MLB: The 25 best MLB players never to make an All-Star game

The numbers are all pretty eye-catching. Throughout the history of the MLB, there’s one phrase that no one wants attached to their resume: “All-Star snub.”

Yet, many are forced to deal with that label no matter how prolific their counting numbers were. At times, it’s ostensible that missing out on an All-Star Game or two is inevitable. There are simply too many great young players on the come-up, making their way through the ranks. And coincidentally, there are loads of older players with plenty left in the tank who are anxious to prove their worth.

With a long list of names to choose from, who are the greatest players to ever step foot on an MLB diamond to never make the All-Star squad?

There were a lot of variables that went into this list. While things such as longevity and consistent great play over a long amount of time were heavily weighed, so we’re short but dominant stretches as well. There were a ton of great players to choose from, but we’ve narrowed down our list to 25. Every single one of these players never got their just due in the form of All-Star voting. Now, we’ll acknowledge that at some point in their careers, they should’ve been given the nod.

Now, let’s take a look at our first All-Star snub.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 25. Chase Headley

Stats:

• 1,337 hits
• 130 home runs
• .263 batting average

This one isn’t necessarily about the totality of Chase Headley’s career. After all, he wasn’t a great in-play hitter at the plate, racking up plenty of seasons in the .250 range. He also wasn’t a terrific long-ball hitter. His RBIs also left much to be desired. But, with all that said, Headley was a solid player everywhere he went.

In 2012 in particular, he was undoubtedly in the conversation for best third baseman in the league. Headley produced a season that turned plenty of heads. Seemingly overnight, he turned into a home run hitter, smashing 31 of them. He connected on the second-best percentage of his career at the plate with .286.

Also, he was the RBI king, leading the NL in that department with 115. Regardless of the San Diego Padres finishing fourth in the NL West, the blame couldn’t go on Headley’s shoulders. He played his part and should’ve been rewarded with an All-Star nod.

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.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 22. Rick Dempsey

Stats:

• 1,093 hits
• 96 home runs
• .233 batting average

Rick Dempsey didn’t need an All-Star selection to validate how great he was. It would’ve been nice though.

There wasn’t too much flash or style in the game of Dempsey, just substance. Over the course of his career, Dempsey racked up a 25.4 WAR. He was somewhat of a mercenary, jumping from team to team and playing solid ball along the way. Amongst his many stops, Dempsey found a home with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Baltimore Orioles.

Dempsey managed to take home two titles, one apiece in each location, and not as some spectator either. In his first title run in Baltimore, Dempsey was named World Series MVP, it was for good reason. He batted .385 from the plate, with two home runs. He also only struck out twice and had an OPS of 1.390. He was more of an ancillary player during his championship chase in a Dodgers uniform. Nonetheless, he took home the hardware on that occasion as well.

With two World Series rings, and a World Series MVP, Dempsey should have a few All-Star berths to his name as well.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 21. Trey Mancini

Stats:

• 560 hits
• 101 home runs
• .273 batting average

Trey Mancini has fallen victim to the Baltimore Orioles and the moribund franchise that they ultimately are. Only once during his now five year career has Mancini seen postseason play, his rookie year. In four full years at the major league level, the Orioles have been arguably the worst team in all of baseball.

In both 2018 and 2019, the Orioles found a way to lose over 100 games. Still, amid all of the losing, he’s been a consistent bright spot for an otherwise pathetic team. In what turned out to be his break year, Mancini put together a memorable 2019 season. He smashed 35 balls out of the park, drove in 97 RBIs, had an OPS of .899 and a slugging percentage of .535. Mancini was nothing short of specular. He would’ve easily been an All-Star selection if the Orioles hadn’t lost 108 games that year.

Even now, amid another horrendous team year, Mancini has managed to still shine. He’s currently on pace to register over 20 homers and close to 100 RBIs. At the age of 29, Mancini still has time to be named an All-Star. But until he finds himself in another uniform, it’s highly unlikely that it happens in Baltimore no matter how great he is.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 20. Chris Hoiles

Stats:

• 739 hits
• 151 home runs
• .262 batting average

Don’t tell Chris Hoiles that he was simply a catcher. In his mind, he was big swinging, game changing player who could turn the scoreboard upside down in the blink of an eye.

