This week we asked our writers:
There are six Yankees going to the All-Star Game. Is that too many? Too few? Are there any Yankees who are going who don't deserve to go? Are any deserving Yankees players not on the team? Please give your thoughts on the Yankees' All-Stars.
Here are their responses:
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James Vlietstra - When a team is having a historically significant year, you would expect them to be well represented in the Mid Summer Classic.
Judge and Holmes are obvious choices. Cortes has been the best starter.
Stanton is having a resurgence.
Cole has been solid.
Trevino is the feel good choice.
Other players with impressive resumes this year are Michael King and Anthony Rizzo. James’s Taillon could be an option to replace Cole, who is scheduled to pitch on Sunday so would not be available to play on Tuesday.
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Ed Botti - The All Star game has lost a degree of its charm and luster, in my opinion. What was once a must watch event has turned into a well package commercial enterprise. The culprit is Interleague play. Prior to Interleague play, the all-star game was a once a year platform to see great players who never compete against each other, compete on a national stage.
Don Mattingly and Keith Hernandez on the same field!
Albert Belle and Tony Gwynn on the same field!
Randy Johnson vs Barry Bonds!
Now we see it every single evening of the season.
As far as six Yankees making the team, an argument could be made that Michael King and Anthony Rizzo should be in LA. I do not think Stanton should go, but the fans voted him in, so it is what it is. After all, it really is just a popularity contest. Having said that, it is by far the best of any of the other all-star game we have in the four big sports
If you have too many from one team, it takes an opportunity away from a deserving player such as Ty France of the Mariners and Austin Riley of the Braves. But, then again, when a team has a dominant first half, as the Yankees have, many deserve to go.
It’s great that Jose Trevino is being rewarded!
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Tamar Chalker - I think it makes sense - all the picks have contributed to the Yankees dominating the first half. I’m super excited that Jose Trevino made it - he deserves it and it makes for such a great story.
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Cary Greene - Considering no team in the last couple of decades has had more than six representatives in the All-Star game and factoring in the need to make sure each team has some representation in an event that is purely designed for the fans enjoyment, I think having six players representing the Yankees. at an event like this is more than any team could really ask for or expect to get. If seven or eight or nine Yankees were included, that would be a great way to diminish the games appeal to national television, audiences and fans alike..
Also when you look at the list of players, there really aren't any slouches on either the American League or National League rosters for that matter. It's not like we can argue that Justin Verlander should be taken off the roster in favor of Louis Severino.
Boiling it down further when you look at the Yankees who were selected, the list really? Isn't that debatable. Luis Severino and Jameson Taillon both would probably have made it if they pitched for most other teams, excluding the Astros and the Dodgers of course.. Mike King has also been a really good reliever but I don't think he should have made it at the exclusion of any of the other Yankees who wound up making it.
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Chris O'Connor - It's hard to complain about having a league-leading 6 All-Stars. While many quibble with the exclusion of guys like Gleyber Torres and Anthony Rizzo, the inclusion of Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Trevino makes up for it. Among AL outfielders, Stanton ranks tied for 14th in fWAR with Aaron Hicks, Harold Ramirez, and Austin Hays. Stanton was voted in as a starter. Trevino was certainly deserving of a bid based on this year's production alone, but guys like Sean Murphy and Adley Rutschman are either more established or more high-profile. The two guys that I am happiest for are Trevino and Nestor Cortes. Like with Trevino, Cortes has the production to merit his selection, but stiff competition with someone like Dylan Cease of the White Sox made it anything but a lock. And for both Trevino and Cortes, the way that they have made it seems sustainable. I doubt we look at these guys as one-year wonders, even if this ends up being the peak of their careers. Ultimately, having the most All-Stars in the league just makes sense for a team that it 61-25. Again, a case can be made that Gleyber Torres, Anthony Rizzo, and someone like Michael King deserved a bid, but it is hard to complain about the way that the ballots landed in the ultimate.
perhaps we should consider whether the selection process for an all-star game can be optimized and whether worrying about the process- or the game- is worth the time and energy