Red Sox Xander Bogaerts Should Start 2016 All Star Game
Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts is playing like he’s the most valuable player in the American League. Does that equal All-Star status these days?
Last night’s victory over the San Francisco Giants in extra innings was a great example of how clutch Xander Bogaerts has been to the Red Sox. His single to score two runs in the top of the tenth inning was just the latest of his stellar moments, propelling Boston out of the A.L. East cellar of last season and into a share of the division lead for most of this year. Yet, will that equate an appearance in this year’s All-Star Game?
As it stands today, only Daniel Murphy of the Washington Nationals has a higher batting average at .379, with Bogaerts posting .346. The next closest shortstop is Eduardo Nunez of the Minnesota Twins at .337. While Nunez has three home runs more than Bogaerts, the X-Man has 12 more RBIs and 14 more walks, which would explain the higher on-base percentage.
The real separation between the two shortstops is in their fielding. While Nunez has been playing shortstop and third base for the Twins, posting a fielding percentage between .947 and .967, Bogaerts has been irreplaceable at shortstop, posting a .990 fielding percentage, second only to Jose Iglesias in both major leagues.
Bogaerts is more well-rounded than all of the rest of the shortstops, but it’s not like he’s just pretty good with the bat. With runners in scoring position, Bogaerts is hitting .387 and in late or close games he’s hitting an amazing .406, making sure that he puts the ball in play to allow his Red Sox teammates to score.
So, what’s the problem?
The issue is what happened last season. In 2015, Bogaerts was rounding into form and showed his true worth after the All-Star Game, finishing the year batting .320/.355/.421 with 81 RBIs. The next shortstop even close to him was Troy Tulowitzki hitting .280 with 70 RBIs. Before the All-Star Game, Bogaerts was hitting .304 with 43 RBIs. Not bad, right? Well, apparently it wasn’t enough to bump Alcides Escobar of the Kansas City Royals, a man hitting .290 with 33 RBIs at the time, out of the starting shortstop position for the American League.
In fact, Bogaerts didn’t even make the bench, as the A.L. manager, who happened to be the Royals’ manager Ned Yost, filled many of the spots with his own players. Granted that the Royals did go on to win the World Series, making the argument that Kansas City did have the best players of the year; however, to not even make the roster as a bench player was insulting to how well Bogaerts had played.
Is that Yost’s fault? Maybe. The better answer is the All-Star voting process, itself.
The idea that a player can get voted into the starting roles in the All-Star Game simply by voting repeatedly, instead of a player’s merit earning him the spot is ridiculous. Look at what happened during the NHL All-Star Game voting. At least the hockey players met out their own form of justice to give pride back to John Scott and his loving family. Instead, Major League Baseball allowed a number of Royals fans to sit at their computers and continuously vote for players who were not at the same level as others, making a complete mockery of what was already a laughable game by some.
Maybe the All-Star Game doesn’t mean much to some people, but it would be even worse this year if Bogaerts does not make the All-Star Game. Based on how the process works, Bogaerts could very well put up numbers to give him the A.L. MVP award and yet he may not make the All-Star roster. Remember, Yost and the Royals won the World Series last season, so he will be the manager for the American League again. The same man who excluded Bogaerts last time. Can an MVP not be what the roster needs to beat up on the National League?