An early look at who's going, who's staying and why

	Victor Martinez is in danger of being left off the All-Star roster despite a .320 average and 57 RBIs. Chuck Rydlewski/WireImage.com
	RELATED • All-Star Game voting update
	My All-Star Ballot Fans can fill out a ballot up to 25 times online. Here's one of mine: American League 1B Justin Morneau, Twins 2B B.J. Upton, Devil Rays 3B Alex Rodriguez, Yankees SS Carlos Guillen, Tigers OF Magglio Ordonez, Tigers OF Vladimir Guerrero, Angels OF Torii Hunter, Twins C Jorge Posada, Yankees National League 1B Prince Fielder, Brewers 2B Chase Utley, Phillies 3B Miguel Cabrera, Marlins SS Jose Reyes, Mets OF Matt Holliday, Rockies OF Ken Griffey Jr., Reds OF Brad Hawpe, Rockies C Russell Martin, Dodgers

We have a little more than a week until the online balloting for this year's All-Star Game closes, so we're getting down to a virtual punch-time crunch-time, as it were. (New All-Star Game Motto in this Internet age: One Man, 25 Votes!)

The All-Star Game selection is, in a lot of ways, the ultimate in democracy. Fans vote for the starters. If they want David Ortiz at first base -- Ortiz is a first baseman like I'm a Pulitzer Prize winner -- he starts at first base. It's a beautiful thing, really. The founding fathers would be pleased.

After that, players and managers (Detroit's Jim Leyland and St. Louis' Tony La Russa) and some people from Major League Baseball fill out the rosters, then the fans get to vote in the final player on each of the 32-man squads. Just about everyone that belongs makes it. But not quite everyone, of course. What fun would an election be without some controversy?

Already, the fans have spiced up the process with some early picks that, based on sheer merit, don't seem to have a lot of it. But, seriously, we're not deciding on the leader of the free world here. We're picking sides for a game. And what's a real election, anyway, other than a barely disguised popularity contest?

Let's look at some of the voting quirks thus far and take a guess at where we might end up when the online ballot box closes next Thursday at a minute before midnight.

In the American League ...

Coasting on His Reputation
Pudge Rodriguez is the voters' pick at catcher so far, but his numbers suggest he's no longer anywhere close to the best at his position. His numbers have been sliding for quite a while. (This year his .304 on-base percentage is especially bad.)

Rodriguez's backup undoubtedly will be the Yankees' Jorge Posada, who's been fantastic this season and leads all AL backstops with a .345 batting average and a .969 OPS. Pudge could be on his way to his 14th All-Star Game, which is fine if the fans want him. But if he goes, that sure screws up some other things.

Most Deserving Player Who Could Be Left Out
That catching Catch-22 means that the Indians' Victor Martinez may be left back in Cleveland when this is all done. Martinez, a switch-hitter, has had a very good first half, though he's currently a distant fifth in the fan voting. His 13 homers are tied for the league lead among catchers, his 57 RBIs lead them, and his .919 OPS is third.

His only chance at going to San Francisco may be Posada overtaking Rodriguez in the fan voting, which is still a possibility (Rodriguez led by about 155,000 as of Tuesday). Or someone stuffing a million votes with his name on them in the virtual ballot box.

The Strangest Use of a Vote
Given the fact that nearly 2 million votes have been cast his way, Alex Rodriguez evidently is not the hated Yankee he's made out to be. That number, the most for any player in either league, isn't all that strange, though. I don't even mind the 1.4 million for Ortiz at first base. Hey, fans clearly want to see Big Papi on the team somewhere, and that's where his name has appeared on the ballot. (There's no DH because the game is being played in an NL city.)

The strangest vote total? Detroit's Sean Casey, though he's more of a first baseman than Ortiz is, is third in fan voting with nearly half a million. Yet he was the only qualifier at this power position without a home run until he went deep on Tuesday against the Nationals. The Mayor must have a big family with a speedy DSL connection.

Some Lone Reps
Every team has to have at least one player in the All-Star Game, a quaint and some say antiquated rule that I just happen to like. The miserable White Sox are going to be represented by either DH Jim Thome or closer Bobby Jenks. I can't see both of them making it.

The same is true for many of the other dreadful teams in the league; the Royals (either John Buck, another very good catcher and, by far, K.C.'s best semi-everyday player, or pitcher Gil Meche will make it), the Orioles (second baseman Brian Roberts or, more likely, pitcher Jeremy Guthrie), the Rangers (first baseman Mark Teixeira or maybe reliever Akinori Otsuka) and the Devil Rays (first baseman Carlos Pena and second basemen B.J. Upton both have the best OPS at their position in the league, though both could miss out if pitcher James Shields is picked). I see only one Blue Jays player in San Francisco, third baseman Troy Glaus. Pitcher Dan Haren may be the only Oakland rep, but he's got a good shot at starting the game.

I'd Like to See (but probably won't)
A lack of a single position will likely cost Oakland's Nick Swisher a spot in this game, though he definitely belongs. He has split time almost evenly between the outfield and first base, two places loaded with talent. Players will be hard-pressed to find a spot for him in either place. So it'll be up to Leyland to try to squeeze him in.

Swisher can play; he had a .913 OPS, with 10 homers and 15 doubles, before Tuesday's games. Plus, he's a hoot to have around and, heaven knows, his versatility would help Leyland out.

The Angels' Casey Kotchman deserves to be in, too, after his sickness-filled '06 and his comeback of the first half, but because DHs and first basemen are lumped together (something that hurts Swisher and Pena, too), there's little chance he'll make it.