Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Dave Roberts couldn't have put Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong in the NL lineup for the MLB All-Star Game even if he wanted to.
- The resulting All-Star roster highlights a clear disconnect between statistical production and popular opinion.
- Crow-Armstrong deserves a lot better, as the Cubs were ranked fourth in FanSided's MLB Power Rankings.
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn't have a choice. Pete Crow-Armstrong wasn't named a starting outfielder by the fans, and thus couldn't be featured in the lineup. Yet, the starting nine the National League manager drew up clearly sent a message: PCA should've been included, point blank.
Crow-Armstrong and Shohei Ohtani should duel for the NL MVP in the second half, as PCA recently surpassed the two-way superstar in total fWAR, only for the latter to strike back prior to the All-Star break. The point remains, though, that Crow-Armstrong is a force to be reckoned with. He's been one of the National League's best players this season, and the outfielders voted in ahead of him are, to put it lightly, not up to par. Roberts' lineup proves just that.
NL's MLB All-Star lineup is lacking one Pete Crow-Armstrong
Roberts was dealt a losing hand, and Cubs fans will surely assume (wrongly) that he held PCA's comments about Dodgers fans against him. That's not the case, as Roberts has to honor the fan opinion he is provided.
Player | Team |
|---|---|
Kyle Schwarber | Phillies |
Juan Soto | Mets |
Freddie Freeman | Dodgers |
CJ Abrams | Nationals |
Max Muncy | Dodgers |
Ozzie Albies | Braves |
Brandon Marsh | Phillies |
Andy Pages | Dodgers |
Drake Baldwin | Braves |
"[Chicago is] just an incredible city. The people are great. They give a s—. They aren't just baseball fans who go to the game like Dodgers fans to take pictures or whatever. They are paying attention. They care," Crow-Armstrong said at the time. Still, Roberts didn't have a chance to use PCA's comments against him.
Yes, that is Brandon Marsh and Andy Pages batting seventh and eighth respectively. Both players have had fine seasons, and Roberts is likely partial to Pages, who made his first All-Star team with the Dodgers this year. Yet, neither player is having the season Crow-Armstrong is.
Cubs fans deserve better than watching Pete Crow-Armstrong as a reserve
An All-Star appearance is nothing to sneeze at. Crow-Armstrong did make his second appearance at All-Star weekend. He's earned it and then some, as he has a 5.8 bWAR and .931 OPS. This kid is the real deal, and it's tough to believe the Mets traded him to Chicago in exchange for Javier Baez's expiring contract.
It's been a tough season for Cubs fans. The vast majority of their pitching staff is injured. Yet, Crow-Armstrong has held them up, and the Cubs are within striking distance of the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers and possess an NL Wild Card spot as of this writing. The Cubs moved up from No. 6 to No. 4 in our final MLB Power Rankings before the break, as I wrote on Sunday.
"The Cubs have stabilized. Pete Crow-Armstrong is an NL MVP frontrunner. Chicago still lacks starting pitching, with Counsell all but admitting in a recent interview that Justin Steele will not return to the rotation this season. Sandy Alcantara is not available, but the Cubs performance over the next month-plus will determine just how in Jed Hoyer goes. What the Cubs lack most is starting pitching depth. If they're serious about winning a World Series without Steele, Cade Horton and Matthew Boyd, then they need to make a move," myself and Chris Landers noted.
Yet, despite playing like a top-5 team in all of baseball, the Cubs lack a representative in the National League's lineup. Someone make it make sense, because I certainly cannot.
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