for this.
A hybrid model keeps fans engaged while ensuring deserving players aren’t erased by market dynamics.
The fact Wood isn’t in the All-Star starting lineup says everything about where this system fails. This isn’t just a missed opportunity. It’s a bad look for baseball. And if the league truly wants the All-Star Game to mean something again, performance has to come first.
Until then, the event’s legitimacy will stay in question. And players like Wood will keep getting left behind.
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