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The rosters for the 2018 Major League Baseball All-Star team are hot off the presses. Naturally, the only thing to do now is to calmly take it all in.
Just kidding. Now is the time for raising eyebrows and shaking fists.
We're going to run through the biggest surprises and snubs (four of each) for the squads that the American League and National League have lined up for July 17 at Nationals Park. The surprises range from upsets in the starting lineup to unexpected reserves. The snubs are just that: snubs.
Let's count 'em down, starting with the biggest surprises.
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It's not the hugest surprise that Nick Markakis made the cut for the National League's starting lineup. He was one of the leading vote-getters among outfielders in every voting update.
And yet, the specific circumstances of his selection are worth a double take.
For one thing, the Atlanta Braves 34-year-old is now a new record holder. According to MLB Stat of the Day, the 1,928 games he played before his first All-Star selection are the most of any player ever. Given that he had some All-Star-caliber seasons along the way, it's a wonder that it took so long for him to get his due.
This, however, was no pity vote. Fans got behind him in droves, ultimately bestowing more votes on him than every NL starter except Freddie Freeman. When looking at his .322/.389/.490 slash line, it's hard to blame them.
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Also in the pleasant surprise department is a guy on the other end of the age spectrum from Markakis: Gleyber Torres.
The New York Yankees' 21-year-old was added to the American League reserves despite several disadvantages. The biggest is that he's on the disabled list with a hip strain. He's also played in only 63 games, and he went into Sunday ranked fourth among AL second basemen in wins above replacement.
However, it's hard to raise a fuss about his inclusion.
Torres has put up a .905 OPS and slugged 15 home runs when he's been healthy, and he's also played some nifty defense. It's made a world of difference for the Yankees, who are 45-18 in games Torres has played in.
Besides, it's never a bad thing for baseball's bright young stars to be on the sport's biggest stage.
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And now for a not-so-pleasant surprise: Charlie Blackmon making it onto the NL roster as a reserve outfielder.
It was hard to gripe about Blackmon's first two All-Star nods in 2014 and 2017. That's especially true of the latter, as he went on to have an MVP-caliber year with a 1.000 OPS and 37 home runs.
This year has been a different story. Blackmon's OPS is down to .822, which is nothing special for a Colorado Rockies hitter. Per defensive runs saved, he's also been the worst defender in MLB. Put these things together, and his WAR is actually under water at minus-1.1.
According to the Rockies Twitter account, Blackmon's peers are responsible for voting him in. If it's not because of his reputation, maybe it's because of his beard. Because it's certainly not about his numbers.
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Per the voting update that was released on July 2, the National League was projected to start Buster Posey at catcher and Ozzie Albies at second base.
That was Chicago Cubs fans' cue to stuff the ballot box for Willson Contreras and Javier Baez.
Them making the cut for the NL's starting lineup isn't the biggest come-from-behind victory in the history of the Cubs. But if nothing else, it's well-deserved. Contreras has packed a mightier bat than Posey, outpacing him in OPS at .838 to .780. Likewise, Baez has Albies beat .893 to .831.
Baez has other talents worthy of the All-Star Game, too. He's an extraordinary defender and an uncommonly creative slider.
So unless your name is Buster Posey, Ozzie Albies or J.T. Realmuto (i.e., baseball's best catcher at the moment), nobody has any cause to complain here.
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A special shoutout goes to Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Jeremy Jeffress, who didn't make the NL All-Star team despite leading all NL relievers with a 1.05 ERA.
He just didn't get robbed as badly as Adam Ottavino.
The Rockies righty has hit a rough patch lately, giving up five runs in his last five outings. But he's still rocking an excellent 1.79 ERA that's darned impressive by Colorado standards. That points to his peripherals. In 40.1 innings, he's struck out 63 batters and allowed only 21 hits and 16 walks.
All told, Ottavino went into Sunday as a top-five NL reliever by Baseball Reference WAR and as a top-three reliever by FanGraphs WAR. So, he has every right to grumble.
"I'm not surprised," Ottavino said, per Nick Groke of The Athletic. "It's because I'm on the Rockies. Pitchers don't get any credit playing for the Rockies."
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Although Manny Machado and Francisco Lindor made the cut, they're just two of many AL shortstops who have played like All-Stars so far in 2018.
Of the bunch who didn't make it, Andrelton Simmons has the most cause to feel cheated.
It's baffling that the Los Angeles Angels veteran has yet to make an All-Star team to at least one extent: He's been arguably the best defensive shortstop in MLB for seven years. So it goes in 2018, as he leads AL shortstops in defensive runs saved.
What's different for Simmons this year is that he's packing an impact bat for a change. He's hitting .311/.372/.440 with nine more extra-base hits (24) than strikeouts (15).
On the bright side, Simmons' All-Star hopes aren't dashed just yet. Fans of slick-fielding, good-hitting shortstops can still get him there via the final vote.
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Jesus Aguilar is yet another Brewer who got robbed Sunday, but even he doesn't fit in the Max Muncy-sized hole in the National League roster.
The 27-year-old didn't seem to be anything more than organizational depth coming into 2018. But once the Los Angeles Dodgers started to pile up injuries, the door opened for him to play.
At the rate he's going, Muncy may never go back through that door. Going into Sunday, his 1.027 OPS led all National Leaguers with at least 200 plate appearances. He's also needed only 196 at-bats to bash 20 homers.
To boot, Muncy has been a versatile defender who's spent time at first base, third base, second base and left field. The NL roster would have benefited from having him over Charlie Blackmon in more ways than one.
But like with Andrelton Simmons, there's a bright side. Anyone who wants justice for Muncy is free to choose him in the final vote.
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There are some pretty good starting pitchers on the American League roster, but none of them leads the league in ERA.
Only Blake Snell does, yet he's not among them.
Beyond his 2.09 ERA, the Tampa Bay Rays left-hander also boasts 132 strikeouts in 116 innings through his first 19 starts. Making this all the more impressive is that he's faced opponents with a higher average OPS than any other pitcher who's logged at least 75 innings.
Unlike Andrelton Simmons and Max Muncy, Snell can't get to Washington, D.C., by way of the final vote. He's not among the five American League finalists.
So, what Rays teammate Chris Archer said: "That's a joke. Something like that can't happen."
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus.
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