Kuzul

I’ve been extremely vocal about my hatred of the All-Star Game selection rules, and the actual selections (I wrote an article about what the rosters should be , and who we must vote for in the Final Vote ).

I’ve been most frustrated about the fact that Joey Votto is left off the team.

I was glad to see, however, that after 24 hours since the Final Vote began, Votto was leading vote-getter in the NL, meaning he would be named to the All-Star team if voting had ended today. Voting, though, ends Thursday.

But fortunately for Votto, his performance Monday night versus the New York Mets was a statement game, in the Reds’ 8-6 win.

Votto went 3-4 with a double, 2 RBI, 3 runs, and two HRs, including one moonshot into the Big Apple’s box out in straight away center field at Citi Field and one bomb over the 415 sign in the deepest part of the park in right-center field (and a foul ball that was two feet from being his third of the game).

If his performance doesn’t scream, “I’m an All-Star,” just days after being one of the biggest snubs in MLB history, I don’t know what does.

As a Mets fan, I was fortunate enough to be able to watch the game live, and listen to the commentary from Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez about Votto’s exclusion.

Cohen was very adamant in his belief that Votto deserved a roster spot over Ryan Howard, who was Phillies manager Charlie Manuel’s selection, and I agree.

While it goes as no surprise that Manuel chose his own player, Votto should not have to suffer.

During the broadcast, I also learned that Votto was the only player with his caliber statistics to not be named to the roster in NL history (and it only happened once in AL history, in 1966).

While I can’t quite remember everything that was said, I believe it was that no player who is in the top five in the NL in HR, RBI, average, OBP, slugging, and OPS has never not been an All-Star.

Until Votto.

Don’t quote me on that, by the way. If anyone knows what was actually said, please let me know!

Here’s Votto’s stats as of July 5th, with his rank in the NL in parenthesis:

.318 AVG (T-3rd)

21 HR (1st)

59 RBI (T-4th)

56 runs (T-3rd)

.422 OBP (1st),

.595 SLG (1st)

 1.017 OPS (1st). 

Those are MVP caliber numbers. Yes, MVP.

And he’s not even an All-Star (yet).

Interestingly, there has been at least one time in MLB history where the MVP was not an All-Star. Willie Stargell did not make the cut for the Midsummer Classic, but was co-MVP with Keith Hernandez in 1979.

By this point, it’s well known that Votto deserves to be in the All-Star Game. The only thing we can do is vote him in through the Final Vote.

So before Thursday, go to MLB.com and VOTE VOTTO!

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Every Summer there is a great deal of controversy surrounding who was left off the MLB All-Star rosters.

This year is no different, as the National League roster is littered with controversial selections. Players like Omar Infante, Yadier Molina, and Michael Bourn have all had fine seasons, but there are many analysts who believe they could be easily replaced by players who were left off of the roster.

Here are the top 10 snubs from the National League roster this year.

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I’m disgusted at some of the names I see on this year’s All-Star Game roster.

I’m frustrated that, year after year, there is a long list of snubs that deserve to play, especially considering the game determines which league gets home field advantage in the World Series.

I was going to make a snubs list, given that I already wrote a list of who should be on the team, but I thought instead I’d do something a little more valuable.

The MLB allows the fans to take a final vote to determine the last roster spot on each team. There are five players to choose from.

I wish we could pick more than one.

Still, this is a good opportunity to get one more player on the team that really, really deserves to be on it.

I begin with a list of each candidate, and after sharing each player’s stats, I pick the candidate.

I decided to only look at regular stats (I didn’t use WAR or other sabermetrics. All stats are through July 4, 2010).

I simply looked at who is having a better statistical year to make my decision.

So without further ado, here’s who everyone MUST vote for, and why. It would be an injustice to pick anyone else for each league’s final roster spot.

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Really, MLB?
You’re going to make me take time out of my Future Hall of Fame series to fix your All-Star Rosters?
You guys obviously need help this year. There’s bad, and then there’s not even trying. I mean, really.
No Joey Votto? No Jered Weaver? OMAR FREAKING INFANTE?
Thankfully, I’m giving you a mulligan this year. In fact, I’ll even fix your rosters for you, starting right now.

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Here are two MLB players, A and B, and their numbers through the first half of the season:

A is batting .311 in 56 games, with one home run, 22 RBIs, and 3 stolen bases. He has a .343 OBP and a .378 SLG, giving him a .721 OPS.

