USA TODAY International Edition
Glut of greatness at third leaves NL trio out
With two 32- team rosters, two more players coming on board via online balloting and a slew of injury- and pitching- related replacements to come, the All- Star Game snub isn’t what it used to be.
Still, when Major League Baseball released starters and reserves for the American League and National League teams for the July 11 game at Marlins Park, there were several significant omissions, due largely to talent clustered at certain positions than the poor performance of fans or players at the ballot box.
Here’s a look at the most significant ( statistics going into Monday).
KRIS BRYANT, 3B, CUBS
Bryant’s numbers might not be up to par with his National League MVP season, but he has an OPS of .901 and 16 home runs and leads NL third basemen with 53 walks. Bryant’s contributions are as valuable as ever, given the struggles of Cubs players such as Kyle Schwarber and injuries to other key veterans.
CARLOS CARRASCO, RHP, INDIANS
Carrasco is one of eight pitchers in the American League with a triple- figure strikeout total and has notched a 1.05 WHIP through 97 2⁄3 innings, but his 3.50 ERA probably didn’t do him any favors relative to other hurlers in the league.
ANTHONY RENDON, 3B, NATIONALS
Rendon’s 3.7 WAR and .951 OPS is the highest among qualified NL third basemen. On top of that, he’s in the top five for RBI, home runs, walks, hit and runs among the position group.
JUSTIN TURNER, 3B, DODGERS
With 212 at- bats, Turner isn’t far from being qualified for the batting title. And if he was, he would lead NL third basemen with an OPS of 1.029 to go with his 81 hits and .381 average. He’ll battle Rendon and Bryant in the final vote, though if Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen is correct, Turner faces an uphill battle there.
ROBINSON CANO, 2B, MARINERS
Despite leading AL second basemen with 60 RBI and 17 home runs, Cano didn’t find his name on the roster. Cano isn’t just swinging for the fences either, as only two second basemen have less strikeouts than he does.
ANDRELTON SIMMONS, SS, ANGELS
Simmons quietly has the secondhighest WAR ( 3.5) among AL shortstops behind only Correa, plus he boasts a .331 on- base per- centage, combining more than serviceable offense with his reliably spectacular defense. Unfortunately, he has to take a number behind young stars Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor.
MIKE MOUSTAKAS, 3B, ROYALS
With 22 homers, a total that leads AL third basemen, Moustakas is on pace to hit more homers than any other player in Royals history. The slugger also boasts 78 hits and an OPS of .853, which are good for third at his position.
LOGAN MORRISON, 1B, RAYS
Morrison is leading AL first basemen with a 2.7 WAR, 47 walks, 24 homers and 57 RBI, plus his OPS trails only that of Justin Smoak. It’s hard to say what kept him off the roster.
GIO GONZALEZ, SP, NATIONALS
Snub isn’t the right word, but unlucky seems to fit. Gonzalez has the third- best ERA in the NL ( 2.77), plus 104 strikeouts. Unfortunately for him, Max Scherzer was unquestionably making the roster, and it would be hard for anyone to turn down Stephen Strasburg’s strikeout ability.
FELIPE RIVERO, LHP, PIRATES
Kenley Jansen is the only reliever in the majors that has a lower ERA than Rivero’s 0.82 mark. On top of that, Rivero boasts 49 strikeouts and 14 holds.