MLB All-Star Game’s Top 6 Snubs
By Jason Burke
Jose Quintana, LHP–Chicago White Sox
Quintana certainly doesn’t have the record at 6-8 that his 14-win teammate Chris Sale does, but according to FanGraphs, Quintana has the highest WAR among starting pitchers (3.1) in the American League–and he’s not even on the roster.
His peripherals are in line with Sale’s, with the lefty besting Quintana by slight margins across the board, except when it comes to allowing home runs. Sale has a HR rate of 11.9% allowed per fly ball, while Quintana has the fourth-lowest rate in the league at 7.1%. Obviously home run rate is not a sexy stat and shouldn’t get someone onto an All-Star roster, but his ERA is almost even with Sale, at 3.06 to 2.93, and five of the six players that have a better ERA in the AL made the club. The other player above him appears later on this list.
How to Get Quintana on the Roster: I know Ned Yost is the manager of the AL squad and all, but does the team really need nine relievers? Five starters, nine relievers. I get that he likely plans on throwing everyone out there for one inning to keep everyone healthy and all that jazz, but still. Without Quintana (record be damned) the White Sox wouldn’t be within shouting distance in the AL Central.
Next: First Base is Deep