Blue Jays voting surge could hand Mike Trout the ultimate All-Star snub

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout made it to second phase of the All-Star voting and could find his way into the starting lineup ahead of this year's Midsummer Classic that's set to be played in his hometown of Philadelphia next month.

But the Toronto Blue Jays fanbase — which practically includes the entire country of Canada (and some misguided Americans) — are trying to sabotage Trout's chances of starting this year's All-Star Game.

For those unfamiliar with the way the All-Star selection process works, the first two phases of voting are left up to the fans. Phase 1 includes nine players from every team on the roster, and fans can vote up to five times per day until the voting is closed.

Trout received 2,511,587 votes in Phase 1, and is among the top vote-getters which allows him to move on to Phase 2. Votes from Phase 1 don't carry over. Now, he's in a group of five other outfielders that includes two Blue Jays (Daulton Varsho and Jesús Sanchez), Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Byron Buxton. The three players from this group who receive the most votes before voting concludes on July 2 will be named the AL All-Star starters.

Trout's current placement on the IL could hurt his chances to advance, but he still has enough name recognition (plus the hometown ties) to still garner a ton of votes despite being sidelined with an injury. Judge on the IL as well, but he still moved on to Phase 2.

Can Angels' star Mike Trout fend off the rabid Blue Jays fans (and Canada)?

The biggest obstacle for Trout might be overcoming the wave of votes blowing in from the Great White North. Blue Jays fans have essentially stuffed the ballot box and the entire process has been skewed because of it.

If you need proof of the chicanery coming out Toronto, look no further than the fact that Ernie Clement was the leading vote-getter for the American League. As such, he earned an automatic spot in the starting lineup for the AL. Clement is having a fine season and probably deserves All-Star consideration, but the leading vote-getter? What about Bobby Witt Jr.? Yordan Alvarez? Somebody who plays south of the Canadian border?

But it goes deeper than just Clement. Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk, who's played in just 14 games and is hitting .196, moved on to Phase 2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who's having a horrible season (.714 OPS), also moved on to Phase 2. Andrés Giménez plays Gold Glove defense, but you'd think that his 78 wRC+ and .274 on-base percentage would keep him from moving on to Phase 2, right? Wrong! He's in there too.

Thanks to Canada's overwhelming support for their country's lone MLB team, there's a good chance that the entire AL All-Star starting lineup will look like the group that Blue Jays manager John Schneider rolls out every night. Oh, by the way, guess who's managing the AL team this year? Yeah, Schneider.

At this rate, the pregame meal might be pancakes with maple syrup and they'll be ready to drop the puck rather than throw out the first pitch. This is madness.

So, it's up to you, Angels fans (and America). If you want to see Trout make it back to the All-Star Game, he's going to need your support.

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