Snub Season: Looking at the All-Star Rosters

Every single time an all-star team comes out, people talk about “snubs”. Who should’ve made it versus who should not have made it.

This year in particular I find that there are a lot players missing from the AL and NL squads because of the stupid requirement the MLB has where every team has at least one representative at the game. I understand why they do it (ratings) but it makes the mid-summer classic, which is already on the downturn, worse.

I don’t think it is a stretch to say that many of the viewers of the game on July 17 won’t be tuning in to watch J.A. Happ (the only Blue Jay on the team) and his 4.44 ERA take the hill.

And Happ is just one of the guys that should not have made been picked for the game. The others who really weren’t worthy of getting the all-star nod this year include Felipe Vasquez, Jose Abreu, Salvador Perez, Joe Jimenez, and George Springer.

It isn’t like these players are having bad seasons, but there are a lot more worthy candidates. For example, Blake Snell of the Tampa Bay Rays leads all American League starters in ERA but somehow isn’t on the team. How? Because of the stupid representation rule.

The one pick that really ticks me off is George Springer. Good player, but no all-star this year. Eddie Rosario of the Twins has better numbers across the board but didn’t get in the game most likely because of manager A.J. Hinch’s bias towards his own guys. Is that fair? No.

A lot of the players that should’ve made the team, such as Rosario, are on the MLB “Final Vote”. The Vote contains one of the biggest snubs in Brewers first baseman Jesus Aguilar. I mean, how is it possible that Aguilar, who is batting over .300 with 22 bombs for the division leading Brewers, loses a spot to Joey Votto who is hitting .298 with 9 homers for the lowly Cincinnati Reds? No clue.

Like I already mentioned, it isn’t like Votto is having a bad year, but Aguilar has been better case and point.

Others who didn’t make the team nor the final vote who deserved better include Nicholas Castellanos of the Tigers, Charlie Morton of the Astros, Albert Almora Jr. of the Cubs, and Jed Lowrie of the Oakland A’s. If you look at their numbers, all of them should be in the game yet they couldn’t even make the Final Vote.

The MLB needs to look at either expanding the rosters or getting rid of the representation rule to make sure the game has all the players that deserve to be there.

-Jarrod Ribaudo (@Jribs53)