Another year, another list of players left off the All-Star teams for whatever weird reason.
Be it the need to get all 30 teams a representative, big-market bias, or any other stupid explanation, there are players on these two All-Star teams who don't deserve to be there and some who absolutely should be on the roster.
So here are my three snubs, along with who they'd replace, because as much as I love to sit around and complain about something, there must be a solution. There can't be a snub without someone undeserving because there are limited roster spots, unlike the Hall of Fame.
Snub: Fransisco Lindor
Replace: Pete Alonso
So, for the most part, I try to stick to guys who play the same position. Still, since the Mets only have Alonso and Pete just isn't worthy of a spot (we'll get to another first baseman who could also replace him), Lindor can be the Mets' representative because he's been that good.
The batting average isn't pretty, and people have been really low on Lindor as a Met, so that bias plays a factor, but he's in the top-10 in baseball in FanGraphs WAR for position players. And he's not on the All-Star team.
He gets there via his usual elite defense, some solid base running (16 steals), and pop from both sides of the plate with a .447 slug. It's not world-beating by any stretch, but for a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop, that's pretty darn good.
The excellent news is that Lindor will likely be an injury replacement for the Dodgers' Mookie Betts, so this injustice won't last long, and Pete can stay and hit in the Home Run Derby just like everyone (for whatever reason) wants.
Snub: Christian Walker
Replace: Luis Arraez
Ugh, I hate to join in on the hating of Luis Arraez because of his limited value beyond his ability to hit singles, but the fact is he's not even a one-win player. He gives little to no defensive value at a very low-stakes position of first base, he's not a great baserunner, he doesn't get on base via walk (.312 batting average but a .346 OBP), and he doesn't hit for any power, with a .381 slug.
If he played even an average level of defense at, say, short, third, center, or catcher, this would be a very different story. Unfortunately, he plays a horrible first and second base, coming in at -4 and -7, respectively, in the Outs Above Average metric at each position.
Christian Walker, however, is 20th in baseball in FanGraphs WAR at 2.9, playing elite defense (at first, I get it, but compared to Arraez's horrible defense...) and sporting a solid 137 wRC+. Walker will get paid this offseason, and he's picked a heck of a year to put up these types of numbers. So, put him on the dang All-Star team.
Snub: Jordan Westburg
Replace: Marcus Semien
Another player I actually really like in Semien, but he's just having a down year, and Westburg has been a borderline top-20 position player. Coming up just short of the aforementioned Mr. Walker, Westburg has a 2.8 WAR, giving Baltimore some real value with his bat, coming in with a .358 wOBA and 14 homers.
He's a liability defensively at second with a -5 OAA rating over 256 innings at the position. Still, his glove plays really well at third, with a 5 OAA rating over a much larger sample size of 467 innings at the hot corner.
Semien is still every bit the defensive wizard he's always been at second, with a 13 OAA rating, but his 88 wRC+ drags down his value, being almost a full win less valuable than Westburg. Plus, the Rangers have their representative in reliever Kirby Yates, so no worries on that end.
It's possible that starting 2B, Jose Altuve, will opt out of the game with his recent hand injury, so that could open up a spot for Westburg and rectify this problem, but it shouldn't have happened in the first place. Name recognition shouldn't get you in over other, better players, and that's what this felt like.
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