B is batting .312 in 77 games, with 19 home runs, 57 RBIs, and 7 stolen bases. He has a .412 OBP and a .572 SLG, giving him a .984 OPS.

Now, say you have to select one of them for the All-Star Game. Given that you have a starter at both A and B’s respective positions and are only selecting a late-game substitute to play two innings, who do you pick?

Hands up all of you who picked player B.

You are all wrong.

Player A is Omar Infante. Player B is Joey Votto. Infante is an All-Star. Votto is not.

Votto’s on base streak is at 40 games. He’s tied with Albert Pujols for the NL lead in home runs. He leads the league in OPS. He is in the top five in each Triple Crown category. If the season ended today, he’s in the Most Valuable Player discussion.

But, of course, he’s not an All-Star. That makes a whole lot of sense.

He’s not the only snub, either.

Felix Hernandez leads the league in innings pitched, is tied for first in quality starts, is third in strikeouts, and has allowed two or fewer runs in seven of his last nine starts.

Billy Wagner leads all NL closers in WHIP and opponent OPS. He was passed over in favor of Matt Capps. Wagner has allowed 19 hits in 33.2 innings pitched. Capps has allowed 44 in 36.2.

Josh Willingham is third in the league in OBP, second in walks, and has 15 home runs.

Miguel Olivo should be there, not just because of his offense, but his defense too. He has thrown out over half of all would-be base stealers this year (20 of 39). He also leads all NL catchers in BA, SLG, OPS, and HR.

He’s not there. Neither are Jayson Werth, Jaime Garcia, Andy Pettite, Magglio Ordonez, or Colby Rasmus.

I will, however, compliment the players and managers on not voting in Stephen Strasburg. That would have been one of the most ludicrous All-Star selections in recent years. Yes, he’s been every bit as awesome as everyone initially thought, and then some. But he still hadn’t thrown a pitch when everyone else had already been playing for two months.

Also, the fact that there are pitchers who are neither starters nor closers is to be applauded. Relievers Evan Meek, Arthur Rhodes, and Matt Thornton will all go to Anaheim. And that’s good, because this game matters.

Of course, the winner of the Midsummer Classic wins home field advantage for the World Series. I don’t like it, but I’m not going to open that particular can of beans right now. The principal thing is this:

Along with celebrities playing softball and players trying to hit a MasterCard sign 450 feet away, there is an important game to be played.

You should definitely be there. It’s a shame that some of this year’s best players won’t be.

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You can’t please everybody.

That is, unless you picked the most deserving players.

With the MLB All-Star Game just around the corner (July 13), lineups were announced today on TBS.

National League mainstays like David Wright and Hanley Ramirez were voted in by the fans, while the rest were left up to their fellow peers and Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel.

There are questionable players on the roster and, with that, deserving guys who didn’t make the list of 34.

This list gives you 10 players who were snubbed, and one player who made it, that makes us scratch our heads.

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Three Reds were named to the All-Star Game Sunday night.

It was a proud moment for a team that isn’t used to having an abundance of all-stars, but the name that was left off made it bittersweet.

Reds’ first baseman Joey Votto was not on the final National League roster, despite being in the top five in the NL in all three major statistical categories, with a .312 average, 19 home runs, and 57 RBI.

It’s not out of the question to say that Votto has been the NL MVP this first half. How can a man that some baseball experts consider the MVP not be included on an all-star team?

The numbers are even more impressive with Votto missing extended time with a neck injury earlier in the year.

According to ESPN’s MLB Player Rater, Votto is actually the top first baseman in the NL according to their system of four different statistical metrics for evaluating player performance.

Albert Pujols is definitely the top dog when it comes to NL first basemen, so fans voting him as the starting first baseman is not a surprise. He and Votto had similar numbers, but Pujols is one of the league’s most popular players. You can’t say the same for Votto.

But when it comes to the other first basemen added to the NL roster, Votto should have gotten the nod.

When you look at the numbers, Votto’s first half surpassed those of Adrian Gonzalez and Ryan Howard.

Gonzalez’s production has been an integral part to the Padres’ resurgence. He leads the Padres in every major statistical category with .295 average, 16 home runs, and 51 RBIs.

But the same could be said about Votto being essential to the Reds’ resurgence. Votto’s hot hitting has been one of the biggest reasons Cincinnati leads the NL in hitting.

Votto leads the Reds all categories, like Gonzalez, but has had more of an impact for Cincinnati.

Toward Ryan Howard, the only reason Howard would get a pass over Votto is popularity.

Votto has four more home runs and is ahead of Howard by 18 points in batting average.