Not counting his first year in the league as he only played six games, Hoiles only had one season in which he didn’t register double digit homers. He was still very much adept at throwing base runners out and minimizing the damage of a wild pitch. But when he wasn’t doing that, Hoiles was a nightmare for opposing pitchers.

There were a ton of great years to choose from but it’s particularly mind-numbing how Hoiles wasn’t chosen to the All-Star game in 1993. The Baltimore Orioles weren’t world-beaters, finishing the year with a record of 85-77. But his overall numbers that season were gargantuan. Hoiles put together a season that consisted of 29 homers, 82 RBIs and a batting average of .310, good for a top 30 spot amongst league leaders.

Hoiler’s main problem was that he wasn’t a durable player. In six of his ten years in the league, he failed to play in at least 100 games. With All-Star spots hard to come by, not being available is something voters counted against him.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 19. Dennis Leonard

Stats: 

• 3.70 ERA
• 1,323 strikeouts

Making an All-Star appearance as a pitcher has always been incredibly difficult to pull off. But taking home that badge of honor in an era that included all-time greats such as Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver was going to be nearly impossible.

Dennis Leonard was never on that level. He was a solid pitcher for a long time but for a short period, his name deserved to be mentioned amongst the All-Stars of his time.

Leonard spent the entirety of his career with the Kansas City Royals. In 1981, for the first and only time during his time in the majors, Leonard managed to drag his ERA below 3.00, settling in at 2.99. Although that may have represented the lowest ERA of his career, it wasn’t his most impressive season, that would come four years prior.

During the 1977 season, Leonard led all of Major League Baseball in wins with 20 against only 12 losses. His ERA wasn’t too shabby either, checking in at 3.04. To further crystallize his All-Star credentials that year, Leonard was a big-time contributor to a Royals team that finished number one in the AL West with 102 wins.

Of course, he was excluded from the big game by the likes of Mark Fidrych and Bill Travers to name a few.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 18. Bengie Molina

Stats:

• 1,317 hits
• 144 home runs
• .274 batting average

Bengie Molina wasn’t considered a high-profile player. Oftentimes, he grabbed his lunch pail, buttoned up his blue-collar shirt and worked his tail off. For the majority of his career, Molina’s work-hard attitude produced results.

Over the course of his 13 years in the majors, he was a consistent player. He racked up 1,317 hits, 144 homers, a 10.7 WAR and a batting average of .244. In terms of catchers, he was one of the best. If Molina was behind the plate, runners thought twice before attempting to steal. If they figured they were too fleet of foot to get caught, they were wrong. In 2000, Molina led the entire league in players caught stealing with 40. Remarkably enough, on four other occasions, he came in second.

Don’t think for one second that Molina’s contribution were mainly catching runners before they reached base. With a bat in his hand, Molina could do damage. For eight of his 13 seasons in the league, Molina was a double-digit home run guy. In 2009 in particular, he was terrific. He smashed 20 homers, drove in 80 RBIs and batted a respectable .265. He did it all while leading the San Diego Padres to an 88 win season.

Despite his numbers, Molina never came close to making the midseason classic.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 17. Eric Karros

Stats:

• 1,723 hits
• 284 home runs
• .268 batting average

Everything pointed to Eric Karros becoming a multiple-time All-Star. In 1992, his first full season in the big leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he put the rest of the MLB world on notice. He registered an impressive 20 homers, 88 RBIs and had a slugging percentage of .426.

Karros was the easy pick for the NL Rookie of the Year award. He continued to play well for the next few years but once he entered his prime, he became dominant. For three straight seasons and five out of the next six, Karros easily soared past 30 home runs.

Unlike today, the Los Angeles based team wasn’t always dominating the competition. With that said, they were in 1996. On the year, the Dodgers finished with a 90-72 record. Karros played his part that season, racking up 34 homers and 111 RBIs. Obviously though, due to his inclusion on this list, he wasn’t selected for the All-Star game.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 16. Bill Doran

Stats:

• 1,366 hits
• 84 home runs
• .266 batting average

Playing the exceptionally well defense in the field really should count for something in the major leagues. Sure, at the end of the year, those who made an impact out there are rewarded with the Golden Glove. Or, in some cases, with a pat on the back, but defensive specialists aren’t given their just due often.

