This interesting article is coming to us from Deadspin by Robert Wilcox, a “freelancer based in South Carolina and a creator of the iOS game Sudoku Farm”. Take a look:

Electoral reform is coming to America. This year in MLB, a simple first-past-the-post voting system will no longer determine all-star starters. Fans will instead select three finalists in a Primary Round and then vote from among those finalists on a single Election Day.

Favoritism has plagued MLB all-star voting for decades. Some fan bases (the 1957 Reds, 2001 Mariners, and 2015 Royals among others) have taken this idea to the extreme. Sportswriters use unworthy starters as proof that experts need a say. Experts are also imperfect, though, as coaches awarded Rafael Palmeiro the 1999 Gold Glove despite playing 135 games at DH.

In reality, the problem was never the 20 percent of voters who preferred David Bell in 2001 or the 25 percent of voters who wanted Omar Infante in 2015. The problem was a voting system that declared candidates to be the people’s choice even if 75 or 80 percent of voters considered them a joke. Major League Baseball identified the source of the issue and the new system should work relatively well. The biggest remaining question is whether MLB Advanced Media, the largest born-and-bred tech startup in New York City, can limit the number of illegal votes.

See full story here.