James Wood getting the Barry Bonds treatment makes All-Star snub look even worse

James Wood just did something no MLB player has done since Barry Bonds. The Washington Nationals' superstar was intentionally walked four (4) times in one (1) game during Sunday's win against the Los Angeles Angels. Let me rephrase: The Angels were so terrified of facing Wood to the point where they chose to gift him first base four times in the same game.

And somehow, a player who received treatment nobody has received since arguably the greatest hitter ever wasn't even voted an All-Star starter.

Not only did Wood fail to advance to Phase 2 of All-Star voting, but he finished ninth among all National League outfielders, meaning he was three spots below the final player who advanced to the final round (which starts on Monday, June 30). Wood wasn't even close to being named a starter, and wasn't ever close throughout the entire voting process.

This makes no sense, and proves yet again why fan voting just cannot be taken seriously.

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James Wood snub highlights everything wrong with fan voting

The fan vote to determine the MLB All-Star Game starters has essentially become a popularity contest. Often, the best players on the best and most popular teams receive the most recognition. Since Wood plays on a lackluster Nationals team that is not in a big-market city, he received little national recognition, and thus never had much of a shot to become a starter.

On the flip side, we saw tons of less-deserving players squeak into the final round of voting for reasons that can only be attributed to them being more popular teams nationally. I mean, the Javier Baez comeback story has been a fun one to follow, but is he really deserving of being an All-Star starter? I get that Teoscar Hernandez plays on an outstanding Los Angeles Dodgers team, but his numbers do not compare to a guy like Wood.

Wood entered Sunday's action ranked second among NL outfielders in WRC+ (156), second in RBI (64), tied for first in home runs (22) and tied for third in fWAR (3.5). An argument can be made that he's been the best outfielder in the National League and yet he ranked ninth in fan voting. It makes no sense.

It's time for fans to learn the James Wood realization MLB teams have come to

James Wood is a superstar. There are no ifs, ands or buts at this point. He's a 6-foot-7 giant who is a legitimate five-tool player. Not only can he hit a ball 450+ feet to the opposite field seemingly at will, but he has more speed than you'd think looking at him, and he's graded as an above-average defender by outs above average. It's time for MLB fans to come to the realization that in his first full season, this 22-year-old outfielder is already one of the game's best players.

The Angels clearly feel this way, and proved as much by treating Wood as if he's the greatest hitter ever. Sure, I get that part of why they felt comfortable walking him repeatedly had to do with Luis Garcia Jr. hitting behind him in the order. But if Wood wasn't as good as he is, he wouldn't be getting this treatment.

Even when Shohei Ohtani was on subpar Angels teams, he wasn't intentionally walked four times in a game. Even when Aaron Judge was putting up Bonds-like numbers, he wasn't given this treatment. I'm not here to say Wood is as good or even close to as intimidating as Judge or Ohtani, but managers would only think about intentionally walking one player four times in a single game if he were dominant at the dish. Wood certainly is that.

Hopefully, this is the last time a player who receives this kind of treatment is disrespected. The MLB world needs to know how special of a player he is.