MLB All-Star Snubs: Who Should Be In, Who Should Be Out

By Gregory John "G.J." Vitale on July 4, 2012

It’s that time of year again.  Time for the MLB All-Star selection process to face its deserving scrutiny.  Every year, we baseball fans go through the bittersweet moment where we watch worthy players miss out on the party.  It’s almost an unavoidable consequence of allowing fans to decide who’s in and who’s out.  The main problem with this selection process is that many popular players, who are otherwise undeserving, get voted in by fans based solely on their reputation.  Subsequently, these players take the spots of those lesser-known talents who are statistically superior.

Wikipedia spells out the selection process:

  • Fan voting (8 NL players/9 AL players): Baseball fans vote on the starting position players for the All-Star Game, with ballots distributed at Major League Baseball games before mid-season and, more recently, on the Internet. The designated hitter for the AL team is also selected in this manner.
  • Player voting (16 players): Eight pitchers (five starters and three relievers) and one back-up player for each position are elected by the players, coaches, and managers. If the top vote-getter at a position has also been selected via fan voting, the second-place finisher in this category is selected.
  • Manager selection (9 NL players/8 AL players): The manager of each league’s All-Star team — in consultation with the other managers in his league and the Commissioner’s Office — will fill his team’s roster up to 33 players. The NL manager will also select his team’s designated hitter. At this point, it is ensured that every team is represented by at least one player.
  • Final vote (1 player): After the list of 33 players for each league is announced, fans vote (on the Internet) for one additional player, chosen from a list of 5 players that is compiled by the manager of each league’s team and the Commissioner’s Office.
  • Replacements: After the roster is selected, the All-Star manager and the Commissioner’s Office will replace players who are injured or who decline to participate, as well as pitchers who started on the Sunday before the game.

The following is the starting All-Star roster:

AL

C – Mike Napoli – TEX, 1B – Prince Fielder – DET, 2B – Robinson Cano – NYY, 3B – Adrian Beltre – TEX, SS – Derek Jeter – NYY, OF – Josh Hamilton – TEX, OF – Curtis Granderson – NYY, OF- Jose Bautista – TOR, DH – Davis Oritz – BOS

NL

C – Buster Posey – SF, 1B – Joey Votto – CIN, 2B – Dan Uggla – ATL, SS – Rafael Furcal – STL, 3B – Pablo Sandoval – SF, OF – Melky Cabrera – SF, OF – Carlos Beltran – STL, OF – Matt Kemp – LAD

How is Pablo Sandoval, with a .300 BA, 6 HR, 25 RBI, and 26 Runs, starting over David Wright, who has a .354 BA, 9 HR, 50 RBI, and 53 Runs?  But that’s not even the worst part.  Starting versus backing-up is one thing, but getting snubbed entirely is a horse of a different color.  I didn’t include pitchers or reserves in the above lists, but here are the three worst pitchers snubbed in the NL:

 

 

 

1. Starting pitcher Johnny Cueto has won 9 games for the Cincinnati Reds this season to the tune of a 2.26 ERA, 79 Ks in 107.2 innings.

 

 

 

 

 

2. Chris Capuano has been just as impressive for the LA Dodgers, going 9-3 with a 2.69 ERA and 89 Ks in 100.1 innings.

 

 

 

3. Even the Milwaukee Brewers’ Zach Greinke, with a 9-2 record, 3.08 ERA and 106 Ks in 108  innings was left out.

 

I made it a point to just attack one position and one league to illustrate the sheer depth of worthy candidates.  It’s not even easy to pick out a replacement for one, let alone all three of these guys.  The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Wade Miley might be replaceable with his 9-4 record, 2.87 ERA and 66 Ks in 94 innings, but that’s a close, and rather callous, call.

 

 

 

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