3 biggest NL starter snubs in the MLB All-Star Game

The National League starters for the MLB All-Star Game feature some cool storylines.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been dreadful this season, but their second-baseman Adam Frazier has been extraordinary. While the name isn't a household one and nobody outside of Pittsburgh keeps an eye on the Pirates, Frazier was more than deserving.

After opting out due to the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Buster Posey has returned in a big way for the San Francisco Giants, who surprisingly lead the NL West. Posey will be starting at catcher in the MLB All-Star Game.

With all the good stories, there are always an equal amount of frustrating and heartbreaking ones from those who feel they should've been voted a starter. That's the case this year as well in the National League. Here are the three biggest NL starter snubs in the MLB All-Star Game.

Kris Bryant – 3B, OF, Chicago Cubs

Kris Bryant got far less recognization in the voting for the season he's having than what many expected. Bryant started out the year on a tear, looking like shades of the Kris Bryant that won the MVP award in 2016.

His pace has slowed to an extent but Bryant has still been one of the pillars in the Cubs lineup.

This was a Chicago team that the front office had all but given up on in the offseason. They traded Yu Darvish a year after he finished second in the Cy Young voting. They did it to get off his contract. After that, they let Kyle Schwarber walk and he's putting up insane numbers for the Nationals. Bryant, along with Javy Baez and Anthony Rizzo, could all hit free agency after this year and the Cubs front office hasn't done anything to address it.

Bryant has responded by smacking 15 home-runs and posting an OPS of .847. The Cubs have responded by staying in the top tier of the NL Central standings all year long.

Perhaps it's because he's so versatile and played all over the field defensively but, Kris Bryant should've been higher than third in the voting for third-base in the NL.

Kyle Schwarber – OF, Washington Nationals

Speaking of Kyle Schwarber, whenever you're on a statistical list that includes just your name, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds, you must be putting up other worldly numbers. That's exactly what Schwarber has done.

Only 3 players in @MLB history have hit 15 HR in a 17-game stretch:

• Kyle Schwarber (2021)
• Barry Bonds (2001)
• Sammy Sosa (1998)@kschwarb12 // #NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/8vIJ4WtirF

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 29, 2021

Schwarber may be a victim to getting red hot when the MLB All-Star Game voting was already well underway. His month of June was jaw-dropping, his results in the voting were puzzling.

In the month of June alone, Schwarber had 16 home-runs, slugged .760 and had an OPS of 1.122. Yet, he couldn't even sniff out a top 10 spot in the National League outfield.

Arguably the hottest hitter in baseball for over a month, and the voters said there are 10 better outfielders in just the National League alone. Schwarber deserved far more appreciation than what showed up on the MLB voting ballots. He's had an incredible season and if he keeps it up, he'll have plenty more offers in the offseason than the one-year, $10 million deal he's on currently with the Nationals.

Max Muncy – 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers

It's hard to beat out Freddie Freeman in a vote for the MLB All-Star Game. Freeman has been a mainstay and a constant pillar of success for the Atlanta Braves and the National League throughout his career.

Freeman has had another good year in Atlanta but, Max Munch has been tremendous for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

For those that think Freeman should've finished first in the voting, that's fine. But the gap between he and Munch (Freeman 47%, Muncy 34%) is a bit much.

The Dodgers lineup is loaded with star power and Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger usually chew up most of the headlines. Meanwhile, Max Muncy just goes about his business in stealth mode for LA.

Muncy is seventh in all of baseball with an OPS of .983 and tied for 14th with 18 long balls. As far as under the radar players go, Muncy is near the top of the list.

His game isn't flashy, he doesn't make a ton of highlight reel plays, he's just a really, really good baseball player. And one that was more than deserving enough of being a starter in the MLB All-Star Game in 2021.

All three of these players should absolutely be reserves and it would be awesome to see Schwarber enter the Home Run Derby as well. The MLB All-Star Game voting is not a perfect process, it's far from it. While the majority of the picks are validated through player performance throughout the season, the starters list still carries a couple of head scratchers, leading to these snubs.

Here are the starters for both the AL and the NL.