Every year, I try and vote for a player who hasn't been to the MLB All-Star Game and actually has the numbers to warrant a selection. This year, with 11 first-time All-Stars going to the game in Detroit, it wasn't difficult. From Derrek Lee to Brian Roberts to Carlos Lee, there were plenty of league leaders who have never played in the midsummer classic.
Inevitably, though, I overlook someone who deserved to at least be considered. A player that makes you say, “Ah, crap, how did I forget about him?” This year, unfortunately, there were two: Houston's Morgan Ensberg and Cleveland's Travis Hafner.
Let's start with Ensberg. He is tied for the lead among all third basemen with 23 home runs. Alex Rodriguez, who is going to the All-Star Game, also has 23. His 63 runs batted in trail only A-Rod. His OPS (on base plus slugging percentage) is 0.968, again trailing only A-Rod. Lucky for Ensberg, A-Rod plays in the American League. Surely, having the best stats in the National League would win Ensberg enough votes to play in his first All-Star game. Yet somehow these numbers weren't enough to ensure an All-Star selection, nor attention on my ballots.
Scott Rolen, by the virtue of playing before fans in St. Louis, and Aramis Ramirez, also similarly lucky to play before fans in Chicago and nearly every other park (why is not winning a championship so popular?), were selected over the more qualified Ensberg. I'm not going to rant about the selection process because I'm all for fans picking who they think should go, but I'm still trying to figure out why he was overlooked.
Was it that he plays his games in hitter-friendly Minute Maid Park? While his home run numbers are virtually the same, his slugging percentage is a good 80 points lower on the road, and his OPS is 150 points lower. But if players are judged on where they get their hits, Bobby Abreu playing at Philadelphia's Citizen's Bank Park and Aramis Ramirez at Chicago's Wrigley Field, should also have their numbers scrutinized.
Let's not forget Todd Helton, playing at Colorado's Coors Field, has been an all-star regular, excluding this year, since 1999. Abreu's slugging percentage is a good 60 points lower away from home although his average is about the same. Yet, Bobby still made the all-star team. Maybe the reason Aramis is going to Detroit instead of Morgan is that his numbers are actually better on the road than they are at Wrigley. His slugging is 30 points higher, and his OPS is 40 points higher.
I still don't see any clear reason why Ensberg was excluded from a trip to Detroit other than being a young, unknown player for the Houston Astros. His numbers were better than the two third basemen chosen over him. Perhaps next year, if he continues hitting the way he has been, fans will remember him and he'll make his first All-Star Game.
Travis Hafner's case is a bit trickier. Only one DH made the American League all-star roster, Boston's David Ortiz. Ortiz's 21 home runs and 75 runs batted in were the best of any regular DH. He also received the most number of votes of any single player. Despite Ortiz's overwhelming selection, Hafner actually has better numbers. His .319 batting average is five points higher, his on base percentage is 30 points higher, and his slugging percentage is 10 points higher. If the fans were rewarding power, you think they would have noticed Hafner ahead of Ortiz.
Or perhaps they are remembering Ortiz's home run performance against the Yankees. I almost voted for all Red Sox just because they came back from a 3-0 deficit last year, and against the Yankees, as well. We'll credit Boston's World Series win with Ortiz's selection and move on to see how Hafner compares against some of the other AL All-Stars.
Well, four first basemen made the team, Mark Teixeira of the Texas Rangers, Mark Sweeney of the Kansas City Royals, Shea Hillenbrand of the Toronto Blue Jays, and Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox. Of those four, only Teixeira has comparable numbers. Konerko is closest in home runs and runs batted in, but his .243 average is abysmal, and over 60 points lower than Hafner. Hillenbrand's .304 average is good, but he trails Hafner by 10 home runs and nearly 40 RBI. Surely, we could have found a spot for Hafner instead of one of the numerous first basemen. But if you're still set on having three backups for Teixeira, then let's take a look elsewhere.
Normally, I'm not surprised to see the name of Ichiro Suzuki on the all-star roster, but this season, he was occupying a space better left to someone else. He played quite poorly for the first half of the season (poorly for Ichiro being better than a lot of other ballplayers). His .243 average in the month of June was decidedly low for a player who flirted with .400 for most of last year. Yet, he will be making the trip to Detroit while Hafner, with a better batting average, enjoys a July vacation.
There is one other possible explanation for Hafner's omission. Perhaps it all comes down to karma. He could be paying the price for all the ballot stuffing Cleveland fans did in the '90s. If that's the case, Cardinals players of the future might credit Scott Rolen playing this year with their being overlooked a few years from now.
Whatever the reason, next year, I'll be paying particular attention for two names on my ballot. Unless the Nationals somehow win the World Series.
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