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We are just over a week away from the 2024 MLB All-Star Game, and the rosters have been announced for the American League and National League. As usual, there are a few snubs on each side, and we will dive deeper into those.
Over the next week, there will be injury reserves announced, so there is still a chance that some of these players could make their way to the MLB All-Star Game in Texas. For now, none of these five players are on the roster for their respective league, despite clearly being deserving of the nod. There are two National League snubs that clearly stick out, while there are three in the American League that we will discuss.
Francisco Lindor, 2B, Mets
Francisco Lindor is notoriously a slow starter, which makes it a bit more understandable for someone who has been snubbed from the MLB All-Star Game multiple times at this point. However, when looking at Lindor's production this season and comparing it with CJ Abrams of the Washington Nationals, it is clear that the wrong choice was made.
When looking at Lindor's .244 batting average with a .310 on-base percentage and 15 home runs, it does not seem like he should get the nod over Abrams, who is batting .280 with a .350 on-base percentage and 14 home runs. Abrams' 138 wRC+ compared to Lindor's mark of 116, according to FanGraphs, makes it clear Abrams has been better offensively.
However, the difference comes in on the defensive side. Lindor is turning in a defensive season with -2 DRS and 8 OAA, while Abrams is struggling defensively with 2 DRS and -11 OAA. Due to that, Lindor has an edge in WAR with 3.3 to Abrams' 2.2. With a WAR difference that big, Lindor should have gotten the nod.
Abrams is the only representative for the Nationals, as every team needs one player to go to the game. Still, Lindor is top 10 in the NL in WAR, he should have been on the roster.
Luckily for Lindor, Mookie Betts is slated to miss the MLB All-Star Game due to his injury, so Lindor would be a logical choice to replace him.
Christian Walker, 1B, Diamondbacks
Christian Walker is arguably a bigger snub than Lindor, and ironically, Pete Alonso of the New York Mets is who took Walker's spot.
Walker is batting .268 with a .341 on-base percentage, .857 OPS and 22 home runs, which is good for a 138 wRC+ and 2.9 WAR, according to FanGraphs. By comparison, Alonso is batting .243 with a .325 on-base percentage, .792 OPS and 18 home runs. Alonso sits with 1.2 WAR.
Not to mention, Walker has 6 DRS and 8 OAA this season, while Alonso is struggling defensively with -5 DRS and -6 OAA.
Alonso might have gotten the nod to give him incentive to participate in the Home Run Derby. He was also the only Mets player selected, but as discussed above, Lindor should have been on the roster instead. Walker was clearly the better choice here.
Ronel Blanco, SP, Astros
This one is not as egregious as the previous two, but Ronel Blanco should have gotten the nod over Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Anderson. Blanco might be due for some regression given his advanced stats, but he has been great this year with a 2.53 ERA, striking out 23.1% of batters and walking 10.2%, according to FanGraphs.
Anderson has a 2.81 ERA while striking out 16.8% of batters and walking 10.3%. Anderson has an innings advantage with 112 to Blanco's 96. But Anderson has started two more games this season. The WAR difference is negligible, and Blanco should have gotten the nod here. Unfortunately for Blanco, the Angels did not have any other All-Star representatives, giving the edge to Anderson.
Josh Smith, IF, Rangers
Josh Smith is quietly having a very strong season for the struggling defending champion Texas Rangers, and it is humorous that his teammate, Marcus Semien, is the one we are going to talk about him deserving the nod over.
It remains to be seen how sustainable Smith's performance is long-term, but he has been great this year. He is batting .293 with a .386 on-base percentage, .837 OPS and seven home runs, according to FanGraphs. He has a 139 wRC+ and is at 2.7 WAR so far this season.
In comparison, Semien has struggled this year, batting .232 with a .296 on-base percentage, .679 OPS and 12 home runs, according to FanGraphs. He is at a 90 wRC+, which means he is 10% worse than a league average hitter, and he has 1.9 WAR.
Smith does not have much second base experience, which is why Semien might have gotten the nod here, but the numbers are vastly different.
Hunter Gaddis, RP, Guardians
There were multiple candidates who were more deserving of a trip to the MLB All-Star Game than Clay Holmes of the New York Yankees. Hunter Gaddis of the Cleveland Guardians is one that sticks out.
So far this season, Gaddis has a 1.31 ERA in 41.1 innings while striking out 28.9% of batters and walking just 4.6%, according to FanGraphs. For much of the season Holmes was deserving, but he has hit a rough patch over the last month or so like the rest of the Yankees.
On the season, Holmes has a 3.00 ERA in 36 innings of work while striking out 23.9% of batters and walking 5.2%, according to FanGraphs.
Gaddis sits with 1.4 WAR compared to Holmes 0.9. Part of this selection might have had to do with Holmes being a closer and racking up 19 saves, while Gaddis does not get saves due to the presence of Emmanuel Clase. It also might be that players could have been voting on this weeks ago, when Holmes' numbers looked better.
Still, there were multiple better candidates to make the MLB All-Star Game than Holmes, and Gaddis is one of the main ones.
