Spitballing: MLB All-Star Game snubs and duds

There are only three certainties in this world: death, taxes and the MLB All-Star Game roster selection being nothing more than an overglorified popularity contest done under the guise of democratic fan engagement.

Actually, that’s an inaccurate, unfair, misguided overgeneralization. Churches are tax-exempt.

Allow me to clarify one thing before proceeding with my incessant whining about this year’s All-Star Game roster assembly: I did not partake in the fan voting this year. It’s my form of protest, also, I hate fun things.

But that doesn’t preclude me from claiming the moral high ground when it comes to criticizing those rosters — especially when, as you will soon read, some of the most egregious mistakes concerned the selection of pitchers, something fans have no control over anyway. So no, I will not get off my high horse of perceived baseball knowledge, thank you very much.

Here are the worst snubs from the 2021 All-Star Game, as well as a few duds — chosen players who shouldn’t find themselves anywhere near Coors Field for next week’s Midsummer Classic.

Snub: Chris Bassitt, SP, Oakland Athletics

Chris Bassitt isn’t a name that jumps out to the casual fan as particularly sexy, nor does he play for a team whose existence is acknowledged by anyone outside the state of California.

But isn’t that the point?

Bassitt has pitched to the tune of a 3.41 ERA for the 50-39 A’s, and at the time of selection, the righty was sixth in the American League in ERA, seventh in strikeouts and first in innings pitched — a stat that’s especially important the year after a 60-game season. His xERA of 3.26 is fifth in the AL as of Thursday, and he’s walked only 2.3 batters per nine innings, better than all but two of the starters selected to the AL roster.

And for the boomers? His nine wins are tied for second in the AL. A head-scratcher, indeed.

Dud: Aroldis Chapman, RP, New York Yankees

This one has to be the most perplexing selection on either side, and that’s not just because of his 4.55 ERA, his four blown saves or the fact that he’s walked 22 batters in 29.2 innings this year.

It’s also because popularity, usually the explanation for undeserving All-Stars, doesn’t quite fit here. He’s not exactly a fan favorite.

So what is the explanation? His nearly 16 strikeouts per nine innings, or the fact that he didn’t allow an earned run in his first 18 innings of the season? That’s all fun and well, but the last month and a half has been a nightmare for Chapman, as his 11.57 ERA in that span can attest to. (Would you like a word, Spider Tack?)

Fans have certainly drawn ire to Yankees teammate Gerrit Cole’s selection, but at least he has a sub-three ERA to his credit. Chapman? Confusing at best.

Snub: Freddy Peralta, SP, Milwaukee Brewers

Maybe MLB was reluctant to select three Brewers starters after Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff had already gotten the nod? Regardless, Peralta’s absence is hard to explain. As of Thursday, his 2.23 ERA ranked fifth among NL starters, as did his 129 strikeouts, as did his 0.90 WHIP.

Peralta’s 93 innings pitched certainly don’t jump out — but then again, neither do Jacob deGrom’s 92.0 or Burnes’ 87.2.

He’s certainly been overshadowed by his counterparts on the Brewers, but that’s no reason to omit Peralta, who has been a big part of Milwaukee’s surge to the top of the NL Central standings.

Dud: Mookie Betts, RF, Los Angeles Dodgers

In terms of position players, the AL and NL rosters are actually pretty fair, but Betts is where the whole popularity contest thing comes into play.

Pick a player, numbers through Thursday:

Player A: .382/.528/.909, 151 OPS+, 15 HR, -4 DRS, 65 G

Player B: .356/.452/.809, 124 OPS+, 11 HR, 4 DRS, 75 G

Player C: .361/.500/.861, 141 OPS+, 11 HR, 4 DRS, 61 G

Player A is Bryce Harper. Player B is Betts. Player C is Trent Grisham. If you value offense to the level that I do (significantly more than defense, especially for corner outfielders), you’re taking Harper. If you value them equally, you’re taking Grisham. Betts is only your guy if you’re obsessed with games played and a low slugging percentage; if that’s the case, be my guest.

To be fair, Harper’s offensive numbers ballooned after his 5-for-6, nine-total-base performance on Tuesday, after the selection — but even before that, his OPS and SLG were well above Betts’. All told, he and Grisham were both more deserving to get the nod.

Snub: Max Scherzer, SP, Washington Nationals

Like Harper, Scherzer saw a ballooning of his own numbers after the selection with a seven-run outing against the Padres on Thursday. But even so, his ERA stands at 2.66 with a dominant tally of 134 strikeouts over 98 innings this season, and his WHIP is at 0.88. That’s All-Star worthy even after his blow-up.

That, along with a 2.0 BB/9, is part of why his fWAR entered Thursday at seventh in the National League. Scherzer is almost a lock to wind up in the Hall of Fame, and his 2.10 ERA when the rosters were announced would’ve been the lowest of his career.

Plus, there’s this, a rare quality tweet from the Nationals’ Twitter — before it inevitably backfired, like all their others, and Scherzer helped them blow an 8-0 lead:

Dud: Mark Melancon, RP, San Diego Padres

Through Thursday:

Kenley Jansen: 1.6 bWAR, 1.27 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, 2 BS, 21 SV

Melancon: 1.4 bWAR, 2.21 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 7.4 K/9, 4 BS, 26 SV

I mean, it’s not just that Jansen has a statistical advantage — it’s that it isn’t particularly close. Quite literally the only major statistical category that Melancon has over Jansen is saves, and “major” is subjective in that regard.

Besides, it isn’t as if the Padres are scarce on All-Stars — Fernando Tatís Jr., Jake Cronenworth and Yu Darvish all got the invite. The bright side: A little more fuel to the Dodgers-Padres rivalry never hurt anyone, and maybe this will provide it.