Meet The 2021 All-Snub Team

MLB announced the full All-Star Game rosters Sunday evening, and as always, some deserving players were left off the team. Because of the league’s outdated rule requiring every team to have an All-Star representative, many great players from better teams miss out on their chance to shine on one of the biggest stages in sports. The MLB All-Star Game has long been the most competitive in the United States, and making the team is an integral part of a player’s legacy. With that said, here is the 2021 All-Snub Team.

All statistics represented are as of the conclusion of Tuesday’s contests.

Catcher: Omar Narvaez, Milwaukee Brewers

At the toughest position in baseball and with the worst crop of hitters, Narvaez has quietly become an offensive force for the Brewers. Narvaez is hitting .303 with a .874 OPS, both numbers much higher than C J.T. Realmuto’s .259 batting average and .802 OPS. Realmuto is widely considered the best catcher in the league and signed a significant extension with the Philadelphia Phillies during the offseason. Still, Narvaez is outplaying the NL reserve at the midpoint.

First Base: Yuli Gurriel, Houston Astros

The Astros’ deep lineup and fan antagonism prevented some of their key contributors from making the All-Star team. Enter Gurriel, who is hitting .319 at the age of 37. With 10 home runs, his power numbers are not as high as most other starting first basemen, but 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the only other one hitting over .300. The other first basemen who made the team are all deserving; it is simply tougher to be an All-Star at the power positions. More from the Astros later.

Second Base: Ryan McMahon, Colorado Rockies

Ryan McMahon splits his time between second and third, but his power output stands out compared to other second basemen. McMahon has 16 home runs this year and a .255 batting average at a lighter hitting position, numbers that line up well with reserve Ozzie Albies. McMahon’s .796 OPS is slightly lower because he doesn’t walk much, but he is still clearly an above-average player. He is somewhat on the fringes of national attention, but giving the home crowd an additional player to cheer for would be a nice touch.

Third Base: Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers

Despite Turner’s better offensive line, the fans rightly voted 3B Nolan Arenado over him. Arenado is a resurgent star who is easy to root for, and many voters have not forgotten that Turner irresponsibly celebrated the 2020 World Series without a mask after testing positive for COVID-19. Despite that, Turner is playing like an All-Star. His OPS sits at .868 with 13 home runs and a 144 WRC+, tied for the most among third basemen with Rafael Devers. This isn’t Turner’s best season, but it is still a really good one.

Shortstop: Willy Adames, Milwaukee Brewers

Adames’s entire line is just OK, and therefore he should not be an All-Star, but since the Brewers traded for him, he has been their best player. End-of-season awards are split up by the AL and NL, so a player who switches leagues midseason would be considered separately. This is why SP C.C. Sabathia did not win the Cy Young award in 2008 — because only half of his season was considered. Although Adames only hit .197 with the Tampa Bay Rays, he owns a .298 BA with the Brewers and a .930 OPS. This is not such a small sample either, as he has played 43 games with Milwaukee after 41 in Tampa.

Outfield: Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies

Harper has not been an MVP candidate like the Phillies expected him to be, but 2021 looks more like his regular seasons with the Washington Nationals. He’s batting .282 with 15 home runs and an OPS of .914. That last number puts him fifth in the NL behind the three starters and OF Bryan Reynolds, so Harper should slot into a reserve role. He is even outplaying his rivals from D.C. who made the team. OF Kyle Schwarber was mashing but is currently injured, and OF Juan Soto is having a sub-standard season.

Designated Hitter: Yordan Álvarez, Houston Astros

As I mentioned with first base, there aren’t enough spots for all the great power hitters at DH. Yordan is an imposing presence who can hit the ball over the train tracks at Minute Maid Park, but he cannot outplay SP/DH Shohei Ohtani. Álvarez has 16 home runs and a .937 OPS, a number between All-Stars Nelson Cruz and J.D. Martinez. But, unlike the two reserves, Álvarez has many years left in his career to homer his way into the All-Star Game.

Starting Pitcher: Taijuan Walker, New York Mets

The biggest steal of the free-agent signings, Walker is making the Mets look good with a 2.44 ERA this season, 12th in the majors and ninth in the NL. Unfortunately, the NL is loaded with starting pitchers, and Walker gets overshadowed by a certain teammate of his. The guy who used to wear 00 and now wears 99 is one of the most fun pitchers to watch, and he will be starting for the All-Snubs, the team who won’t get to play in Colorado next week.

Cover photo courtesy of Adam Hunger/AP Photo