All Star Omissions


With only 32 roster spots spread among 15 teams per league, there will always be some deserving players overlooked for the All Star Game.  Still, some decisions come down as head scratchers -- Zach Wheeler front and center.

Last year's NL Cy Young runner-up admittedly got off to a slow start.  In this season that began after a lockout and dramatically shortened spring training, the Phillies righthander struggled out of the gate. His first three starts resulted in losses; in two of them, he was hit hard. But from his fourth start (April 28th) on, Wheeler has been as good as he was in 2021.

Per baseball-reference.com: 13 appearances, an 8-1 record, 93 strikeouts in 82 innings and an E-R-A of 1.53. 


Sure looks like an All Star to me.

A few other standouts who got the short end of the stick:

  • Ty France: the Mariners 1st baseball has followed his breakout 2021 season with the second-best offensive numbers for any American Leaguer at his position. 10 homers, 45 RBIs and a .379 on-base percentage along with and .840 OPS. Plus, he's on track to strike out less than 100 times.
  • Logan Gilbert: a 10-game winner on a Seattle team whose record is barely above. 500.
  • Freddie Freeman: having a typical year as he settles in with the Dodgers. 27 doubles in half a season; over 50 RBIs against a league whose offensive numbers have dropped, and a collection of other stats that impress.
  • Brandon Drury: this well-traveled utility player is enjoying career season in Cincinnati. 18 homers, 50 RBIs and an OPS just under .900 deserve attention, even if he's on one of the game's weakest clubs.
Odds are that one or more of these players could make their way to Dodger Stadium a week from tomorrow, when other players decline due to injury or other circumstances. 

Care to add any other names to this list? Just add a comment in the space below.




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