Is All Star Voting a Popularity Contest?

Is the voting for the starters of the MLB All Star Game a popularity contest? It sure is. Every year certain players get voted in while more deserving players stay home. Every year the sports media complains for weeks.

One thing is for certain, the rookie cards of a player who is the top vote getter will prove to be sought after cards. Popularity is more important than production in collecting circles....it always has been. Outside of a Hall of Fame induction, there is nothing more indicative of a player's collectibility than leading his league in All Star voting.

This year the leading vote getter in the National League was Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals. Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees got more votes than any other American League player. Here are their rookie cards:

2001 Topps Traded Albert Pujols