The MLB All Star rosters for both the AL and the NL were released on July 6. Names like Cal Raleigh and Aaron Judge were slam-dunks to be named to the rosters. More interesting? The names missing from the list. Below, in no particular order, are five hitters who deserved a flight to Atlanta.
1. Juan Soto, RF, New York Mets
Some may call his first season in Queens ‘disappointing,’ but those people would be misinformed.
After signing a 15-year, $765M contract with the Mets this past offseason, the 26-year-old Soto came in with expectations higher than the New York City skyline. And yes, I will give the haters the fact that Soto began the year not putting up Soto-like numbers we’ve come to expect from the man, but a .337 wOBA and a 120 wRC+, according to FanGraphs, and a 118 OPS+, according to Baseball Reference, from March through May is still above average. Not to mention he walked more than he struck out in that same time period. Simply looking at traditional baseball stats would not allude to an above average start, as a .231 batting average and .770 OPS does not grab one’s attention, but giving Soto the benefit of the doubt in that coming off signing a mega contract with a brand new team can be stressful, I’d say he did pretty well in bouncing back.
Since the first of June, Soto has been unbelievable, slashing .324/.468/.685 (a 1.153 OPS). He’s walked 20.4% of the time, put up a 218 wRC+ and, according to FanGraphs, holds an Isolated Power (ISO) number of .360!
So yes, the start of his year was ‘rough,’ but there is no denying he’s been one of the best hitters in the league thus far. Soto won’t be in Atlanta next week for All-Star festivities, but he will be an astronomically large piece to the Mets’ push for the division.
2. Michael Busch, 1B, Chicago Cubs
What a year it has been for Michael Busch. Unfortunately, the All-Star voters did not share the same sentiment. Busch has been ripping the cover off the ball in his second year on the North side. 18 HRs with a slash line of .297/.384/.566 would be obliged to agree.
He’s struggled against lefties with an unremarkable .631 OPS, .280 wOBA and 79 wRC+, however Busch has been one of the best hitters in the league against right-handed pitching. Against righties, he’s raked to the tune of a 1.014 OPS, .432 wOBA and 183 wRC+. With runners in scoring position (RISP), he’s hitting to a .365 AVG, getting on base at a .478 clip and slugging .608.
One cause for concern of voters could be his .344 BABIP, acknowledging there could be an element of luck on the side of Busch. However, in a pitcher-friendly park like Wrigley, there is no reason to believe that Busch isn’t performing exceptionally well compared to how an average replacement would.
The defensive side of the ball is a different story. His -2 OAA is not good, but it’s been better than All-Star Pete Alonso (-4 OAA) and starter Freddie Freeman isn’t doing much better (1 OAA). He’s actually tied fifth with Willson Contreras and Ty France for 2 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS). So, while it’s unclear how much voters weigh advanced fielding statistics in their voting criteria, the numbers are worth noting.
At the end of the day, baseball fans leaguewide cannot deny how special a first half it’s been for Busch. Undoubtedly, he’ll brush this one off and continue to improve, as he’s only just over a year of ML service time.
3. Rafael Devers, DH, San Francisco Giants
Despite the whirlwind that has been the Raffy Devers Experience this baseball season, Devers has been performing exceptionally despite the noise.
The centerpiece of a …complicated relationship with the Boston Red Sox, Devers began the year rough. His .225 AVG in March/April was started by an 0-for-19 stretch to begin the season with 15 strikeouts! Despite these atrocious statistics, he finished the March/April timeframe with a 115 wRC+.
Without debate, though, Devers has shaken off that “slump” and has been raking, slashing .265/.391/.481 to a 140 wRC+ and a .376 wOBA between the Boston and San Francisco. What’s more is he holds a 141 wRC+ against lefties and a 140 wRC+ against righties, showing that he can dominate no matter who’s on the bump 60 feet, 6 inches away.
Devers has shown a strong eye at the plate, and has improved his career-best walk rate of 11.1% to 16.2%! It remains to be seen if he can continue that rate, but it’s surely worth noting that his work is paying off in the plate discipline department. To complement this, his 0.66 BB/K rate is beating his previous best by 0.17.
