MID-SUMMER CLASSICS: Whether Stephen Strasburg should be named to the 2010 All-Star Game (um, yes -- the world will not note Mike Pelfrey's absence) is merely the first of a series of questions one could ask about this year's game. The more critical one is the one that's been my bugaboo for years -- whether the Commissioner should have the right "to name a player to each squad who may not necessarily deserve the honor for this year, but who ought to be honored by Baseball Nation as a whole in this marquee event during the twilight of his career."
There are three names which come to mind for this season -- the just-retired Ken Griffey Jr. for the American League, a player who certainly deserves a public send-off, and for the National League either Jamie Moyer (whose career admittedly may be at a midpoint, given that he and Roy Halladay share the same 8-6 record and did you see that eight inning two-hitter he threw last night?) or, sigh, sure-to-be-Hall-of-Famer Chipper Jones, whose imminent retirement deserves an appropriate farewell.
Last year, the NL used 8 SPs for its 13 pitching slots. Here's eight: Jimenez, Halladay, Lincecum, Wainwright, Johnson, Garcia, Silva, Strasburg.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Tim Hudson? He's 7-2 with a 2.34 ERA, and he hasn't given up more than three runs in a start all season.
ReplyDeleteYeah, he's pretty good too. Silva can't keep this up, can he? And I forgot Chris Carpenter -- does Garcia get squeezed out as the third Cardinal?
ReplyDeleteActually, one will likely get bumped anyway -- new rule that if you pitch on Sunday, you can't pitch in the ASG and the manager gets to replace you.
Garcia's probably the guy I'd drop from the list, though he's having a great year. I'm still convinced Silva will implode in the second half, but I can't believe he's kept it going this long.
ReplyDelete[ahem] Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteGive'em an on field ceremony before the game, I say. I think the idea of a ceremony before every All-Star Game honoring those who've retired in the last year is excellent on two points:
ReplyDelete1. It's a nice sendoff, especially if you're talking guys who've been playing for 20 years and have no real chance of making the Hall.
2. C'mon, this year would be Frank Thomas and Ken Griffey being honored, the #1 and #2 hitters of their generation and the cause for a hell of a lot of ballot intrigue come 2015.
Weds, Sept 22: his last game in Philadelphia: assuming the teams aren't both in the race, at his first at-bat does he receive a standing ovation, or still boos?
ReplyDeleteI don't know if this is a rule we need. If the fans really wanted to honor a player in the twilight of his career, couldn't they just vote for him? (Unless he is a pitcher, of course.) And historically, haven't they done so, voting in guys well past their prime just on reputation alone. Also, making Griffey the AL guy would start to turn this thing into a farce as not only is he not deserving of an all-star spot, he is not even an active player anymore.
ReplyDeleteMaybe MLB could instead let a player from each league who retired the previous year manage the teams. Fans could vote on the player from a list of 5-10 recently retired players. The player still gets his send-off and doesn't have to deprive a more-worthy player of a chance to play in the game.
Also Randy Johnson, John Smoltz and ... well, Pedro's not quite retired yet. But where's the cut-off: Brian Giles?
ReplyDeleteChipper has only been on the team once since 2001 -- Wright and Rolen have been winning the fan votes. And the guys who get in just on reputation are rare: Griffey and Ichiro, mostly.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't fans vote for pitchers for the ASG? We've voted a couple of times and that's always confused me. (Also, does MLB expect fans to vote multiple times, like each time they go to a game?)
ReplyDeleteI would guess that there would be a ceremonial chucking of batteries for that occasion, Adam.
ReplyDeleteWe never throw things at Laaaaaaaarrrrrrrrry. Only J.D. Boo.
ReplyDeleteI thought that maybe, because it was a special occasion.... Heh.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I've never been the biggest Chipper Jones fan around, but you've got to appreciate that the guy not only batted spectacularly well at Shea Stadium in the face of booing and the LARRRRRRY chant, but that he turned around and named his son "Shea." That always cracks me up.
What ballot intrigue? I'm a solid yes for Thomas, and I can't even imagine the argument against Griffey.
ReplyDeleteIf Randy Johnson and John Smoltz are also on the ballot, I start to wonder if we get no-votes for certain players based on not wanting to put four people in the Hall at once. Then there's the whole perception that Thomas had that he never got along with the media.
