Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 24. John Valentin
Stats:
- 1,093 hits
- 124 home runs
- .279 batting average
John Valentin has to be wondering if his All-Star luck, or lack thereof, would’ve changed if he played in a different era. In the early to mid-1990s, Derek Jeter and Cal Ripken Jr. received all of the love.
Still, Valentin played his role for a decade on the Boston Red Sox and was outrageously reliable. Twice he recorded a batting average over .300. He was also a constant spark plug for the offense as a whole. He registered five straight seasons of at least 12 home runs, including the 1995 campaign where he smashed a career high 27, while also putting up 102 RBIs on the board.
He was ultimately awarded one Silver Slugger award but that’s the entirety of his personal accomplishments during his time in the league. His consistency, coupled with the Red Sox propensity to not only have winning records, but high championship expectations, the argument could be made that Valentin was snubbed far too many times on the All-Star team.