Each Summer, as the ball really starts to fly out of the park(s), we welcome the All-Star Game to the calendar. For most players, the three day break to spend with family on the beach or couch is a welcome respite from the long season. The others, those raking the ball or sitting down opposing batters, will convene at Dodger Stadium for the 92nd Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The voting is complete and all 30 MLB teams will be represented at the Mid-Summer Classic. Now, we can go ‘round and ‘round about each team being able to send one player to represent their team and fanbase even though some players are not All-Stars by common definition. I will never argue this process as a lifelong Mariners fan. If not for the exception for all teams to submit one player, my Mariners would have gone many years with no name on the scorecard. It was nice to see the likes of Alvin Davis, Mark Langston, Harold Reynolds and my old friend Aaron Sele represent Seattle in the game. It was even better to see eight Mariners players at SafeCo Field in 2001 when Seattle last hosted the All-Star Game.
With a rep from each MLB team, some without All-Star worthy stats on their record, is when the controversy usually comes into play. We like to use the term ‘snubs’ when referring to those players that should be elected/invited to the All-Star Game, but were left off the roster for some unknown reason. This year is no different as a number of players will be like us, watching the All-Star Game festivities from home.
Today’s slate will feature only All-Star Game snubs. Each is here to prove that snubs can make you money. Enjoy this list and know there are more names than what I am able to squeeze into one line-up. I would love to see your comments about who I may have missed that should be on the snubs line-up card. Comment below…
SIDE NOTE: Mitch Haniger made the AL All-Star Team in 2018 in case you were curious. Well deserved, I must add.
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Logan Gilbert, SP: DK: $9,700 / FD: $10,300 – There must be a glitch in the Streamanator software because Logan Gilbert is not the #34 best pitcher over the next seven days (Patrick Corbin is #14…WHAT?). Seattle is on a heater and Gilbert sits at 10-3 and has more than earned a spot on the All-Star roster. Who would I remove to add him, you ask? Paul Blackburn immediately comes to mind, but remember, we need a rep from each team and Blackburn gets the nod for Oakland over Frankie Montas. The only reason it is not Montas is based on Win-Loss record, I assume. Montas is clearly the better pitcher. I digress. This had to be a tough call for the AL as Gilbert is basically and statistically the same starting pitcher as Manoah, Cortez, Valdez, Ohtani, and Perez. My homer bias says remove a NYY player (*cough* Jose Trevino *cough*) and add Gilbert. The problem there is where is the second AL catcher coming from? That is a discussion for another day, I guess. If Bethancourt was still with Oakland, I say put him in over Trevino and remove Blackburn for Gilbert. Alas, the recent trade of Bethancourt to Tampa Bay renders this argument moot.
Max Scherzer, SP: DK: $10,500 – Confirmed…the Streamanator is glitching. First Gilbert at #34 and now Scherzer at #32? This is a much easier fix for me than Gilbert turned out to be. Insert Scherzer and his 6-1 record with 79 Ks (in 62.2 innings), 2.15 ERA and sub 0.90 WHIP and do not look back. The roster moves are easy to me. Luis Castillo is dropped from the pitcher group and replaced by the Reds Kyle Farmer at SS. In order to keep the position players’ count stable, I remove Dansby Swanson at SS though he is off to a nice start for the reigning champs. I wonder, out loud, if the Scherzer month-long injury caused him to get overlooked this year? Either way, his numbers more than warrant the selection. Editor’s Note: With the NYM/CHC PPD on Friday, Scherzer may be bumped back a day allowing Taijuan Walker to stay on his pitch day. Keep an eye on this leading up to first pitch on Saturday. Also, Max’s FD price was unavailable at publishing.
Will Smith, C: DK: $5,500 / FD: $3,500 – Will Smith is the perfect catcher for this All-Star Game. He would be playing in front of the home fans and his numbers more than support his place on the NL roster. Sure William Contreras is a nice story, but come on man, both Atlanta catchers is a little too much for me to get behind. Smith has more HR and more than double the RBI than Contreras. I think it is nice for the Contreras family to have both sons starting the All-Star Game, but the numbers just do not support William over Smith. I think the recency bias with the World Series champs is a little too strong with the NL lineup. Smith over Contreras all day in my opinion and it is not close.
Freddie Freeman, 1B: DK: $6,000 / FD: $4,100 – The addition of Freeman over the likes of Jeff McNeil (see his replacement below) makes the NL 1B heavy which is something frowned upon. I get that. You cannot roster all power-hitting corner infielders and hope to win the game. Defense plays in and the NL manager will need to be able to flex OF, too. Similar to Smith, Freeman would be playing in front of the home fans and that makes the game even more special for both the players and fans. Freeman sports a .320 average with a dozen HR and 56 RBI. Those numbers are All-Star worthy and I think you will support Freeman over McNeil when you see the 2B replacement. If you cannot get on board with Freeman (for some reason), then pivot to Ty France, 1B: DK: $4,500 / FD: $3,000 over Luis Arraez or JD Martinez (DH). Arraez is a nice story with his .343 average, but the story ends there. Even with a 2-3 week IL stint, France has more than double the HR and 20+ more RBI than Arraez while also batting over .300. This is an easy (and homer) call for me; France over Arraez…Minnesota does not need a second player and France can easily slot in at 1B. Akin to the Scherzer argument, I wonder if France’s chances were hurt by his recent injury?
