Major League Baseball tried out a new voting method for this year’s All-Star Game in Cleveland, and the results were mixed. While there wasn’t an obvious push to, say, get an entire starting nine voted in, like what happened with the Royals a few years back. Still, it wasn’t perfect, and as always there are deserving folks who will be left out of the game, barring an injury replacement.
Picking three players from both the American and National League, who should be on their way to Progressive Field later this month?
American League
Xander Bogaerts:
After signing a big extension in the offseason, the Red Sox shortstop is having a career year, leading all AL shortstops in runs, home runs, RBIs and OPS (and, for that matter, both categories in OPS: on-base and slugging percentages). He leads all of the AL in doubles and is second in extra base hits. He’s really a victim of circumstance – Jorge Polanco is having an excellent year, Francisco Lindor was going to be in considering the game is in Cleveland, and because of the “every team has to be represented” there are three designated hitters and three second basemen on the AL roster. For that matter, his fellow infielder Rafael Devers should have made it, too.
Luke Voit:
Chicago’s José Abreu is having a fine season (.268, 19 home runs, .817 OPS), but considering there are two other White Sox on the roster, he shouldn’t be in over Voit. The Yankees’ first baseman has two fewer homers (17), but his OPS is nearly 100 points higher (.901) and his bWAR is nearly double (1.7 to Abreu’s 0.9). The 28-year-old should arguably be the starter, but most certainly a reserve, if nothing else.
Max Kepler:
Really all three Minnesota outfielders could be worthy of an ASG nod (Eddie Rosario and Byron Buxton being the other two). The 26-year-old has already set a new career high with 21 home runs, he’s raised his average 45 points from a year ago, he has an .892 OPS and he’s ninth in bWAR in the AL among position players.
Other players snubbed who are worthy of the All-Star team include Marcus Semien, Trey Mancini and, on the mound, Jose Berrios and Lance Lynn.
National League
Max Muncy:
The National League is loaded at first base – Freddie Freeman, Pete Alonso and Josh Bell are all certainly deserving of their bids. Still, the highest bWAR player to nod make it in the NL is Muncy, who ranks fourth in that category among position players and sixth overall in the NL. That a .279/.380/.544 slash line with 20 home runs isn’t good enough tells you all you need to know about first base in the NL, and that’s before we get to names like Anthony Rizzo and Rhys Hoskins, neither of whom are All-Stars, either.
Manny Machado:
There are a few names on the roster who, while having fine seasons by most expectations, aren’t quite putting up superstar numbers. Machado and his monster contract fit that billing, and it cost him a bid. The Padres’ third baseman is hitting .276 with 20 home runs and 14 doubles, but he’s really come on strong, batting .314 with 11 homers and a 1.064 OPS in June. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late.
Fernando Tatis, Jr.:
The National League roster is about as good as it’s going to get – there aren’t many real arguments, as you can see above. That being said, Machado’s teammate in San Diego can make a case, if for no other reason than he’s electric. He’s only played in 49 games because he wasn’t called up right away (service time!), but the rookie sensation is hitting .337 with a 1.026 OPS, 11 home runs, 13 steals and electric defense. He’s already top-10 in the NL in bWAR among position players (3.1) and he’s played in about 60 percent of the games as the rest of the list. Sure, he didn’t make the All-Star Game this year, but he will every year for the foreseeable future, at this rate.