Bill Doran was terrific out in the field. On two occasions, he led the NL in fielding percentage. For his career, he checks in at 71st on the all-time list. He wasn’t much of a home run hitter. Only once did Doran put together a season of at least 16. Despite the weak long ball numbers, Doran was amongst the best in the league in OPS for a handful of years.

Still, no matter how many intangibles he brought to the game and regardless of the ridiculous game saving catches he made to pull his team out of a tight jam, Doran could never sniff an All-Star game berth, although his overall game indicated that he should’ve been.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 15. Jim Gantner

Stats:

• 1,696 hits
• 47 home runs
• .274 batting average

The 1970s and 80s were a much different time. The gaudy stats weren’t as prevalent. Impact on an overall ball game was the most important measuring stick of a player’s greatness. Or so it seemed.

Jim Gantner was consistent in terms of his effort, ability to get on base and register a crucial hit. At first glance, his All-Star credentials appear poor. Only once did Gantner put together a season of double-digit home runs. He also registered at least 70 RBIs only once as well. His slugging percentage and on base percentage weren’t eye-catching but that was 80s baseball.

In 1983, the same season in which he put together a career-best 11 homers, he seemed to be an All-Star game lock. By the time the teams were selected, Gantner had registered seven on the year. Yet, he was passed up in the voting by a player named Manny Trillo. If you thought Gantner’s seven home runs were bad then get this, Trillo, didn’t record a single home run at the time, but still got the nod over Gantner.

For the duration of his career, Gantner would continue to experience All-Star snubs, despite putting up better stats than his counterparts. Maybe Gantner shouldn’t have made an All-Star squad in retrospect but compared to his competition, he was more than deserving.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 14. Orlando Cabrera

Stats:

• 2,055 hits
• 123 home runs
• .272 batting average

The defensive side of the field was where Orlando Cabrera made his bones in the league. He wasn’t inept offensively, as 2,055 hits and .272 batting average proves but he wasn’t a stud with a bat in his hand either.

With a career that spanned 15 seasons, Cabrera hit double-digit homers on just four occasions. He was above average at bringing in runs though. In 2001, he put it all together. Cabrera accounted for 14 home runs, 96 RBIs and an OPS of .752, the second-best of his career. Unfortunately, though, All-Star voters never looked in his direction. Not only were his numbers considered less than desirable but his teams were awful.

As 2004 rolled around, the shortstop/second baseman was dealt to the Boston Red Sox where he was able to snag his only ring. But while he’s absent of a mid-season trip to the All-Star game on his resume, that didn’t stop Cabrera from locking down defensively. He took home two Gold Glove awards during his career and his statistics stack up nicely against almost anyone in league history. On five separate occasions, Cabrera finished top four in the majors in fielding percentage from the shortstop position. His .977 rank 38th in history, leaving him above guys such as Corey Seager and the impossibly great, Derek Jeter.

Regardless of the lofty company, he was never deemed All-Star material.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 13. Travis Hafner

Stats:

• 1,107 hits
• 213 home runs
• .273 batting average

There was little to no doubt that Travis Hafner was a difference-maker out on the field. His time in the big leagues, which began in 2002, started off strong. By his third full year, the designated hitter and first baseman smacked 28 balls into the stands and drove home 109 RBIs.

He only got better from there. The following season, Hafner increased his home run number to 33 and continued to put up over 100 RBIs. Just as you would expect from a young player, Hafner continued his hot streak. He was amongst the league’s best in the home run department with 42 and racked up a career-high, 117 RBIs.

Unfortunately for Hafner, his ball clubs didn’t do him much favors as they consistently hovered below .500. The only season in which Hafner was a playoff participant came in 2007. His career would continue for several more years but his All-Star level production simply wasn’t there anymore.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 12. Tom Candiotti

Stats:

• 3.73 ERA
• 1,735 strikeouts

He may have missed out on numerous All-Star appearances over the course of his career but Tom Candiotti gave it everything he had.

