2018 All Star Snubs

By Zane Robidoux

Twitter: @zrobidoeee

Every year the All-Star rosters are released, and every year a group of very deserving players are left off those rosters. Of course, not every deserving player can make the team. There are only so many spots, and even if they should be on the team, there just isn’t enough room for everybody.

However, this year in particular seems a bit more outrageous than years past. Because of the league’s rule that every team needs to have one All-Star, it gives some players the chance to make the team that are a bit less deserving than others. Eventually, due to injuries and other replacements, many of the names listed will make the All-Star rosters, but for now, they’re still snubs. So, here’s your 2018 All-Star snub breakdown. 

Biggest Overall Snubs:

AL – Blake Snell (Tampa Bay Rays)

This one seems particularly strange. Snell leads the AL in ERA (2.09), is tied for second with 12 wins, and is tied for third in opponent’s average (.183) and quality starts (14).

Add to that his 132 strikeouts in 116 innings and 1.03 WHIP all while in the star studded AL East and it’s a headscratcher why he’s not on the roster, especially when he could probably be the AL’s starting pitcher. Blake Snell should have been one of the first players selected this year.

In my opinion the biggest snub of the year, and a pretty embarassing mistake not having him on the initial roster.

NL – Jesus Aguilar (Milwaukee Brewers) 

Aguilar has been so good this year that if the season ended today it would be hard to argue against him for NL MVP.

He leads the NL in home runs (23), OPS (1.007), slugging (.693) is third in RBI (64), has a .305 average and has done all this in 100 less at bats than the NL starter Freddie Freeman.

Not only that, but he has carried a surprise Brewers team through the absence of Eric Thames this season. 

Huge miss on the part of the voters, but they can redeem themselves with the Final Vote and get him to DC. 

Final Vote Pick:

Any of these 10 guys below could have been put on the All-Star rosters. It’s unfortunate that only two of these players will be able to represent themselves in Washington this year. Each has played a large role in their respective team's success this season, so it’s tough to pick just one from each league.

Of course, these picks are subjective, and you may read another blog with a totally different order for the Final Vote. But, in my eyes, here’s how the voting should shape up.

AL 

1. Andrew Benintendi 

2. Jean Segura

3. Eddie Rosario

4. Andrelton Simmons 

5. Giancarlo Stanton

NL

1. Jesus Aguilar

2. Max Muncy

3. Brandon Belt

4. Trea Turner

5. Matt Carpenter

Non Final Vote Snubs:

AL - Jed Lowrie (Oakland Athletics)

Among AL second basemen, Lowrie ranks first in home runs (16) and RBI (62), second in slugging (.504) and doubles (25) and third in OPS (.863). Gleyber Torres and Jose Altuve are having outstanding years, but Lowrie is having a break-out career year.

He could easily be considered for a starting position, and especially for a backup spot on the AL roster.

(EDIT: As soon as I finished writing this article, Lowrie was selected as an injury replacement for Torres)

NL - Ross Stripling (Los Angeles Dodgers)

In 11 games as a reliever, he posted a 0.59 ERA. Since moving to a role as a starting pitcher, Stripling has been just as good, going 7-2 in 13 games with a 2.55 ERA.

He’s had only two appearances all season which he gave up more than 3 runs (4 twice) and before his two starts in July his ERA had been below 2 all season.

Even with the crowded group of pitchers, he should hold a spot on the roster. 


Honorable Mentions: Charlie Morton (Houston Astros), Nicholas Castellanos (Detroit Tigers), Adam Ottavino (Colorado Rockies)

All-Stars That Shouldn’t Be:

AL - George Springer (Houston Astros)

Springer seems to be riding on the coattails of his fantastic 2017 campaign. He’s batting .251 with 15 HR and 43 RBIs this year, which at first glance doesn’t look that bad.

Yet over his last 30 games he’s 17/112 hitting a measly .152. Hardly numbers that warrant an All-Star selection. Springer has an OPS of .760 and is slugging .425, both of which are career lows.

While great in the past, his success this year has not been what it once was, and is not All-Star worthy.  

NL - Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals)

It's been a tough year for Harper. His 22 HR and 51 RBIs stand out, but not as much as his .218 batting average. Each month since the beginning of the season his batting average has dipped, and after bashing 18 home runs in April and May, he has hit just 4 in June and July combined.

On top of that, his career high of strikeouts in a season is in jeopardy, with 92 so far and 33 last month alone, he needs just 39 more to tie his career high. At this pace he’s looking to hit that around mid-August.

Not the numbers of an All-Star, and especially not the numbers of a starter. Popularity carried Harper to his selection this year. 

Honorable Mentions: J.A. Happ (Toronto Blue Jays)

It will be interesting to see how each roster ends up shaping up by the 17th as plenty of moves are still to be made. So if your favorite player isn't there yet, don't fret! There's still a good chance he will sneak onto a roster and possibly into the game.