ReplyDeleteNo idea on the pitchers, but MLB does expect multiple votes from fans. If you vote online, you are allowed to vote up to 25 times for e-mail address.
ReplyDeleteA standing O-LAAAARRRRYYY. Which will cause Larry to do a double take that will send him to the DL with a sprained neck.
ReplyDeleteI think Strasburg has a chance at being the fan-voted "last player" to make it. I could see Manuel trying to avoid the backlash from picking a guy with 7 career starts, even if he is one of the top two pitchers in the league right now. And yes, I'm pissed that I'm still traveling in Berkeley and unable to go to today's Businessman's Strasmas.
ReplyDeleteOkay, well, first, I think that when they send the ballots out, they are going to come pre-printed with "yes" votes for Unit, Smoltz, and Griffey. Morons who oppose unanimity will have to white them out.
ReplyDeleteSecond, given the last sentence I just wrote, you're probably right that some people are going to write "no" just because they don't want to vote for too many players. I guess I don't count that as "intrigue" as much as "failure to hold a consistent and logical world view."
Wait, are you saying that Ichiro! is not an all-star? He's halfway to another 5-win season this year. He's never had worse than a 3.2 win-season, and he's had five 5-win seasons. Sure, Gutierrez deserves to go more than Ichiro! does, but that doesn't mean Ichiro! doesn't deserve to go on merit too.
ReplyDeleteAnd when did Griffey just get in on reputation? I admit I didn't follow him in the Cincinnati years (apparently he had positive, but not stellar, OPS+s those ASG years), but his ASGs in Seattle were solid.
And, actually, I re-checked his Cinci appearances -- they were credible first-halves.
ReplyDeleteSomeone else may be in a unique position to either confirm or disconfirm this, but I don't think Griffey and Unit will ever be on a HOF ballot together. Griffey played this season, so he is a year behind Smoltz, Johnson, Thomas and (probably) Pedro in eligibility, right?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think the ballot would have Thomas pre-printed before Smoltz. Smoltz is definitely a Hall of Fame pitcher, but if I had one vote to give to either Smoltz or Thomas, I think it goes to the Big Hurt without too much controversy. Thomas had one of the greatest primes of all time and a great career overall, plus he (like Griffey) benefits from the 'roid backlash. Smoltz will lose some votes from being considered at roughly the same time as Glavine, Johnson, Maddux, Pedro, and Clemens (?). I think most people see Smoltz as a step below that group and a step above the Pettite and Schilling group. While this might just be re-phrasing the "too many people" argument, if you are maybe the sixth best pitcher of your era, are you really a first ballot HOFer?
Smoltz should get bonus points for having strong seasons as both a starter and a relief pitcher.
ReplyDeleteMichael Jack Schmidt was voted by the fans as the NL starter at 3B in 1989 despite having retired in late May of that season. So there is precedent for the fans opting to reward the player their own damn selves.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of votes on reputation, this affects Gold Glove far more than the ASG. That said, I remember REG-GIE! Jackson was voted in by the fans one season toward the end of his career despite barely hovering above the Mendoza Line during the first half. Looking at baseball-reference.com, I see that it was 1983, and he wound up hitting an awful .194/.290/.340 for the year; at least he begged off the ASG due to injury. He was voted in AGAIN by the fans in 1984 despite his 1983 stinkeroo; that season, he wound up hitting a comparatively robust .223/.300/.406.
Oh, on the twin questions of "should Strasburg make the All-Star Game" and "should they add players who are retiring, etc., to rosters: On the one hand, I find it frustrating when someone does not make the team who really is the strongest player at a given position. On the other hand, it is an "All-Star Game," and there is something positive about someone who is honestly a "star" who thrills fans making the team. When was the last time that you heard people having meltdowns about not being able to be at a Nationals game? Strasburg is a star at this point---I'm not sure that I'd put him on the team above someone who has had a longer period of sustained strong pitching, but I would not object if someone else decides otherwise.
ReplyDeleteSmoltz should get bonus points for once burning himself by trying to iron a polo shirt while he was wearing it.
ReplyDelete