One area of note is Devers’ performance in different situations. In low leverage situations, according to FanGraphs, Devers is hitting .351 with 10 of his 17 home runs and an OPS of 1.058. Going deeper, that comes out to a 192 wRC+ and a .451 wOBA! Meanwhile, he’s struggled in medium leverage spots (84 wRC+) and been league-average in high leverage spots 100 wRC+). However, his .200 BABIP in medium leverage spots and .259 BABIP in high leverage spots may be contributing to these dips in numbers. What’s more important is that with RISP, Devers is performing extremely well, as an .896 OPS and 139 wRC+ have led to 67 RBIs, which ties him for 7th in the MLB.
How Devers was left off the team is beyond me, but maybe voters were put off by the noise of the drama. What isn’t up for discussion is that he remains one of the premium hitters in the game.
4. George Springer, RF, Toronto Blue Jays
George Springer may be having the best season of his career, and he’s been a huge reason the Blue Jays find themselves atop the AL East at the moment.
Slashing .281/.374/.512, Springer has consistently hit balls hard (45.1% hard-hit rate), meaning he’s hitting nearly half of his balls at 95+ mph exit velocity. His .871 OPS ranks 17th in the majors. On a more advanced level, that 148 wRC+ and .381 wOBA rank 15th and 14th, respectively. It’s not like Springer is overperforming, either. He holds a .287 xBA, .569xSLG, and .403xwOBA.
Runners in scoring position haven’t gotten to his head. With RISP, he’s hit to a .297 AVG, .905 OPS, 146 wRC+, and .379 wOBA, along with a .340 BABIP.
One aspect of Springer’s season that stands out is similar to Devers’. Springer’s striking out 19.4% of the time, which is a significant improvement from the beginning of his career, while walking 12.5% of the time–the best rate of his career. That adds up to his career-best BB/K rate of 0.65.
Defensive ability could be a knock to Springer’s All-Star bid (-6 DRS, -5 OAA), a .225 AVG against lefties could show lack of versatility, and a .209 AVG in May is ugly. What traditional stats wouldn’t show you is that against lefties,though, Springer is still hitting at an above-average 121 wRC+ and .343 wOBA, while walking 15.6% of the time. And that .209 in May? Well, that doesn’t exactly tell the story of George Springer in May, and in that month he hit to a 130 wRC+, .356 wOBA, and .820 OPS on a .214 BABIP! Take those numbers as you will, but it sounds like George may have gotten a bit unlucky during that month of May.
Not everyone can be an All-Star, but George Springer certainly proved his worth in the first half of the season and will be carrying a chip on his shoulder as Toronto pushes towards the playoffs.
5. Seiya Suzuki, OF/DH, Chicago Cubs
The Cubs have already appeared on this list in the form of first basemen Michael Busch, and here they are again with OF/DH Seiya Suzuki.
The Cubs already have an All-Star starter in center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (PCA), but perhaps that left Suzuki to be somewhat overlooked.
The MLB’s leader in RBI, Seiya Suzuki has proven himself at the plate this year, putting up a 141 wRC+ and .371 wOBA. His .298 ISO is simply ridiculous and his 25 HRs ranks 6th in the majors. He ranks 11th in wRC+ (169) and 10th in OPS (.976) against lefties this year.
A tough June (.226/.265/.481) perhaps set Suzuki back in the All-Star rankings, however he was still above league average at a 105 wRC+.
In 34 high leverage PAs, he’s been unstoppable. Slashing .355/.412/.710, he’s put up a 212 wRC+ and .474 wOBA. Although that is a small sample size, high leverage success is nothing to balk at–especially considering playing in front of uber-passionate Chicago fans.
One knock against the lovable Suzuki could be his defense. He’s put up -4 DRS and -1 OAA in only 26 games in the outfield (14 games at RF, 12 games at LF).
What shouldn’t be a knock against him, though, is his ability to produce for the fun 2025 Cubs team. Suzuki, like Busch, will not be present in Atlanta for the All-Star Game, but he should be a key piece for the Cubbies as they enter the second half.
P.S. If you think the hitters got hosed, wait till you see which pitchers were left off the roster. Who else would you add to this list of snubbed hitters? Let me know down below!
-QG
Inner Half 