Every team sport has All Star games where some players who make the team don't deserve it, while other players who didn't make it do deserve to be on the squad. I know the 2011 MLB All Star rosters were announced a few days ago, but yesterday's performances by two of the biggest All Stars who aren't All Stars (yet) stood out to me. Many baseball fans thought that outfielder Andrew McCutchen should have made it over Jay Bruce and/or Carlos Beltran as one of the leaders for the Pirates, who have not won 45 games this fast since 1992. Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta has made his case for the team as well, hitting a career high .314 after batting just .249 last year. However, no one was snubbed this year like Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia and White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, who have done more than enough to prove they deserve an All Star bid.
Sabathia gave even more evidence yesterday as to why he should be playing on July 12 in Phoenix. CC went out and pitched seven scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts and just five hits as the Yankees beat the Indians 9-2. Sabathia didn't let any runners get past second, and struck out his former team seven of the eight at bats they had with runners in scoring position. Yankees fans consider it a sin that Sabathia was not picked for the game, but I have to say that I agree here. The biggest shock is not just that he's having a Cy Young-like season, but he's pitching great and he's on the Yankees! We all know the fan voting is inauspicious because player popularity comes into play, and that's all the more reason why it makes zero sense that the Yankees ace didn't make the cut. Derek Jeter is starting the All Star Game despite hitting just .257 and Russell Martin was voted on with his egregious .219 batting average, but a 12-4 pitcher on the best team in the American League didn't make it at all? I just don't get it. Sabathia leads the MLB in wins, is ninth in strikeouts and has a very respectable 2.90 ERA, which is still better than what it was when he won the Cy Young in 2007. How could you have someone with stats like that sit at their house and watch other players fight for home field advantage in the World Series?
Then there's the not-as-well-known White Sox first baseman. In his 14th season with Chicago, Konerko is putting up MVP-like numbers. Last night, Konerko played an outstanding game, as he has all year long, just days after not getting the All Star nod. He went 3-5 with a home run and two RBIs. He's made the All Star team four times in his career, so you would think this would be his fifth when he's arguably having the best season of his career at the age of 35. You could easily make the case that Konerko is playing better than AL Central counterpart Miguel Cabrera, who made the team over him even though he's got fewer home runs, RBIs, a lower batting average, and a lower slugging percentage. He's not just doing one thing this year; he's doing it all. Konerko is in the Top 5 in the AL in all three Triple Crown categories with a .324 average, 22 home runs and 64 RBIs, and his .972 OPS is fourth. Let's face it: he's been a nightmare for opposing pitchers this season. He very well may make the team as the AL's Final Vote, but to leave someone who's doing as well as Konerko off the original squad is still a huge shocker.
One of my favorite parts of the MLB All Star Game is that, as I mentioned earlier, the winner gets home field advantage in the World Series. As a result, every player is putting in an effort to win because they know it could be the difference if they were to play in late October. Who knows, maybe if Konerko gets on as the Final Vote, he'll hit a home run, or perhaps Sabathia could strike out the side in one of the innings if he replaces someone due to injury. It's too bad we're not sure if these stars will have that opportunity, but I can tell you that if they do, we'll see them proving why they're worthy of the game this year.
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