NL Central All-Star Snubs
(Update: David Bednar replaces Clayton Kershaw on the NL Roster. Marcus Stroman opts to not pitch at the All-Star Game)
The MLB just released their rosters for the 2023 All-Star game in Seattle next week. Typically these are not set in stone, as there will be injuries or pitching rotation problems that lead to some players being unable to attend or join in on the festivities. As such this list may include players that did eventually make it into the game, but as of right now, they are not. Here we go through one player per NL Central team that should have made it to the roster but didn’t.
Christian Yelich - Milwaukee Brewers
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Christian Yelich has quietly had a decent first half of the season for the Milwaukee Brewers. As of July 3rd, he is hitting .273 with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs. He also has 18 stolen bases and an OPS of .808.
Compare him to outfield Juan Soto of the San Diego Padres. Soto is hitting .277, with 15 home runs and 46 RBIs. They seem very similar though OPS is on Soto’s side at .926. Yelich might be on the shortlist if any of the outfielders selected for the All-Star game get injured.
As of right now, the only Brewers selection is Closer Devin Williams.
Spencer Steer - Cincinnati Reds
(Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo)
Spencer “The Driver” Steer has been having a first half to remember. The platooner for the Cincinnati Reds is hitting .283 with 14 home runs and 50 RBIs. His OPS is at .876 with 84 hits on the year.
Compare his performance with Pete Alonso of the New York Mets. Sure Alonso has 25 home runs, but only has 58 RBIs, and has a lesser OPS of .836, not to mention he is only batting .222 on the year. Steer should hopefully get the nod within the next week or so.
Currently the only representative for the Reds is Alexis Diaz
David Bednar - Pittsburgh Pirates
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“Save big money with David Bednar” should be on his way to a second trip to the All-Star game. In 31 games for the Pirates, he has 16 saves, and has only allowed seven runs of which five are earned, giving him an ERA of 1.72.
This might be a case of being the odd man out as if you compare him to closer Alexis Diaz, Diaz has a 2.19 in 38 games out of the pen, shutting down for 23 saves, and allowing nine runs on the season. If there was an extra spot for a relief pitcher in the All-Star Game, it would have been him.
As of right now, the Pirates’ lone representative is Mitch Keller.
Nobody - Chicago Cubs
The Cubs already have three players representing them in the Classic next week, shortstop Dansby Swanson who is in his first year with the club. He is batting only .256 with the club with nine home runs and 35 RBIs. Pitchers Justin Steele and likely starter Marcus Stroman take the other two spots.
Steele is pitching to 2.43 ERA in 15 starts only giving up 23 earned runs.
Stroman is pitching to a 2.76 ERA in 18 starts allowing 33 runs in almost 108 innings.
Paul Goldschmidt - St. Louis Cardinals
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Paul Goldschmidt has been one of the bright spots for the disappointing Cardinals this season. The reigning MVP is hitting .286 with 15 home runs and 46 RBIs. He has also stolen eight bases in nine attempts with an OPS of .867.
Again this might be a case of the odd man out as they needed a backup shortstop but going back to Dansby Swanson and Pete Alonso, Goldschmidt is far surpassing the OPS of both these players and should have a rightful place at the all-star game.
Currently, Nolan Arenado is the only St. Louis Cardinals representative.
