Ned Yost kind of got it right for the AL All-Star final vote

Well, Omar Infante‘s name was omitted from the starting lineup and the list of reserve players on the American League All-Star roster, so that’s something. As manager of the Kansas City Royals, it would appear Ned Yost did his best to not put himself in between a rock and a hard place. Or did he? Yost still could not resist himself by nominating third baseman Mike Moustakas for the final vote.

Every MLB team must be represented by at least one player on the squad. So first, let’s get to that. Yost nominated Xander Bogaerts even though Brock Holt already got the nod from the players vote to cover the Red Sox contingent. Holt is the ultimate utility player with great work ethic and has played every position on the field this year, save for pitcher and catcher. He makes John Farrell‘s job easier and through 62 games, has a higher OPS than Pablo Sandoval and David Ortiz.

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Bogaerts however, is an everyday player, and mans the most critical defensive position on the field for any team, which is shortstop. He has played in 81 of the Sox’ 85 games, is third on the team in WAR while slashing a very tidy .304/.341/.418. Naming Clay Buchholz over Holt could have secured Boston’s stake on the squad. The sometimes streaky right-hander was probably left off due to the name brand recognition of eventual Hall of Famer Felix Hernandez though.

Either way, there had to be a Red Sox player in Cincinnati on July 14. So if Yost thinks Holt is deserving, then leaving Mookie Betts off the squad is a fairly large oversight. Holt is second in team WAR with 3.1, but Betts is first with a 4.0 mark. He’s also been their everyday center fielder since Opening Day and leads the team in UZR ahead of Holt, is tied for second on the team with 41 RBI and has a decent shot at going 20-20 this year with nine home runs and 13 stolen bases. Holt has a slight edge on Betts in OPS, but Betts’ 149 total bases leads the Red Sox and put Holt’s 96 (with only two HRs) to shame.

Ultimately, the nomination of Bogaerts is a fail by Yost because Alcides Escobar, Jose Iglesias and Holt are all capable of playing shortstop with only so many innings that can be appropriated or dispersed. With the high probability that Holt enters the game in the outfield where he has started 24 games this season — more than anywhere else — Betts would have been the better player to either add to the roster or nominate for the final vote.

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As for Brian Dozier, the Twins are well represented by closer Glen Perkins. After him, there really is no clear cut option in Minnesota, but Dozier is a solid one and was snubbed last season with a .242-69-18-45-16 line at the break. He’s not far off again in 2015 with a .258-63-17-43-7 line right now and leads his club in WAR. The AL roster is well served with Jose Altuve and Jason Kipnis available to play second, but Yost was still right to recognize Dozier in the final vote.

When it comes to Yoenis Cespedes, in my opinion, the Tigers have the best all-around outfield in the AL. Cespedes deserves to play in this game and his stock certainly goes up accordingly when one considers his Home Run Derby showmanship. The Tigers are already well represented by Miguel Cabrera (injured), David Price, J.D. Martinez and Iglesias. Other options probably existed, but you can’t really go wrong with Cespedes’ arm or bat in any game.

Brett Gardner is an interesting choice by Yost. The Yankees have Dellin Betances and Mark Teixeira, so if Yost’s goal was to nominate an outfielder, he did an okay job. If it was to nominate a Yankee, he failed. What Gardner is doing at 31 is far less impressive than what Alex Rodriguez is doing at 39. A-Rod really has no defensive value and is forever controversial, but it would have been intriguing for Yost to mix the pot and put him on the final vote ballot.

Lastly and once more, old Ned couldn’t resist the Moose. Josh Donaldson ends up getting the start and Manny Machado is an outstanding reserve at third base, so the Mike Moustakas nomination here doesn’t really make any sense. Except for it does, because Yost manages him daily and knows that the fans get to vote the final player in. Every baseball fan knows by now that Royals fans took full advantage of the voting process for selecting starters, so is it shocking to see Moustakas in the lead for the final vote? Not at all.

The Moustakas nomination works for Yost because he is showing support for his own players who make up a great team that won many people over in 2014 and again this year. But it sucks for Yost and the other four names on the ballot, because by nominating Moustakas, or virtually any other Royal, he’s essentially slapped all other four final vote candidates in the face. It’s a democratic process to elect the 34th player, but you can bet that Royals fans will do their part to turn it into a dictatorial fucntion.

Plus when one factors in that Moustakas is hitting .111 over his last 10 games with zero home runs and one RBI, it’s clear that better options do exist. Moustakas’ batting averaged has dived 21 points in the last month. Betts on the other hand, has raised his batting average 39 points. With only one third base position and one shortstop position on the field and three outfield spots, the more sensical nod by Ned Yost should have went to no Royals player or Bogaerts and instead, someone like Betts.

As you can view here, David Schoenfield of ESPN.com gave Yost a B grade for the overall assembly of his squad, while he gave NL manager Bruce Bochy an A-minus.

Next: Making a case for each AL All-Star final vote candidate

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