OT. Baseball All Star game is a joke
- Thread starter WhiteBus
- Start date
Kershaw may be the best pitcher in the game, but his performance this year has by his standards been mediocre. Based on 2015 performance he is on the bubble. I still think he gets voted in.
I completely agree about the Home Run Derby, which is a disaster and has been for years.
As for Kershaw, he's 5-6 and 17th in ERA among NL starters. He leads the NL in strikeouts, but isn't in the top 10 in WAR among pitchers according to Baseball Reference.
He shouldn't be on the special fan vote group which is stupid to begin with. He is the reigning MVP and Cy Young winner. His win loss record isn't a true sign of his pitching. They don't score when he pitches. His ERA is 3. Add in Grenke who didn't make it either with his league leading 1.75 ERA
What's interesting is that the way they pick the team, you first have the fan vote, then some of the reserves are chosen by a vote of the players and then the rest are chosen by the managers in consultation with MLB. So his peers didn't vote for him, either.
He was only going to get on the team as a DH, and since the game is at Cincinnati, there isn't quite as much value as there would be if he actually were playing a position. That may be a factor, too.
It has not been a real contest for a long time. I remember as kid an interview with Thurman Munson and Catfish Hunter where they were showered and changed and heading out the door in the middle of the game.
Greinke did make the cut. He has had no run support at all this year. As addressed earlier, Kershaw is having a subpar year and was by no means a strong candidate for the ASG team this year. As big of a joke as the game has become, the NFL game is an even greater travesty.
You are correct about Grenke. First list by CBS Sports online didn't have him but has since been updated. Baseball used to have the best All Star game. Agree they all suck now
They should let sportswriters vote in the players like they do the HofF. Take it out of the fans and manager's hands. This way you get the best players from April through June not the most popular based on performances from years back and biases. KC having all those guys in is a joke. The MLB all-star game is still the best of the four major sports, imo. At least the game itself resembles the game as a whole unlike the others where no one plays D and the focus is on not getting hurt. The HR derby...lol. Imagine the jock sniffer that pays all that money to watch players ham it up and take BP.
It might be a joke but it's still the best all star game out there. The NFL, NBA and Hockey all star games don't even resemble a real game. No blitzing, no defense, those other ones are unwatchable.
Back in the day, when there was no interleague play and much less player
movement, players and fans identified with their leagues. The All-Star game
meant something then. Now it is what it is -- a spectacle, which is fine.
People like spectacles. The problem I have is that by granting WS home
field advantage to the winning team, MLB has artificially assigned
significance to a game which does not otherwise have, and NEED NOT HAVE,
significance.
movement, players and fans identified with their leagues. The All-Star game
meant something then. Now it is what it is -- a spectacle, which is fine.
People like spectacles. The problem I have is that by granting WS home
field advantage to the winning team, MLB has artificially assigned
significance to a game which does not otherwise have, and NEED NOT HAVE,
significance.
It depends. Is it to showcase the guys who had the best April-June, or to bring in fans. Obviously you dont want all aging superstars - but there are plenty of times (Jeter last year, Cal Ripken towards the end, many many others through the years) where its good for the game to give a superstar on his way out one more big stage rather than saving the spot for the third best guy at the position in April to June.
And that wouldnt even solve the complaint in the OP - which is that Kershaw should get in because he HAS been great in the past, but this year, he isnt that good compared to the rest of the league - there are only five starters and Kershaw just hasnt been one of the five best in the NL based on any stat.
Also - sports writers are just as prone to making bad choices as the fans or managers. I mean how often do we complain about the biases in the AP Poll in football.
You are right though - its at least a game. But its an exhibition. No one takes it seriously. Its for entertainment.
It was & is & always will be nothing more than an entertainment 'spectacle' gathering up all of the 'stars' - and giving all of the rest of the league a few days off.
It was more interesting back when there were no play offs, no inter-league play, no cable network over saturation of baseball coverage - because it was one of the rare opportunities for many people to actually see a number of players that were great - but you could only read about them in the sports pages because they never came to your town.
