Even with MLB All-Star Game replacements, these 5 players are still getting snubbed

Try as you might, you can’t have a Major League Baseball All-Star Game without talking snubs and who deserves to be at the Midsummer Classic. Fans and players mostly got the voting right, though the Blue Jays’ Ernie Clement starting at second base still doesn’t sit well with us. The All-Star Game is live television, so marketability and reputation often go a long way in helping players earn a spot, whether through the initial voting or as a replacement.

But when the All-Star rosters are announced at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night, we’ll be reminded of this year’s most egregious omissions. Let’s start with someone all too familiar to the City of Brotherly Love. 

Honorable mention: Zack Wheeler, P, Philadelphia Phillies

I’m including Wheeler as an honorable mention because Major League Baseball eventually reversed course and invited him. To his credit, Wheeler — who had publicly called out the voters and the league — stood tall and refused to participate in this year’s All-Star Game. 

Good for Wheeler! No one likes a last-second party invitation, especially when it comes off as placating to avoid further problems. Wheeler is the No. 2 starter of a team that could win the NL East again and has a World Series-caliber roster. He’ll be just fine. 

Brice Turang, 2B, Milwaukee Brewers

Turang remains one of baseball’s most underrated players, perhaps because he’s a speedy infielder who relies more on fundamentals than he does power or viral moments. He’s totaled 14.0 bWAR since the start of 2024 and is already at 3.7 bWAR. 

Analytics aren’t everyone’s cup of tea but Turang trails only Cardinals rookie JJ Wetherholt (more on him shortly) in bWAR and fWAR among second basemen. Look, I know that each team needs its own representative, and I also understand that the All-Star Game is entertainment. Yet, small-market teams like the Brewers almost always get the short end of the stick, even when they’re on track to a division title. 

Meh. Turang is still only 26, and he’s under team control through 2030, so his time will eventually come. We hope so, at least. 

Davis Martin, P, Chicago White Sox

We love a good underdog story, and the 29-year-old Martin has followed through. For those unfamiliar, he’s a former 14th-round pick who is 9-4 with a 3.41 ERA for the AL Central-leading White Sox. Remember, this is the same organization that went 41-121 two years ago. 

There are only so many pitcher spots available, and we’ll see whether Martin gets a last-second invite after Yankees phenom Cam Schlitter withdrew from the All-Star Game to rest. Martin is eligible to pitch in the Midsummer Classic because he’s not starting on Sunday. What better way for the White Sox to reintroduce themselves in front of a global audience?

JJ Wetherholt, 2B, St. Louis Cardinals

If you like young superstars, you’ll be disappointed to learn that Wetherholt wasn’t named to the All-Star Game. In fact, “disappointed” might be putting things lightly, seeing as he already has 3.9 bWAR and 3.7 fWAR as a 23-year-old rookie.

Comparing Wetherholt to Paul Skenes or Jacob Misiorowski is admittedly unfair, primarily because the latter two are pitchers. That said, the All-Star Game should be about amplifying young talent while also celebrating iconic superstars. Wetherholt has more than shown enough to have us optimistic that he’ll be an All-Star within the coming years, but that doesn’t change the fact that he deserves to be in Philadelphia this week.

But, as the great Clint Eastwood once taught us, “deserve’s got nothing to do with it.” Besides, Wetherholt got a far better gift in the form of an eight-year contract extension worth $112.5 million.

Kyle Harrison, P, Milwaukee Brewers

Craig Breslow must be thrilled that Harrison, arguably the marquee return piece of the Rafael Devers trade, has had an All-Star-worthy season for the Brewers. Too bad that Breslow is still with the Red Sox, and he dealt Harrison to Milwaukee this past offseason. The only saving grace for Breslow is that Devers has been incredibly disappointing in San Francisco. 

Skenes is pitching Sunday, so the door could still be open for Harrison to sneak in as a last-second replacement. He’s 8-2 with a 3.01 ERA and a 101-20 K-BB ratio over 17 starts, and his 2.5 bWAR trails only Misiorowski and Turang among Brewers players.

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