There’s no denying that Candiotti had several bad seasons under his belt. In 1984, only his second year in the big leagues, his ERA stood at 5.29. Things got even worst during the back half of his career. At the age of 41 and clearly on his last legs, his ERA ballooned to 6.35 before he was sent to the Cleveland Indians. Things didn’t get better as he ended his career with an ERA of 11.05.

But while his poor seasons were certainly horrific, he had plenty of memorable moments. In 1988, he held batters in check, registering an ERA of 3.28. It came as no surprise that Candiotti won a career high 16 games that year. He also managed to rack up a bWAR of 42.5.

Ultimately, Candiotti played on some horrific ball clubs. Only once did he see postseason play. During his lone appearance under bright lights, Candiotti melted under the spotlight, registering an ERA of 8.22. The hiccups over the course of his career were glaring, but Candiotti had enough brief moments of success to warrant a trip to the big game.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 11. Kyle Hendricks

Stats:

• 3.18 ERA
• 961 strikeouts

Considering how the moment he stepped onto an MLB diamond, Kyle Hendricks was an ace, it’s almost hard to believe that he hasn’t been selected to an All-Star game by now.

Making his debut in 2014 as a 24-year-old kid, Hendricks placed the world on notice with his abilities. With an ERA that settled in at 2.46, the argument could’ve been made that Hendricks was All-Star material in year one. The only thing that stopped his selection process, was a poor overall record by the Chicago Cubs that year.

While that was a reasonable excuse, 2016 simply made no sense. Hendricks took home the ERA crown that season, as he dished out a career-low 2.13 ERA. The Cubs won over 100 games and ended a 108 year World Series drought that season. Since then, Hendricks has put together more solid seasons. In 2020, the Cubs finished first in the NL Central and Hendricks played a huge role as he registered a 2.88 ERA.

At this point, what more does Hendricks have to do to get the call? He led the league in ERA, has a World Series ring and multiple seasons of dominating the opposition. His All-Star snub status simply doesn’t make any sense.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 10. Mike Timlin

Stats:

• 3.63 ERA
• 872 strikeouts

Mike Timlin wasn’t always the best pitcher around. In fact, oftentimes, his own teammates grew apoplectic with his inability to close the show. He had several seasons in which his ERA hovered near 5.00. With that said, when he was on, he was one of the best in the league.

At the age of 39 and clearly at the backend of his career, Timlin proved that he still had plenty to offer. He pushed the Boston Red Sox to 95 wins, all while averaging an ERA of 2.24. For whatever reason, he wasn’t given an All-Star berth, although he was as dominant as any other starting pitcher that season.

Timlin may not have the All-Star accomplishments but he certainly has the hardware. In back-to-back seasons in the early 1990s, Timlin and the Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series. Does he wish he was given recognition for his outstanding play with a trip to the mid-season classic? Of course he does. But he sleeps well at night with two championship rings near his bedside.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 9. Mike Adams

Stat: 

• 2.41 ERA
• 409 strikeouts

What more do you want from a relief pitcher? There’s no denying that Mike Adams had a rough few years in the big leagues. His ERA ballooned to an unheard of 11.57 in 2005 before he ultimately settled in and began dominating the competition.

While the Milwaukee Brewers decided to move away from him, the San Diego Padres took a chance. By all accounts, things couldn’t have worked out better. Adams produced the best seasons of his career in year one, pumping out a 2.48 ERA. That though, would be nothing compared to what he had up his sleeves for the following season. In 2009, batters would essentially walk up to the box despondent. Simply put, they knew three strikes were coming fast and there was nothing they could do about it. Adams ERA sank to a ridiculous 0.73. He then followed that up with a 1.76 ERA in 2010.

Still, regardless of the numbers, being named an All-Star was essentially a pipe dream as the Padres floundered around in mediocrity for most of his time there. Although other pitchers such as Tyler Clippard were taken ahead of him in the big games, Adams continued to dominate until his latter years in the league.

