Jones: Lack Of Red Sox Receiving All-Star Votes Illustrates Fan Apathy
BOSTON (CBS) - The 2015 Boston Red Sox (24-31, last in AL East) are on the verge of another lost season, and 98.5 The Sports Hub's Adam Jones believes this culture of losing is taking a serious toll on the fan base.
Voting for Major League Baseball's All-Star Game is underway, and the ballot closes July 2 at midnight.
It's still a month or so away, but as of right now members of the Boston Red Sox are not getting nearly the amount of votes they're used to seeing in year's past, in what is generally considered a popularity contest.
"This was the update [on MLB.com] from June 1, which shows the top five at each position and the top 15 outfielders: [Red Sox] have nobody at catcher in the top five. That's not a surprise. First base? Nobody in the top five. Second base? Dustin Pedroia is fifth. Third base? Pablo Sandoval, who's having the worst year, is actually third behind Mike Moustakas and Josh Donaldson," co-host Rich Keefe said Thursday night.
He continued, "Shortstop? Xander Bogaerts is fifth. In the outfield the Red Sox have one player in the top 15, and that's Hanley Ramirez at 11. Designated hitter, this should probably be where the Red Sox clean up, right? David Ortiz is fourth."
Adam Jones referenced an article from Alex Speier in the Boston Globe that really goes into depth on the topic.
All-Star voting doesn't always reflect the best players in the league, but it does show which fan bases are engaged in their team, and the lack of Red Sox getting votes is a sign of apathy setting in around the region.
"Fans don't care. Fans are apathetic about this team. Maybe it's not reflected in the ratings just yet, but it's reflected in the ballots for the All-Star Game. Normally Red Sox fans are the ones stuffing the ballot box, and they're not doing it this year," said Jones.
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