On Sunday evening, it was announced that New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso would be the team’s sole representative at this year’s All-Star game, which puzzled many Mets fans, including me. While many of us are pleased that Alonso will represent the Mets, there were a few other players who appeared to be more deserving of a position in Arlington.
You can easily make a case for star shortstop Francisco Lindor, who has been on a run after a rocky start to the season and entered Sunday as the National League’s second-ranked shortstop in fWAR. Certainly, his late-game heroics on Sunday afternoon would have been a capstone to his selection to the All-Star game after helping turn around the Mets’ season.
There is much controversy amongst Mets fans surrounding this year’s snubs for the MLB All-Star Game
Another player who deserved a spot in Arlington was outfielder Brandon Nimmo, who has also played a significant role in the Mets’ first-half comeback. Nimmo was listed in the top five of all National League outfielders in terms of fWAR prior to Sunday’s game, but he was not picked. What makes this even more odd is that all four outfielders on that list, with the exception of Nimmo, had made the National League roster.
It’s also fair to claim that Francisco Alvarez and Mark Vientos deserved some All-Star recognition for revitalizing and deepening the Mets’ starting lineup during the past month. While this isn’t a huge indictment on Alonso, it appears that some other Mets players could have been more justified in getting the nod based on their current performance.
There is also a heated argument on social media about whether Alonso deserved the nod over Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker, who has also had a strong first half out in the desert. It’s difficult to pile on Alonso, who will most certainly participate in this year’s Home Run Derby due to his All-Star competition selection, but leaving Lindor and Nimmo out of the competition is a horrible look for Major League Baseball.
