Posts Tagged ‘All-Star Snubs’

2010 MLB All-Star Game Snubs

July 8th, 2010 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Columnist) | Posted in MLB Baseball   Comments Off on 2010 MLB All-Star Game Snubs
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The 2010 All-Star Game is just a few days away, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are analyzing the top snubs from the mid-summer classic.

Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: How on earth have there been two pitching replacements selected for the All-Star Game and Jered Weaver isn’t one of them? Perhaps if Weaver played on any other team, this would be an excusable snub by manager Joe Girardi, but there is just no reason for the best pitcher on the host team for this game to be left off of the roster. Weaver has 130 strikeouts this year, which is the second most in baseball and the most in the American League. He is 8-4 with a 2.97 ERA, and he would have double digits in wins if not for the fact that his team is averaging exactly 2.0 runs per game in his L/3 starts.

Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds: We understand that you only have so many spots on your roster to deal with and that you have to fill in someone from every team in the game, but manager Charlie Manuel really screwed up by not putting Votto on his roster. Perhaps he will end up getting on the roster by the time the game actually starts on Tuesday, but for now, Votto will be back in Cincinnati wondering what more he had to do in the first half of the season to become an All-Star. His 21 homers is best in the National League, while his .313 batting average puts him in the Top 5 in that category as well. Votto is on pace to drive in about 115 runs this year, and his OPS of 1.006 is off the charts. First base is a deep position, especially in the NL, but there is no way to justify why Votto was left off of this team when his teammates, 2B Brandon Phillips and 3B Scott Rolen are.

Mat Latos, San Diego Padres: Thank goodness that Manuel wised up and put closer Heath Bell on the All-Star team finally. Latos should be there as well. How on earth does no one from the best staff in baseball have the goods to be on the All-Star roster? Latos ranked eighth in the NL in ERA at 2.62, and he is 9-4 to show for his 16 starts. His numbers are virtually identical to St. Louis Cardinals RHP Chris Carpenter and aren’t that much worse than anyone aside from Josh Johnson and Ubaldo Jimenez in the NL. Some starting pitcher should be representing the Padres in LA on Tuesday, and Latos should be the man for the job.

Mike Pelfrey, New York Mets: How many ten game winners can really say that they don’t deserve to be All-Stars? Pelfrey was the spit and glue for the Mets for the better part of two months already this year, and though he hasn’t had a great last few starts, this award is supposed to be a recognition for your entire body of work from the first half of the year. Pelfrey is 10-3 with a 3.39 ERA, and, and though his strikeout total is down from the rest of the big arms in baseball, that doesn’t mean that he hasn’t been just as effective. If Pelfrey’s name was Greg Maddux, he would arguably be in a position to not just be in the All-Star Game, but to be starting in it as well. It’s not fair that he was left off of the squad because he isn’t your tradition household name amongst pitchers in the league.

Billy Wagner, Atlanta Braves: We hate to keep picking on the way that Manuel picked this roster, but if nothing else, shouldn’t Wagner be entitled to pitch in the All-Star Game because of his history? Now that Bell has his spot on the team, Wagner is the biggest snub amongst relievers in the league. He has 19 saves against just three blown saves, and has 55 strikeouts, the second highest number amongst closers in the NL. His 1.27 ERA is tops amongst closers, while a 0.91 WHIP and .164 batting average against are also best in the NL for stoppers. Wagner is a future Hall of Famer. His name should have carried him onto the All-Star roster with numbers like that. We love Jonathan Broxton in Los Angeles, but we’re sorry… Broxton’s 18 saves and 1.98 ERA aren’t as strong as Wagner’s 19 saves and 1.27 ERA.

Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox: At least Manuel picked two other first basemen on his roster when he left Votto off of the team. Girardi seemingly just overlooked Konerko, as the only other listed 1B on his team is Miguel Cabrera. No disrespect is meant to Cabrera, a deserving All-Star in his own right, but leaving Konerko off of the team is a travesty. He ranks fourth in the AL in home runs with 20 and has already knocked in 60 runs this year. By the way, that’s four more than starting 1B Justin Morneau and six more than OF Jose Bautista, who is also on the team as an outfielder. Aside from his sheer numbers, Konerko is the team leader for the White Sox, and he is arguably the main cog in their resurgence from the bottom of the AL Central up to where they sit now, just one game back of the Detroit Tigers for the division lead.