The 2018 MLB All-Star Game rosters were announced Sunday evening, and among the notable snubs were Rockies pitchers Kyle Freeland and Adam Ottavino.
One might assume that a national narrative that has punished Colorado players for years by diminishing their accomplishments at the plate, would mean that Rockies pitchers would receive extra credit for their successes. But that simply is not the case, as we have seen Rockies pitchers get overlooked time and time again by baseball writers and fans around the country.
Charlie Blackmon, Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story all will be representing the NL in Washington D.C. on July 17, so there is reason for Rockies fans to be excited for the annual mid-summer classic but it is truly a shame that Freeland and Ottavino will not be making the trip.
Admittedly, I was prepared for the possibility of Blackmon or Story potentially being snubbed, but I certainly did not anticipate the most dominant reliever in all of baseball (Ottavino) being left off the NL roster and feel there is an equally strong case that Freeland should be an all-star as well.
What I foolishly failed to consider was the selection process and how the fan vote does not give a damn about who most deserves to represent each league. As we see in February each year with the NBA All-Star Game and every July in Major League Baseball, when you let the fans determine the majority of the rosters, the outcome is going to be a popularity contest.
If the rosters were determined solely by the players, there is no way that Ottavino would have been left off the roster by his peers.
Through the first half of the 2018 season, Ottavino has been virtually unhittable and the proof is in the numbers. In 37 relief appearances, Ottavino has logged 40 innings, struck out 63 and only given up 21 hits and eight runs. Those are all-star numbers and if you have any qualms about the validity of that statement, just ask any of Ottavino’s strikeout victims whether Adam should be representing the NL or not.
I understand the intended purpose of the fan vote. It makes the public feel special by allowing their voices be heard. When it means some of the most deserving players do not get to participate in the All-Star Game though, as a baseball fan, I do not have much interest in that game.
Ultimately the only thing that is actually lost is pride, considering the game no longer determines which league gets home field advantage in the World Series, but if we are still going to have the event every year, we should at least let players determine who is most deserving. It only seems fair, considering it is the players’ livelihoods on the line.
