Keith Law offers his critiques of the all star selections, with the most baffling one being Jason Varitek being named to the team.
Varitek may be the worst all star selection of all time. It is certainly the worst one in my recent memory, particularly because the BoSox had other guys make the team (and thus he wasn't a mandatory pick from a bad team).
Varitek is hitting .218/.300/.358, good for a .228 EQA. Out of 38 A.L. catchers, Varitek is 35th in VORP. He's still decent with the glove, but still, overall, he's been one of the worst catchers in baseball this year.
I can only assume that, in the balloting, A.J. Pierzynski's personality worked against him, and guys voted for someone instead who is well liked and well respected.