Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is one of five finalists for the National League All-Star final vote. So, too, is teammate and outfielder Yasiel Puig. Despite logging more than 200 fewer at-bats, Puig leads Gonzalez in Wins Above Replacement, 2.4 to 1.9, according to Baseball Reference. FanGraphs has Puig leading Gonzalez 1.9 to 1.5.
For ostensibly altruistic and not statistical reasons, Gonzalez is supporting Puig for the Final Vote.
Via MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick:“For me, personally, I want Puig to go,” said Gonzalez, a four-time All-Star. “I’m voting for Puig.”
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“That’s what the fans want to see,” said Gonzalez, who was wearing a Puig 66 shirt while being interviewed. “It’s from the heart.”
Gonzalez admits he would feel differently if he had never been an All-Star.
“No, then I’d want to go,” he said. “But that’s why I want him to go.”
Said manager Don Mattingly: “I’m voting for both.”Puig has taken the baseball world by storm since making his Major League debut on June 3. After going 2-for-4 in this afternoon’s victory over the Giants, Puig is hitting .409 with 17 extra-base hits (eight of which are home runs) and five stolen bases.