The Yankees will be represented at the All-Star by three players. This only touches the surface of those deserving the honor – introducing the All-Star snubs…
Two Yankees, Gary Sanchez, and DJ LeMahieu will be in the starting lineup for the American League next Tuesday for the annual MLB All-Star game in Cleveland.
Elected by fans across America, they will be joined by Aroldis Chapman, who was a selection of major league players.
No Gleyber Torres, no Luke Voit, no Gio Urshela, no Aaron Judge, three players – that’s it. Is there anyone who can argue that any of these Yankees are not having all-star seasons? They are poster boys for All-Star snubs, 2019.
I submit no one can. For Voit, who re-answered the call this season, and Urshela, who came out of nowhere to bat .300, the hit must be especially hard. As castoffs from other teams, the rise to the level of play they are enjoying with the Yankees has been long and arduous.
Torres and Judge have been there before and each has extenuating circumstances that may have barred their selection. Torres was undoubtedly hurt in the vote because he split time between two positions, shortstop and second base. And Judge, of course, missed most of the first half due to injury.
Still, when you look at the composition of the AL All-Star team, it does not seem right the Houston Astros are sending six players and the Yankees only three if, in fact, the selection is based solely on first-half performance in the 2019 season.
There’s evidence to show that Cleveland fans came out in force to vote for Carlos Santana at first base. Eventually, they overtook Luke Voit by the slimmest of margins.
But it does reach the point of absurdity when a teacher in a Cleveland school tells his students he will fail them if they don’t vote for Santana.
All-Star Snubs Are Inevitable
There is no perfect way to elect or select an All-Star team, especially when it comes to position players. Listening to MLB’s Morning Show on XM-Radio, Steve Phillips pointed out there are already almost 150 players with double-digits in home runs, and well on their way to 20 or more in 2019.
To demonstrate his point, He went on to say that in 1979 a total of only 119 players went double-digits. And with the accent on home runs these days, it’s easy to overlook other stats of equal importance.
Gleyber Torres crushes Francisco Lindor in virtually all offensive categories. But the game is played in Cleveland, so it’s their chance to showcase their players. And MLB is sympathetic to that. Fine, I get it.
Still, where’s Xander Boegerts, another shortstop having a great year for the Red Sox?
Some argue the solution to avoiding All-Star snubs which, by the way, is an overused and melodramatic word of choice, is to increase the roster size for All-Star Games. But no matter what the number is, let’s say 32, there will always be the 33rd and 34th man not making the team, and resulting in the same argument.
They Got Snubbed – So What?
The sanest of fans don’t get too excited about any of this. All-Star snubs are conversation pieces and nothing more. Voit, Torres, Urshela, and Judge play for the New York Yankees, the team with the best record in the American League as play begins today.
Shane Greene, a former Yankee, Whit Merrifield, Daniel Vogelbach, and James McCann are all All-Stars who will be on the field next week in Cleveland. The difference, though, between these players and the All-Star snubs is they will return home with nothing more in their sights than to finish out the season with their respective teams.
To reiterate, nothing is ever perfect. In this case, it doesn’t need to be. It’s an exhibition game, that’s all. Next Thursday, when the season resumes, the Yankees All-Star snubs will take the field fully rested and ready to resume the chase to Number 28.
Is everybody okay with that?
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
