All Star Injustice: McCann On, Gattis Snubbed
I recently saw a tweet that said,
How do I explain to my 9 year old that Brian McCann is on the All Star ballot and Evan Gattis is not?
— Faux Frank Wren (@fauxfrankwren) April 25, 2013
I quickly checked in disbelief and sure enough, there’s Brian McCann as the Braves catcher option.
Evan Gattis has had an incredible season on the Braves roster, with six home runs (14th best in the league), thirteen RBI’s, a .235 batting average, and an awesome nickname, El Oso Blanco. Braves fans love Brian McCann, they stuck with him during his struggles, and he’s not undeserving of great baseball honors. Except this season.
McCann has spent the entire season thus far on the disabled list. He has not played baseball this spring in a single game, minor or major league level. He’s a great catcher. He deserved to be in the All-Star game the five times he’s been selected before.I’d like to be able to say no one saw Gattis’ breakout performance coming, and that’s why he slipped through the cracks on the ballot. However, batting In Spring Training he was only outperformed by Justin Upton. And honestly, being out-batted by Justin Upton this season is like being outpitched by Greg Maddux: no one’s really comparing you.
From cleaning up as a janitor to batting cleanup, Gattis has held special interest and developed quite a following. He never played in AAA before his first major league performance. I’ve heard many rumors that Evan Gattis is actually a lumberjack in the off season. I’ve heard the announcers talk endlessly about how big his bat is, and that a normal sized back would look like a toothpick in his bare hands. During Sunday’s game an announcer referred to his bat as a tree trunk after a ten minute discussion.
This season specifically many are noting the shortcomings of the All-Star Ballot selection process. With the ballot coming out in April (when no team had played over twenty-one games mind you), MLB had to finalize the nominations before Opening Day. This resulted in some embarrassing nominations aside from McCann’s.
Yankees’ first baseman Mark Teixeira injured his wrist in March during the World Baseball Classic and, at the time, was told he could be out anywhere from eight weeks to the entire season. Teixeira’s teammate, outfielder Curtis Granderson, has also been out due to a right arm injury. Marlins’ first baseman Casey Kotchman injured his left hamstring and was put on the DL in early April. Brewers’ first baseman Corey Hart had knee surgery in January and was placed on the fifteen day DL, then the sixty day DL in April. Phillies’ catcher Carlos Ruiz was suspended for 25 games for using a banned amphetamine in late November keeping him from playing with the Phillies until April 28.
Another injured Yankee, shortstop Derek Jeter, may be the exception to embarrassing nominations. Though he is injured (fractured left ankle), it would have been a travesty not to bestow the honor on this fan favorite and highly respected ball player even though he probably won’t be able to play in the All-Star Game. (EDITORS NOTE: OR just skip it, as he is wont to do)
Mets’ Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Astros’ Brett Wallace are also on the ballot, and were actually in the minor leagues when the ballot was released. Some bloggers are encouraging fans wishing to exploit the ballot to vote for these two to embarrass MLB. (ED: I wholeheartedly endorse this!)
Most surprising is the glaring absence of players, like Evan Gattis, that many feel should be on the ballot. Athletics’ outfielder, Seth Smith, not being nominated seems like a mistake considering he has a slugging percentage over .600. Red Sox catcher, Kurt Suzuki, seems to have gotten snubbed in the same way as Gattis with his backup, Wilson Ramos, being nominated instead. A-Rod is suspiciously absent leading a conspiracy theorist to believe that MLB and the Yankees may be attempting to distance themselves from him.
It’s ridiculous that every team has to have a nomination for every position. In the case of Gattis, he probably doesn’t deserve to be in the All Star Game over other great National League catchers like the Giant’s Buster Posey, who was last year’s NL MVP. Mets catcher John Buck would be an excellent choice in case of a walk off; he IS the best pie man in baseball right now. Even the Marlin’s catcher Rob Brantly wouldn’t be undeserving, not necessarily because of any stand out talent but because he has to deal with whatever the Marlin’s leftover pitchers are throwing out this season. At least we have the write in option.
If we’re basing our All-Star ballots on performance, Gattis should be there. If we’re basing our All-Star ballots on most loved players, Gattis should be there. With #VoteForOso trending on Twitter, maybe we’ll see Gattis in the All-Star game because people will write in vote.
These guys want you to.
These Sane, Rational People
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