The 2013 MLB All-Star rosters have been announced and that means it’s time to judge the selections. Obviously there are plenty of players who deserve the honor, but some names deserve it more than others. Here are the best and worst selections to this year’s all-star game.
Best Choices
Chris Davis
No surprise here. The guy dubbed “Crush” Davis has been on an absolute tear this entire season. He has 33 home runs and over 80 RBIs before the mid-season mark.
Not known for his average over his six seasons in the bigs, Davis is also hitting .325 right now. He’s never finished a season with an average over .300.
There was no doubt that Davis was going to make this year’s American League team considering his start to this season. He garnered over 8 million votes. Barring any injury between now and July 16, Davis will suit up at Citi Field and maybe even knock another few homers out of the park.
Matt Harvey
He’s started just 28 games in his MLB career but make no mistake: Matt Harvey deserves to take the mound first for the National League.
So far this season, the Mets ace has already struck out 141 batters and owns a 2.27 ERA through 123 innings of work.
Those numbers are good no matter what team you play for but it’s not like Harvey has had that much help. The Mets are currently ranked 20th in runs and 29th in batting average in the league. Harvey has had to earn each of those seven wins currently on his 7-2 record the hard way.
If his club allows it, Harvey should take the mound for the NL at Citi Field and not just to make the home fans happy. He has earned the right to take the ball first.
Worst Choices
Adam Jones
Adam Jones deserves to make the American League roster but doesn’t deserve to start. Jones does have 15 home runs, 59 RBIs and a .287 average. Those numbers are impressive but others are right there with him statistically.
AL reserve player Nelson Cruz has a lower batting average at .268 but has six more homers and just four fewer RBIs. Boston outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who didn’t make the roster, has a .302 average with 34 steals and 30 RBIs.
There will always be people looking to nitpick all-star rosters but four Orioles made the American League team. Considering how many Baltimore players will be in the AL dugout, it would’ve been appropriate to see Cruz or fellow reserve Alex Gordon get the starting nod.
Justin Masterson
Justin Masterson must be ecstatic about his first all-star selection but hearing his name called was puzzling. The Indians hurler has surrendered six earned runs in two of his last three outings. His ERA has gone from 3.48 to 3.78 over that time span.
Kansas City’s Ervin Santana owns a 2.84 ERA with 89 strikeouts and a misleading 5-5 record. That win-loss record is more due to Santana’s 41-43 record team than his own failures. He wasn’t even named to the American League roster.
Masterson is an interesting and new name to see named to the all-star game. That being said, as good a season he’s had, he didn’t deserve the selection this year.
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