Trea Turner makes Mookie Betts biggest All-Star Game starter snub

The Philadelphia Phillies' infield will be well represented in next month's MLB All-Star Game. Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm, and Trea Turner were all officially named starters for the National League on Wednesday night, a fitting culmination of weeks of highly competitive voting. Philadelphia fans (very successfully) hijacked the vote, launching even their worst starters into a tight race to the top.

Ultimately, the list of nine official starters is respectable. Most of the names deserve it on some level. Philadelphia, San Diego, and Milwaukee fans are all pleased with the outcome, while the Los Angeles Dodgers' only starter is Shohei Ohtani at DH, despite the infamous star-power on that roster and the robust fan apparatus in LA.

It's a historic accomplishment for the 2024 Phils, who become the first Phillies squad with three All-Star starters since 1982. It's well-deserved, too. Philadelphia has the best record in the entire MLB, led by elite pitching and an explosive offense. Even with countless injuries on the ledger, this Phillies team has outclassed the rest of the field.

Bryce Harper is probably the MVP frontrunner in the National League and Bohm is having a career season. Both are clearly deserving and didn't face much competition for their spots. The obvious point of controversy — and easily the closest race of all the NL starters — is Trea Turner at shortstop. He was campaigning against a two-time champ in Mookie Betts, who has successfully transitioned to short this season.

Turner won his spot by the slimmest of margins, earning 51 percent of the head-to-head vote.

Phillies' Trea Turner barely beats Dodgers' Mookie Betts in All-Star voting

Look. Has Trea Turner put together a better season than Mookie Betts on the whole? Of course not. We are talking, after all, about arguably the best player in the National League behind his own teammate. Betts is owner of the MLB's most gorgeous swing and a true all-around superstar, comfortable toggling between positions to suit LA's needs. Betts split last season between the outfield and second base. Now, he is a full-time shortstop, having learned the position on the fly to eliminate the Dodgers' biggest positional weak point. Not many all-world talents would take on that challenge.

Betts has registered 88 more at-bats than Turner this season. That's not Turner's fault — injuries suck — but Betts has been on the field more, with better catch-all numbers (4.1 WAR, compared to 2.0 WAR for Turner) and impressive production at the plate. Even without his standard success in the power department, Betts has hit with discipline. His .405 on-base percentage leads the National League. He has 50 runs and 40 RBI on .304/.405/.488, and 10 home runs is nothing to scoff at.

It's a bit difficult to make the case for Turner in a vacuum. He has been awesome in his own right, slashing .338/.386/.487, but he has 12 fewer runs and 22 fewer runs batted in (again, in fewer appearances). Betts wins the tangible production battle, while Turner's base-running dynamism has been stymied in recent weeks after returning from a hamstring injury.

This is a product of fan voting, which is absolutely fine. There has been a lot of groaning about Philly fans out-voting "more deserving" candidates, but the All-Star Game is first and foremost a showcase for the fans. Betts will still appear in the game — this doesn't hurt his resumé whatsoever — and it's a little hard to feel sorry for Dodgers fans. The voting was open to everybody. It's not Trea's fault that only Philadelphia fans cared enough to spam the voting app and get their dudes in the starting lineup. Los Angeles is never at a disadvantage when it comes to sheer volume of fans.

Turner's All-Star berth in the third of his career. Once teammates with Betts in LA, Turner is now starting ahead of him in the All-Star game. What a twist of fate.