Tommy Edman, 2B: DK: $3,600 / FD: $2,600 – What you lose in average when inserting Edman for McNeil is nothing compared to the stolen bases (17 more for Edman) you gain. That huge gain plus an uptick in the power numbers (almost double the HR for Edman) means you can add Freeman over McNeil and then allow Edman to play either 2B (sub for Jazz) or OF to cover for the removal of a name like Starling Marte, Garrett Cooper, or William Contreras. Seriously, you tell me you would not happily trade Marte/Cooper/Contreras and McNeil for Freeman and Edman. I rest my case at 2B.
Austin Riley, 3B: DK: $5,600 / FD: $4,300 – 3B is absolutely packed with superstars like JRam, Devers, Machado and Arenado. Riley should be in the same conversation with his 26 long balls and 60 RBI. I think he is in that conversation, but with the top four names locked in, I am not sure any warrant being dropped for Riley. In fact, I know none of them should be removed. The issue here is if we add another corner infielder (like with Freeman/France), where do we trim fat and not hurt our late inning defense? I am not the manager, so I am not sure I really care. I will go back to NL well and comfortably list Marte, Cooper and Contreras as names I would cut in favor of Riley. In fact, I would have selected Riley as DH over Contreras and the Braves would still have the same amount of players on roster…win-win.
Kyle Farmer, SS: DK: $2,800 / FD: $2,600 – My initial selection here was Corey Seager and he was recently added to the AL roster. Since I spoke about adding Scherzer by dropping Castillo, I will stick with that move here at SS with Farmer. There was a month stretch where Farmer was statistically the best position player in fantasy baseball. Not on the Reds or the NL, but all of fantasy baseball. Though he has cooled down considerably, we still need to roster a Cincinnati player and Castillo is not it over Scherzer and since Tyler Stephenson is injured, I am going with Farmer. If you want an under the radar SS from the AL side, look no further than Gleyber Torres, SS: DK: $5,200 / FD: $3,100 who is starting to heat up and look like 2018/19 Gleyber Torres. As much as I detest the NYY, I have a soft spot for Torres and think he is on the cusp of another All-Star appearance.
Taylor Ward, OF: DK: $4,000/ FD: $3,300 – Remember when Ward was scorching and you ran to your waiver wire to sign him? Since then, Ward has gone through at least two short IL stints and he is no longer the darling of fantasy baseball. What he is is a solid contact and power hitter batting atop a decent LAA lineup with Trout and Ohtani ensuring he will see a lot of strikes. In order to truly sell you on Ward, I will dig deep into his archives and mention he was drafted as a catcher. I much prefer to have Ward as my back-up/emergency catcher than to roster Jose Trevino. Ward is much more deserving than Trevino, so let’s dump some of the East Coast bias and squeeze a West Coast bat into the lineup.
Luis Robert, OF: DK: $5,900 / FD: $4,200 – Robert checks in with double digit HR (12) and steals (11) while sporting a nice .301 average (.330 over the past month). He is fun to watch and can certainly fill in for George Springer in CF. If not for the ‘each team gets a player’ rule, Robert easily slides in for Andrew Benintendi. Alas, KC will have a representative. I can see inserting Robert for Stanton but the NYY fan vote (and 23 HR) place Stanton over Robert. Check Robert’s status (lightheadedness Friday) prior to placing him in your lineup. Now, if you really want to have some fun, check out one of the top five most fun players to watch….
Adolis Garcia, OF: DK: $4,800 / FD: $3,600. El Bombi. The Great Bombino. I do not care what you call him as long as you get him into your DFS lineup. Coming in with 15 HR, 51 RBI and 13 steals, this is a guy not being talked about enough for his ability to carry a DFS team. Most owners shy away from him based on his high K rate. Allow me to put his Ks into perspective for you. He currently has whiffed 100 times which is very high, but that is only two more than Judge and three more than Trout. Sure, Bombi is not Trout or Judge, but at the price discount you will receive, it makes sense to consider using him in DFS.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
No weather to report for Saturday. Based on NYM/CHC PPD on Friday, there will be a double-header on Saturday. Make sure to choose starting pitching based on the new matchups.
Doing Lines In Vegas
Free money is good so give me all of the Toronto lines, Overs, etc. against a less than full Kansas City roster north of the border.
