Chris Archer, and the world, can’t understand why Blake Snell was snubbed from the All-Star team
Chris Archer firmly believes Blake Snell should be an All-Star. He places the blame squarely on the players for his teammate’s omission.
More than a few baseball fans are perplexed by the fact that Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Blake Snell isn’t an All-Star. Typically, a record of 12-4 with the lowest ERA in the league is more than enough to earn a spot in the Midsummer Classic. Unfortunately for Snell, his peers didn’t think highly enough of his season to vote him into the game.
That doesn’t sit well with Chris Archer. Snell’s teammate elected to express his displeasure about the situation on Twitter. Credit Archer for putting the blame exactly where it belongs. He didn’t pull any punches about criticizing his fellow players for failing to take their responsibility seriously enough. Players themselves shoulder the responsibility of voting pitchers into the All-Star game.
Archer isn’t content to just highlight the injustice via social media. He wants to call out “everyone who didn’t take the energy to determine who is most deserving” to be named an All-Star. It’s highly unlikely that will actually happen, but it’s nice to see Archer take such a strong stand for his teammate.
It helps Archer that his point is unassailable. Leaving Snell out of the squad is one of the more ridiculous decision in recent memory. The talented left-hander is currently sporting a 2.09 ERA that is the lowest mark for starters in the American League. It’s not based on a small sample size either. Snell has worked 116 innings this year for the Rays. There’s zero rational argument to be made for him not getting named to the AL squad.
The good news is that Snell will almost certainly end up being named an All-Star this season. Several players on the AL roster will likely ask out of the game due to injury. Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman is a serious doubt to miss the game with knee tendonitis. Given the public outcry that’s followed the snubbing of Snell, it’s highly likely he’ll be the first replacement named.
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Archer is correct though. Snell shouldn’t need any sort of special dispensation to be named an All-Star. He should have made the team based on the player vote. The players owe the Rays starter a massive apology.