The voting is officially over and the suspense of who is the National League’s starting third baseman will only last until Sunday night. The race came down to two players – St. Louis Cardinals’ Matt Carpenter and Cincinnati Reds’ Todd Frazier. While both are talented, stats would show that Frazier is the one more worthy of the All-Star game start.

When you put the fact that Frazier is from the host team aside, his stats speak volumes of the productivity he’s been capable of over the first half of the season. Here is what he done so far this season:

76 games / .283 avg. / .344 OBP / 25 HRs / 54 RBIs

Frazier is a power hitter who can hit for a respectable average as well. He currently is second in the entire league in home runs, seventh in RBIs and 55th in batting average.

So how does Carpenter stack up compared to Frazier?

Carpenter was the leader at the last ballot update by 64,000 votes. He has had a respectable season considering he is more of a “hit-for-average” player. Here are his stats so far this season:

72 games / .278 avg. / .379 OBP / 8 HRs / 38 RBIs

Carpenter is currently tied for 64th in batting average, tied for 95th in home runs and tied for 38th for RBIs for the season. In all categories but on-base percentage, Frazier has put up better numbers and as a result ranks higher in each category. The only difference between the two is the performance of their respective teams. Frazier’s Reds currently are 14.5 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central.

These nominations should be determined by the individual’s performance, not the performance by their team. Frazier is more deserving of the starting third base role for the National League in the upcoming All-Star game, and the only thing that may end up preventing him from earning that role is his team’s performance.

Chad Troyan is a baseball and football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChadTroyan15, “Like”him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google