Pat Burrell is trailing in the Final Vote for the 79th All-Star Game.

There are 2 clear reasons why Pat the Bat should be the winner of this vote.

First…the players in front of him. The leading vote getter is Corey Hart of the Brewers. Are you serious? I don’t usually get too opinionated on here, but really…Corey Hart? Let’s look at some numbers:

Hart: .296 avg / 14 HR / 55 RBI / 16 BB / .335 OBP / .515 SLG

Burrell: .279 avg / 21 HR / 53 RBI / 66 BB / .412 OBP / .582 SLG

Hart has the average by just over 10 points and the two share similar numbers in RBIs, but look at everything else. Burrell has blasted 7 more home runs (and with the Mets again tonight maybe another long ball). Burrell has drawn 50 more walks. Yes, 50. No longer are these the days of Burrell going to one knee to swing at garbage in the dirt; the man knows how to watch a pitch go by now. This translates to the OBP. Burrell’s percentage is almost 75 points higher than Hart’s. The advantage in batting average isn’t all the matters, it’s about getting on base whatever way necessary: Pat does it well, Hart doesn’t. Also, Burrell’s slugging percentage is well above Hart’s.

The other player ahead of Pat? David Wright. Phillies fans…I shouldn’t have to say anything more than that to make you vote.

The second reason why Pat deserves this is his extraordinary dedication to the game and the Phillies. His lackluster seasons a few years back are distant memories. Why? He played through it with great determination. He worked on his swing and his patience at the plate. He endured game after game with fans (myself included) boo’ing him constantly. Even if he hit a home run, fans would boo his next at bat if he popped up. Hell, this guy has said publicly that he wants to stay a Phillie. This guy is a model of hard work and determination. GET HIM PAST WRIGHT AND HART!

VOTE FOR PAT BURRELL

Pat Burrell. Man or Machine? Machine.

But in all seriousness, Burrell is a power in this league. He has 239 home runs and 794 RBIs in a Phillies uni. He has piled up 1,112 hits and has 749 walks in his career.

Pat has 0 All-Star appearances, so lets change that now Phils fans…voting ends Thursday at 5pm ET.

VOTE FOR PAT BURRELL

photo from phillies.com