Time for our weekly update on the lack of popularity of the Astros. Despite Hunter Pence trailing Jay Bruce and Lance Berkman by just 0.1 WAR for the NL right field lead, he is nowhere to be found in the Top 15 NL outfielders.
What can you say? He's no Raul Ibanez.
You can't really push the burden of responsibility on the fans for Pence's lack of support. The Astros simply aren't a draw right now, and Pence has never been a part of a playoff team that has had extra exposure. Houston has simply been a doormat for far too long, and that has bled down into the support that they draw at the gate and in the online ballots.
↵Pence is still the most likely Astros All-Star, as Wandy Rodriguez will have lost another week of play on him and MLB's rules mean that an Astro HAS to make the game. But it says a lot about the state of the Astros organization that they can't even get a relatively qualified player into the Top 15 outfielders in the National League.
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