The Tampa Bay Rays and Blake Snell were once again given the short end of the stick in the All-Star selection process as Snell was left off the team. All Snell has done the first half of the season is put up a 12-4 record with a league leading 2.09 ERA and 136 strikeouts. Oh, he is also holding opponents to a .183 batting average.
No doubt they will offer Snell a consolation prize. One of the pitchers won’t be able to go or someone gets hurt, then he will be good enough to make the team. If I were Snell I would tell them to stick it. I would get my Buddies and take a nice 4-day vacation and not even think about baseball.
This is why the All-Star voting is such a joke. I know I am probably overreacting a bit, because lets face it, this game means absolutely nothing. It is a glorified exhibition game that has turned into a popularity contest. MLB has tried to make it a more competitive game by the giving the wining team home field advantage in the World Series.
Instead of Snell, the AL chose J.A. Happ of Toronto and Jose Berrios of the Twins To represent their teams in the all-star game. Don’t give me that crap about every team having to have one representative on the team. If you haven’t earned it by your performance you shouldn’t be on the team period.
Happ is 10-5 with a 4.44 ERA with 115K’s. Berrios is 8-7 with a 3.54 ERA with 114K’s. You’re telling me that those numbers are worthy of being named to the all-star team? I’m not buying it.
Rays C Wilson Ramos did make the team as a starter, but probably would not have if Brian McCann or Garry Sanchez had been healthy. MLB would have picked the big market players like they have always done over a small market player like Ramos. Don’t get me wrong Ramos is deserving of the honor and is the best catcher in the AL, but when you play in Tampa, you can be the second coming of Babe Ruth and MLB wouldn’t give a damn.
Rays manager Kevin Cash was named as a coach to the AL staff for the second time in his managerial career. Cash has done an excellent managing this Rays club and has them one game above .500 at 44-43. Hard to believe that the Rays are on pace to win 88 games. Some years that would get you a wild card spot. Not this year as you will have to win at least 100 games to secure any kind of playoff spot in the AL.
—Chris Archer is back with the big league club. He will make his return against the Detroit Tigers tomorrow night. Archer will be on a short leash, as he will only be allowed to throw between 70-75 pitches until he builds his arm strength up.
