Trea Turner vs. Francisco Lindor: Who deserved an All-Star roster spot more?

After Trea Turner made the All-Star roster as a starter, Mets fans immediately took exception to the snubbing of their hometown shortstop. But who should have gotten the nod?

Any discussion on the matter should start with the fact that Trea Turner is on fire. Through only 217 ABs, Turner is slashing .342/.387/.516 with 8 HR. His remarkable numbers also come with 11 stolen bases. But Turner’s numbers aren’t the source of the contention. What makes New York Mets fans angry is that Trea Turner has missed a good chunk of this season.

Turner missed a significant amount of time following a left hamstring injury he suffered in early May, which has meant he's only played 52 of the Philadelphia Phillies’ 91 games this season. Francisco Lindor, on the other hand, has participated in all 90 games the Mets have played. In 367 ABs, the three-time Silver Slugger and two-time Gold Glover has slashed .253/.321/.455 with 16 HR. This comes with Lindor’s 16 stolen bases.

Even if Lindor’s slash line is much lower than Turner’s, he still makes a compelling case to be on the team. However, the reserve spot went to Elly De La Cruz who is slashing .251/.344/.469 with 15 HR and 45 stolen bases through 343 ABs. There aren’t any major differences in the numbers between the two reserve candidates besides the stolen base total, which clearly puts De La Cruz in the driver’s seat. Sadly, this places Lindor on the ASG sidelines this season. But should Turner have been disqualified for not playing enough games?

The All-Star game is about getting to see the best player at every position at the time represent their league. Each choice should come with the question: Who gives their team a better chance at winning? While Lindor is good, it's hard to argue that he's better than Turner is right now. And while Mets fans might argue vociferously that Turner’s amount of time missed disqualifies him, that isn’t necessarily the case. By this same logic, Paul Skenes, who has pitched only 10 games, would not be an All-Star.

In all fairness, Trea Turner’s 52 games played is not a small sample size when going into the All-Star break. Turner, like Skenes, deserves to be there. But did Turner deserve it more than Lindor?

In the end, whether the nay-sayers have a good point or not, baseball fans got the say in who was better deserving to be at the ASG. As it turns out, they found Turner was better equipped to play in the game this year. While this is no knock against the Mets’ veteran shortstop, baseball fans were drawn to Turner’s superior percentage-wise stats and far-ranging skillset that has thus far outshined Lindor this season. And while Mets fans might feel they were ripped off, they need to acknowledge the one thing that could have avoided a Trea Turner ASG starting scenario: voting for Lindor.