All Star Game Outrage!

It was bad enough that Brennan Boesch wasn't voted to play in the MLB All-Star game. He deserved it. Among AL outfielders, he's having the best year of anyone, hands down, in terms of hitting the ball. Right now, he's the second best hitter in the Majors in terms of average, and fourth in terms of power. That's not among rookies; that's among all players. The problem is, he doesn't have enough at-bats to "qualify" - whatever that means. He's only 30 ABs behind teammate Miguel Cabrera, who qualifies without a problem. What does Boesch have to do? He missed the first three weeks of the season, was called up as a rookie, and ever since has been batting more consistently, more lethally, and more successfully than anyone and everyone in the baseball world. But he's not an all-star?

In the month of May, he had a better batting average than ANYONE in the MLB. To prove it was no fluke, he had the fifth best batting average of anyone in the month of June. And to prove he's not a two-month wonder, he's hitting .538 in July, well on his way to 3 straight rookie of the month honors. It's egregious and preposterous that Boesch didn't make the AL all-star game, and was beat out by 6 outfielders, none of which boast the stats that he does.

But that's not the outrage I'm talking about. I understand why he didn't make it, and I'm fine with it. I understand that all-star games are a popularity contest, and the fans want to see the players they know and love, and Boesch is a complete unknown outside of Michigan. I get all that. Unless you cheer for the Tigers or play fantasy baseball, you probably never heard of him. Although he'll be rookie of the month three straight times and is a iron-clad lock to be Rookie of the Year, he won't be a household name for at least another season or two. He should have plenty of all-star games to look forward to, and I'm sure he's not bitter about missing this one.

The outrage is that Atlanta Braves ROOKIE outfielder Jason Heyward DID in fact make the NL all-star game, and as a STARTER no less. Let's take a quick look at the numbers:

Boesch: .344 average, .398 on-base %, .603 slugging, 12 HRs, 46 RBIs, 77 hits, 16 doubles, 3 triples, 20 walks, 45 strikeouts, 2 steals in 60 games and 224 at-bats.

Heyward: .251 average, .366 on-base %, .455 slugging, 11 HRs, 45 RBIs, 64 hits, 13 doubles, 3 triples, 42 walks, 68 strikeouts, 5 steals in 71 games and 255 at-bats.

So maybe Heyward is just a much-better all-around player? Maybe he's a better fielder? Hmmm..

Boesch: .974 fielding percentage, 3 errors, 3 outfield assists

Heyward: .968 fielding percentage, 4 errors, 0 outfield assists

So Boesch is actually a BETTER fielder according to the stats. And obviously, a much better hitter.

So how is it that Boesch will be sitting at home while Heyward is not only playing in Anahiem, but STARTING??? It's absurd, illogical, outlandish, unacceptable, disturbing, annoying, laughable, and downright inexusable. The all-star game needs to be fixed. What are we doing? Awarding mediocrity while the true "stars" watch the game from home? If it's merely a popularity contest, maybe Cal Ripken Jr. should play too. I mean, what happened to awarding the best players statistically rather than letting the idiotic fans pick the guys they hear about the most in the news? Boesch is an all-star every bit as much as Galarraga threw a perfect game, and I hate Bud Selig and the entire MLB.

And that's all I have to say about that.

I hope you enjoyed this little break from football, and stay tuned for Fantasy Football Rankings Part 4: Tight Ends.