MLB All-Star snubs, all-pro teams, and awards are bound to happen with so many players having great seasons every year.
Sometimes certain players make it in who shouldn’t have because of their name or history (Ahem, Mookie Betts), and sometimes certain amazing players are left out because they lack fan recognition. This will always be the case.
And it is especially the case this year when each team was given an automatic spot for one player to reach the All-Star game.
That being said, there are definitely a few big named star players who were left off of this year’s All-Star teams in both the AL and NL, and they are joined by a few others who deserve to have their names and performances recognized.
Here is our list of the top MLB All-Star snubs from each league.
National League
Max Scherzer
Max Scherzer falls under the category of a big named star who failed to make the roster this year, but he definitely deserved some recognition. Through 16 starts on the season, Scherzer boasts a 7-4 record and a stellar 2.10 ERA. He also has dished out 127 strikeouts over 94.1 innings of work and has a pitching WAR of 2.1. The Nationals ace who has been rumored to be a potential trade piece this season has once again proven his value to this team and the MLB.
Walker Buehler
Buehler has been outstanding this year while posting a 2.49 ERA in 17 starts, along with registering a record of 8-1. In 108 ⅓ innings, he has struck out 107 batters. Prior to his start against the Marlins on Monday, he had gone through six innings in each of his 17 starts, which was the longest current streak in the MLB. He’s definitely among the biggest of this year’s MLB All-Star snubs!
Justin Turner
Turner is one of the players whose ability to make the All-Star game was damaged by an automatic bid, this one from one of the few respectable players on the Diamondbacks in Eduardo Escobar. The veteran Turner leads all NL third basemen in total WAR and has posted an average of .294 with 13 homers and 42 RBI. The men put in beside him, Kris Bryant and Nolan Arenado, have the better power numbers, but you can’t deny Turner’s production for one of the best teams in baseball.
Starling Marte
Marte is left out due to him missing a chunk of the early season with injuries. Despite that, he still deserved some All-Star love from the fans for the work he has put in for the Marlins. He is outslugging first-time All-Star this season Juan Soto, and his defensive work has been stellar. FanGraphs has him listed with the best defensive runs above average.
American League
Yuli Gurriel
With the Astros having so many positional players posting huge numbers from the plate, it is hard to vote all of them in without giving spots to other players who are deserving as well, especially at the loaded first base position. That being said, The Houston Astros’ first baseman boasts a .381 on-base average and 147 weighted runs created plus. Gurriel’s strikeout rate at 8.9 percent is also the lowest in the league. He just happens to be behind Vlad Guerrero Jr., Matt Olson, and Jared Walsh who have been stellar.
Byron Buxton
Another player who will be left out of this coming week’s festivities due to injuries suffered throughout the year, Buxton opened the season on fire but only appeared in 27 games. However, the numbers and plays he put up deserve some All-Star recognition. He is still in third place in WAR out of all outfielders despite the lack of games played.
Tyler Glasnow
Glasnow is probably the best pitcher in the AL to be left out of the All-Star game, maybe next to fellow A’s teammates Sean Manaea and Chris Bassitt, and Twins pitcher Jose Berrios. Glasnow has posted a stellar ERA of 2.66 over 14 starts and boasts a record of 5-2. He also has an amazing 123 K’s in only 88 innings pitched. Wow!
Yordan Alvarez
Yordan Alvarez is hitting splits of .300/.370/.531 and is absent from the All-Star game to this point. He could be one of the many players on this list that step in as an injury replacement or replacement for any other reason. However, with so many DH’s in the lineup for the AL, it is hard to see him going in over the stellar guys ahead of him. You can’t find much better than Shohei Ohtani, Nelson Cruz, and J.D. Martinez. Alvarez is only 24, so he has plenty more time to make All-Star games in the future.