The numbers might be close, but Votto deserves to get his first selection due to how essential he has been to Reds’ charge to first-place in the NL Central.

Now, Votto goes up against Heath Bell, Carlos Gonzalez, Billy Wagner, and Ryan Zimmerman for the NL’s final man.

Of all the men on the ballot, Bell gives the only case close enough to Votto’s. The Padres’ closer leads the NL with 23 saves and has a 1.77 ERA.

None, however, have had the impact on their team that Votto has.

With one more player to select to the NL roster, Votto is the man who deserves the 34th and final spot.

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Happy Canada Day to all!

For most Americans, Canada is the wilderness to our north, a place of moose and mounties. But in more recent times, Canada has also been a hotbed of baseball talent, giving us a Hall of Famer pitcher in Ferguson Jenkins and some great sluggers, like Larry Walker.

Today, Canadian ballplayers are some of the headliners on MVP ballots, Cy Young races, and could one day see Hall of Fame consideration. Who is the most talented Canadian major leaguer today? Here are the top 10.

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Hot hitting has been the reason for the Reds’ success to this point. It may astonish you to know that four of the top 11 batters in the National League wear Cincinnati uniforms.

That is correct. Scott Rolen is currently fifth in the league at .309, Brandon Phillips is ninth at .304, while Jonny Gomes and Joey Votto are tied at 10th, both batting .301.

I haven’t researched it but I bet it has been a good while since four Reds have been in the Top 10 in batting this far into the season.

Since June 1, Rolen is batting .425, with 3 HR, and 12 RBI, with an OBP of .455.

Votto is batting .316 since May 15. He also has hit 3 HR with 14 RBI, and an OBP of .419.

Since June 4, Phillips is batting .444 with a .474 OBP.

Going all the way back to May 5, Gomes is batting .364 with  5 HR and 29 RBI. His OBP during that stretch is .434. 

With runners in scoring position, Gomes is batting .435 with 36 RBI. With two outs and runners in scoring position, his average jumps to .500 with 13 RBI in only 16 AB.

Rolen is second in the league with 14 HR, and is fourth in RBI with 44.

Gomes is tied for 10th in RBI with 41. He leads all NL left fielders in average and RBI, including Ryan Braun, Matt Holliday, Jason Bay, Carlos Lee and Alfonso Soriano.

Cincinnati leads the league in batting at a .280 clip, in runs, hits, RBI, in SLG and in OPS. They are second to the Milwaukee Brewers in HR, and second to the Atlanta Braves in OBP.

They were getting quality starts seemingly every outing until this past week. The starters have been getting roughed up, the middle relief corps has been spotty, and the closing department has sucked.

However, as Dusty Baker said, and I paraphrase, Don’t count us out as long as we have a bat in our hand.

It is so true, I have come to expect good things at the plate in the last inning. Last night, I couldn’t believe it when Rolen lined out to end the game.

As long as the guys are hitting, we will have a chance to win, 7-6, 14-13 or whatever. The starters will get back into the groove and hopefully the closer, formerly known as Moon Man, will get his act together on a consistent basis.

As much as I hate to admit it, great hitting trumps great pitching every time. Face it, you have never heard anyone say they got beat 0-0.

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The Cincinnati Reds lead the National League Central in wins so far this season. With excellent players like Bronson Arroyo and Joey Votto, this trend is sure to continue throughout the rest of the season.

As of now, the NL Central standings show the Reds are leading with 30 wins. They are followed closely by the St. Louis Cardinals who have 29 wins.

As long as the Reds keep playing as well as they have been in this series against the Cardinals, they are sure to continue to pull ahead and lead in number of wins for the league.

Arroyo has contributed to the Reds’ standing with his excellent pitching so far this season. Last week he pitched a complete game against St. Louis. His win pushed the Reds to first place over the Cardinals in the division.

Also, according to MLB.com, Arroyo is one of the top pitchers in the National League this season. As long as Arroyo continues to play as well as he has, the Reds will continue to succeed.

Votto has also been a major contributor to the success of the Reds. With a batting average of .312, Votto is one of the top players in the league. He is also one of the top leaders in RBIs in the National League this season, with 33.

Even though he has missed the last five games due to an injury, once he returns, he is sure to continue to help lead his team to further victories.

With star players like Arroyo and Votto, and a whole roster of other talented players, the Reds are sure to see a great deal of success this season. The success they have had so far has shown the depth of the Reds roster, and is a likely predictor of how they will do for the rest of the 2010 season.

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