There’s no denying that winning should always be heavily counted in making All-Star selections but an ERA of 0.73? An exception should have been made.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 8. Pat Burrell

Stats:

• 1,393 hits
• 292 home runs
• .253 batting average

Pat Burrell had everything a team could want in a first baseman. His batting average was solid, producing multiple seasons around a .250 connection rate at the plate. He was also a home run machine. Not only did he end his career with 292 homers but in four separate seasons he pumped out over 30 a year. Twice during that span, he was responsible for over 100 RBIs.

A lack of winning can’t be held against Burrell and his zero All-Star appearance explanation. Twice in three years, Burrell and the Philadelphia Phillies, along with the San Francisco Giants, held the World Series in their hands.

Even from a historical standpoint, Burrell’s accomplishments stack up fairly decently. With 292 career homers, Burrell has a stranglehold on the 160th slot on the all-time list. He was a winner, a walking home run, an automatic RBI producer and great in the field. Yet, somehow, he finds himself on this list due to voters refusing to give him a well earned trip to the All-Star game.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 7. Garry Maddox

Stats:

• 1,802 hits
• 117 home runs
• .285 batting average

Outside of knocking balls out of the park, Garry Maddox was a terrific player.

The long ball always gets fans excited but that simply wasn’t his style. It didn’t matter if the ball left the yard or not, Maddox merely wanted to get it in play. Although he has a handful of notable seasons in which he could’ve been given All-Star consideration, 1976 is an absolute head-scratcher.

On the year, Maddox was amongst the league’s best hitters, batting .330 from the mound. He had a very good OPS of .833 and most importantly, the Phillies racked up 101 wins. Not only does Maddox have a World Series ring to his name but he’s also an eight-time Gold Glove winner. Despite that, All-Star voters never looked his way.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 6. Hal Trosky

Stats:

• 1,561 hits
• 228 home runs
• .302 batting average

Sometimes, baseball fanatics can skip right over the days of black and white televisions and focus on the here and now. That though, wouldn’t seem apropos when it comes to the career of Hal Trosky.

During the 1930s, Trosky was a terrific player. How he didn’t make an All-Star squad is almost impossible to comprehend. Unlike several All-Star snubs who had a few good seasons before turning in several duds, Trosky was consistently great. Excluding his first year, Trosky never had a season in which he didn’t register double-digit home runs. His slugging percentage was consistently near the top of the leader boards and in 1936, he led the league in RBIs with 162. He would also register 42 homers that season. He did all this while batting .343.

In a day and age where batting somewhere in the .280 range is considered elite territory, Hoiler never had a single season under .271. In fact, that happened only once. On four separate occasions, the long-time Cleveland Indian batted over .330.

Just how exactly did Hoiler miss out on All-Star appearances every year while being amongst the league leaders in both batting average and home runs? That’s a question we’ll never get an answer to.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 5. Sixto Lezcano

Stats:

• 1,122 hits
• 148 home runs
• .271 batting average

Sixto Lezcano shouldn’t be on this list. Simply put, the Puerto Rican Rightfielder was a truly great player during the mid-1970s. For the first 5-7 years of his career, Lezcano’s numbers got better and better.

With his improvement, ultimately, success for the Milwaukee Brewers followed. In 1979, in particular, he especially turned a corner. Lezcano had career highs in every major statistical category. He was responsible for 101 RBIs, 28 homers, 152 hits, a batting percentage of .321 and his OPS was near the top of the league at .987.

Lezcano’s numbers were never empty calories either. The Brewers finished second in the American League East after winning 95 games that year. Twice he finished the season with a WAR ranking in the top ten. Lezcano was also terrific on the field. It may have been three and a half decades since he’s actually played, but his .983 fielding percentage as a righty still ranks well within the top 100 of all-time, checking in at 66.

Being an All-Star shouldn’t be rocket science. The best players in the league should be chosen. For whatever reason, the selection process failed Lezcano.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 4. Kirk Gibson

Stats: 

• 1,553 hits
• 255 home runs
• .268 batting percentage

In some cases, the reasoning behind an MLB player not making the All-Star game is somewhat understandable but when it comes to Kirk Gibson, things simply don’t add up.

