There’s never enough room on the MLB All-Star rosters for every deserving player.
Both leagues’ stacked Midsummer Classic teams were revealed Tuesday night. For every feel-good story recognized, some great players are left with nothing to show for their stellar starts.
Expect some changes before next Tuesday’s showdown. Two more players will be selected in the final fan vote, and injuries are bound to cause some honorees to bow out. Starting pitchers who take the mound on Sunday are prohibited from partaking, a rule that results in extra turnover.
For now, the following exclusions will simply have to enjoy a short vacation instead of traveling to San Diego.
All-Star Snubs
Ian Kinsler, 2B, Detroit Tigers
The San Francisco Giants of All-Star Games, Ian Kinsler has made the Midsummer Classic in each of the last four even years. Despite sporting a worthy portfolio, the streak will snap unless he garners the final fan vote.
The 34-year-old is having his best offensive season in years, hitting .290/.348/.496 with 16 home runs and eight stolen bases. His 124 weighted runs created plus, a ballpark-adjusted measure of offensive production graded on a scale where 100 is average, represents his highest clip since 2008.
He’s well on pace to procure his first 20-homer campaign since going deep 32 times five years ago. After hitting his 200th career homer on Sunday, Kinsler joined a select group of versatile players, as noted by MLB.com’s Richard Justice:
Per the Detroit News‘ Chris McCosky, the Detroit Tigers standout expressed pride in his all-around game.
“I try to do whatever it takes and not be one-dimensional,” Kinsler said. “It’s kind of my goal, when I play the game, to be able to run the bases well, play defense well and try to perform every aspect of the game on offense—steal, score from first, advance on a ball in the dirt.”
Nevertheless, the fans chose right by selecting Jose Altuve, and Robinson Cano’s resurgent bat commanded a bench spot. Kinsler was ultimately hurt by Eduardo Nunez occupying a spot as the Minnesota Twins’ lone honoree.
Gregory Polanco, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
The Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds needed a representative. Although Odubel Herrera and Adam Duvall are both enjoying great seasons, neither would have beaten out Gregory Polanco without the rules forcing all 30 teams to send someone.
Polanco has a case to start in the National League outfield, but he now needs an injury to make the roster. He should be on speed dial if Dexter Fowler—currently on the disabled list with a right hamstring strain—can’t play. According to MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat, Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon said his starting center fielder could soon return.
“It’s not impossible to think [he can return] by the end of this week,” Maddon said. “It’s a day-to-day thing. It’s getting better. Obviously, he’s motivated to play in the All-Star Game. I understand that. We’ll just play out the rest of the week and see where it takes us.”
Polanco‘s 3.0 WAR eclipses Fowler’s and Yoenis Cespedes’ and matches Bryce Harper’s. Excluding Kris Bryant—who will start at third despite spending some time in the outfield—only reserve Marcell Ozuna has a higher mark among National League outfielders.
Hitting .294/.374/.521 with a career-high 12 home runs, the 24-year-old has unseated Andrew McCutchen as the Pittsburgh Pirates’ star. He has also netted an 11.5 walk percentage and 35.3 hard-hit rate during his breakout campaign.
If it’s any consolation, he’ll make plenty of All-Star teams down the road.
Jake Lamb, 3B, Arizona Diamondbacks
The National League houses four third basemen with an OPS above .935 and WAR of 3.3 or better. That’s a lot of infielders for one position, but manager Terry Collins should have found a way to fit them all.
Instead, Jake Lamb did not receive an invite despite boasting an National League-best .609 slugging percentage. As highlighted by AZCentral.com’s Nick Piecoro, most of his power has come in pivotal spots for the Arizona Diamondbacks:
Other than biased opinions, a major flaw in fan voting is everyone flooding the ballots early before digesting the full picture. This process apparently leaked into the bench selections, as the 25-year-old recorded a 1.066 June OPS.
Lamb hit six home runs last year. He now has six over the past two weeks.
Collins could have easily justified rostering Lamb alongside Bryant, Nolan Arenado and Matt Carpenter since Bryant can handle left field and Carpenter has spent the past month playing second base. Fans can rectify the error by choosing him in the final vote.
Note: All advanced stats are courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.
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