Th idea that the outcome should decide home field advantage in the world series - was an almost reasonable attempt to insert meaning into the game - but it is really just kind of artificial, contrived and silly.... it is an "exhibition game" for show & entertainment - to insert something of significant value into a game where tradition compels the manager to make their best effort to:
(1.) try to rotate almost every player into the game
(2.) try not to significantly over-use / mis-use other team's players
these make for huge motivational conflicts - I mean - could you imagine - a hot, hot all-star pitcher takes the mound to start the game - he is throwing to his regular catcher who is also an all-star ... immediately in the first inning it becomes clear that they are "on" - that tonight is magical & the pitcher is throwing totally un-hitable stuff ... so the manager leaves them in for all 9 innings & they win the all-star game with a no-hitter ... imagine the outrage! people would be berserk
It was more interesting back when there were no play offs, no inter-league play, no cable network over saturation of baseball coverage - because it was one of the rare opportunities for many people to actually see a number of players that were great - but you could only read about them in the sports pages because they never came to your town.
Th idea that the outcome should decide home field advantage in the world series - was an almost reasonable attempt to insert meaning into the game - but it is really just kind of artificial, contrived and silly.... it is an "exhibition game" for show & entertainment - to insert something of significant value into a game where tradition compels the manager to make their best effort to:
(1.) try to rotate almost every player into the game
(2.) try not to significantly over-use / mis-use other team's players
these make for huge motivational conflicts - I mean - could you imagine - a hot, hot all-star pitcher takes the mound to start the game - he is throwing to his regular catcher who is also an all-star ... immediately in the first inning it becomes clear that they are "on" - that tonight is magical & the pitcher is throwing totally un-hitable stuff ... so the manager leaves them in for all 9 innings & they win the all-star game with a no-hitter ... imagine the outrage! people would be berserk
Agree with the comment about the sportswriters, they are wildly inconsistent with their ability to determine the best players in the game. Most are only focused on their team and form their opinions on players from other teams based on small sample sizes.
As for Kershaw, he should be on the All Star team. He and Scherzer are the top 2 pitchers in the NL this year. Kershaw is leading the NL in Ks, K/9, xFIP- , he's 2nd in K-BB%, and 4th in K/BB. His ERA is inflated because the he has a 16.2% HR/FB rate this year most of which can be attributed to bad luck as his career rate is 7.1%. His BABIP against is also higher then his career average. In the things that he can directly control he's been either 1 or 2 in the NL this year.
Saying that he's not in the top 5 NL starters is looking at the traditional "show me" stats like wins and ERA without looking at the underlying reasons that those are not in the top 5. Pitchers can't control wins and ERA is somewhat reliant on pitcher luck and defense.
This.
He is one of the biggest stars in the game today. If you selecting a team to win this season every GM in the game would select Kershaw as their first pick.
I think the exact opposite, it should be based on performance not reputation. If you are having a careeer year, and outperfomed a superstar, then you should get in. It shouldn't be the same players every year. The HR Derby is too long and needs to be cut down. I would say each batter get 2 dozen balls in each round and should swing at every pitch. After all, they choose their own pitcher. Easily the best All Star game of the top 4. The NBA is like watching streetball.
First off no way all star game should affect the season, let alone the world series???? Keep it in the fans hands - it's a great marketing tool. However take the internet out of it - that is just a recipe for ridiculousness (or potentially 8 Royals making it).....ballots only at the stadium
As a big soccer fan and former MLS season ticket holder, I actually have very little interest in the MLS all star game or soccer friendlies in general. Pep Guardiola's obnoxious reaction to the MLS coach after last year's game pretty much sums up the way the game is viewed by the international teams. I'd much rather watch a regular season match that counts for something.
If MLB continues to want to "make it count" (decide home field advantage), here are my suggestions:
- Managers pick the roster (the chef should be able to pick the groceries)
- ....which means the manager will now be responsible for making sure every team is represented
- ...but the manager should not be compelled to actually play everyone
- Mandatory DH (more offense)
- 1 "defensive specialist" (DS) per inning - anyone in the field can be replaced by a DS and still be in the line-up (like a reverse DH). It's an opportunity to let the defensive stars shine without necessarily hurting the lineup offensively.
- Unlimited pinch-runners (more offense) - give the speedsters some love and maybe get some runs on the board
- Managers manage
- Hitters hit
- Fielders field
- Runners run
- Pitchers pitch