While he never put up truly gaudy numbers, Gibson was always consistent and reliable. For five straight seasons, the long-time Detroit Tigers outfielder knocked at least 25 balls out of the park. Of all his stellar seasons, Gibson’s best came in 1988. He registered 25 homers, stole a ridiculous 31 bases and batted a career-best .290. Those numbers not only landed him the AL MVP award but it also helped lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a World Series after they racked up 97 wins on the year.

Gibson was also a part of a Detroit team that also won it all four years prior in 1984. The San Diego Padres hated seeing Gibson make his way to the plate. During their five-game series, he batted .333, stole four bases, drove in seven runs and crushed the ball out of the park twice.

Gibson’s chances of making the All-Star team were essentially in the mid to late 1980s. Once the beginning of the 90s came rolling around, injuries turned him into a shelf of his former self for the rest of his career.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 3. Tim Salmon

Stats:

• 1,674 hits
• 299 home runs
• .282 batting average

Tim Salmon started his career in the ideal way of a future All-Star. He came up to the big leagues and had absolutely no trouble toying with the competition. Salmon batted .283, had an on base percentage of .382 and although he was the new kid on the block, he still managed to register 95 RBIs and he led the California Angels with 31 home runs.

Still, despite the numbers, it wasn’t enough for Salmon to make an All-Star squad in his first year, although he was named AL Rookie of the Year.

For the next several years, Salmon would continue to put up monster numbers. In 1995, Salmon finished 11th in the league in home runs with 34 but yet again, wasn’t selected to any All-Star games. Seasons of over 30 home runs and at least 100 RBIs became the norm for Salmon. The best year of his career was arguably in 1997 when he knocked 33 balls out of the park and notched a career-high, 129 RBIs.

Unfortunately for Salmon, his Angel teams were horrific. He would make his lone playoff appearance count as he managed to capture a ring in 2002. He played out of his mind in the World Series too, batting .346, bringing in five runs and managed to get two home runs as well.

Salmon didn’t have an incredibly long prime but when he was on, he was almost as good as anyone else in the league.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 2. Tony Phillips

Stats:

• 2,023 hits
• 160 home runs
• .266 batting average

Outside of playing pitcher and catcher, Tony Phillips played every other position on the field and he played it at a high level. He wasn’t known as a big home run guy, only once in fact did he register over 20 home runs. But still, Phillips was all over the stat sheets on a regular basis.

In 1992, as a member of the Detroit Tigers, Phillips led the league in runs with 114. One year later, he led it in base on balls with 132 and repeated the feat two years later, this time, with 125. In back-to-back seasons in the early 1990s, there was almost no one better in terms of on base percentage. He checked in at eighth in the AL with an on base percentage of .387. He was out of this world one year later as he finished the year ranked second in that department with a percentage of .443.

Phillips generally ranked in the top 20 of the MVP vote, finishing as high as 16th in 1993 but he didn’t come close to making an All-Star team despite playing for nearly two decades.

Best players to never make an MLB All-Star roster: 1. Eric Chavez

Stats:

• 1,477 hits
• 260 home runs
• .268 batting average

Eric Chavez appeared to check all of the boxes. If you needed power, he had no problem giving it to you as he routinely smacked home run balls. In terms of simply getting runs on the board, he was amongst the best in the game during his prime. During the 2001 season, Chavez ranked 10th in the league with 114 RBIs. He then followed that up with 109, good for ninth in the league.

In the batting percentage department, Chavez was certainly no slouch. He consistently averaged a batting percentage of at least .270. He was also dependable from the field at third base. His .970% from the position ranks seventh all time.

In most cases, players who perform at a high level, lose out on All-Star game appearances due to the lack of team success. But, Chavez spent plenty of years with the Oakland A’s where they dominated the competition. With the A’s winning over 100 games in 2001 and 2002, Chavez was considered one of their best overall players as he smacked over 100 RBIs and north of 30 home runs.

No matter what he did on the baseball diamond though, Chavez simply wasn’t deemed good enough to make the annual squad, something we’re all still incredulous to.