All-Star Game players vote vindicates Tigers fans' Dillon Dingler outrage

It was no great surprise when all three of Riley Greene, Kevin McGonigle, and Dillon Dingler were named All-Star Game reserves this weekend, but it was still a vindication for Tigers fans.

None made it to the second round of fan voting. Greene was trending toward it after the first update but eventually fell out of contention. Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, and Byron Buxton got the starts instead.

McGonigle and Dingler never looked like they stood a chance. When the first round of voting ended, both were stuck in third place — McGonigle behind Bobby Witt Jr. and Andrés Giménez, and Dingler behind Shea Langeliers and Alejandro Kirk.

We could abide Witt and, though to a lesser extent, Langeliers, but Giménez and Kirk were absolutely unacceptable.

Lo and behold, neither Blue Jays player was included in the player vote that secured Greene is third consecutive All-Star nod and McGonigle and Dingler their firsts. McGonigle received 327 votes to Witt's 756, and — here's the real kicker — Dingler placed first with 777 votes to Langeliers' 501.

Langeliers has had a very solid offensive season for the Athletics, so we won't harp on him too much, but there's something undeniably delightful about neither Giménez nor Kirk getting player votes.

Tigers' Dillon Dingler wins All-Star Game player vote for AL catcher by huge margin

Dingler, even more than Greene and McGonigle, deserves to start the All-Star Game. He's the Tigers' most valuable player this season by fWAR (second behind McGonigle by bWAR), but has, more importantly, been the AL's — possibly the entire game's — best catcher on both sides of the ball.

He and Langeliers share the rarity of being slugging catchers, and Langeliers' 20 home runs may have bamboozled fan voters, but Dingler is undeniably the more complete player. Clearly, his colleagues knew that.

After Dingler fell out of contention for the starting job via fan vote, AJ Hinch said, "If Dillon Dingler is not an All-Star, then we should cancel the game. I really believe that. He is the best catcher in the game right now."

You won't find a Tigers fan who would argue with that.

Luckily, the players delivered justice and the game can go forward as scheduled, without Tigers fans having to march on Citizens Bank Park with picket signs. At least the Tigers who deserved to go the most ended up there one way or the other.

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