Bruce Bochy won some Cincinnati Reds fans over
Cincinnati Reds fans didn’t have to like Giants skipper Bruce Bochy, but they should have respected him prior to final vote ballot being announced. The three-time World Series champion manager probably is in a few more Reds fans’ good books now as well after nominating Johnny Cueto for the National League’s All-Star Game final vote.
The hosting Reds are not a great overall team in 2015, but they do have some pretty great players on their roster this year. It seems kind of unfair that only Aroldis Chapman and Todd Frazier get to represent Cincinnati in front of thousands of hometown fans July 14 at Great American Ball Park.
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First baseman Joey Votto (.281-15-42) could certainly be considered a snub. Had shortstop Zack Cozart‘s year not ended on June 10, he might’ve made a push for a first time All-Star Game appearance. Cozart, despite having not played baseball in over a month, is still tied for third in WAR at his position in the NL with a mark of 2.1. It’s a rather thin position throughout the league in 2015, but with nine homers and 28 RBI through 58 games played, Cozart looked poised for a breakout season and a potential All-Star nod.
Bochy got a healthy share of Giants players to work with on his squad, as did Ned Yost over in the American League with six (possibly seven) Royals players on his roster. The Giants’ Buster Posey is set to start for the NL, with second baseman Joe Panik, shortstop Brandon Crawford and pitcher Madison Bumgarner serving as reserves. Bochy isn’t quite the weasel Yost is, as he did not nominate a Giants player in the final vote, though he might have been able to squeak rookie Chris Heston onto the ballot. He has the same amount of wins and losses as MadBum, a near identical ERA and a no-hitter on his resume this season.
Instead, Bochy showed some respect to Cueto and thus, the hometown crowd. I can’t see anyone winning the final vote other than Cueto. By putting any Reds player on the ballot, Bochy more or less doomed the other contestants. Reds fans care more about the final vote simply because they get to witness in person the fruits of their labor. Royals fans did well with their social media campaigns for the AL roster, so MLB should expect the same from Cincy’s fans when it comes to the NL final vote and Cueto.
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Cueto was an All-Star last season. He had a better first half then than he has had in 2015, but he was a hard luck loser finishing second to Clayton Kershaw in NL Cy Young voting. See what Bochy did there? Some possible minor vindication for Cueto, who logged more innings and strikeouts than any other pitcher in the NL last season due to Kershaw only starting 27 games to Cueto’s 34.
Also for Reds fans, there’s a strong chance Cueto will not be around come next season. Truthfully, he probably won’t be around to dominate games for the Reds at Great American Ball Park as soon as August. He’s going to be a coveted trade chip as the July 31 deadline approaches. Cincinnati is currently 38-44. Barring a huge surge over the next three weeks, they’re likely going to be sellers.
After the lastest poll results, the Cincinnati Reds ace has a lead in the final vote. Bruce Bochy gave Reds fans an opportunity to have some fun with the vote and get a desired outcome. He knows the All-Star Game doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. But this year, it means something to Reds fans who probably won’t be packing the seats of their ballpark in October. However for Bochy and the Giants, it’s rarely intelligent to count them out of World Series contention.