Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts was not snubbed

With the All-Star lineups announced, we now know that Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts will not be in uniform July 17. Should he be?

The All Star rosters have been settled, except for the final spot on each team. You can vote for the last man if you are so inclined, but what we know for certain is that Xander Bogaerts will not be among the players representing the Red Sox this year. Manny Machado will start at short, and it is a much deserved nod. The Baltimore Orioles shortstop has 21 HR and a 151 wRC+. Francisco Lindor, with his 23 HR and a 153 wRC+, will serve as the backup. Carlos Correa finished with the second most votes, but is currently on the DL and will apparently not play.

Xander Bogaerts has had an excellent season to date. With 14 HR and a 134 wRC+, his campaign looks an awful lot like Carlos Correa’s (13 HR, 128 wRC+). Correa having the second most votes has as much to do with his consistency year to year as anything else, though. And Xander can’t touch that at this point in his career. That said, he’s having his best season. Should he at least be in in the final vote?

Benintendi is more deserving.

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The first hurdle Bogaerts had to clear was his own teammate, Andrew Benintendi. Benintendi also has 14 HR, but his wRC+ is a touch higher at 141. That means that while Bogaerts has been 34% better than league average at the plate, Benintendi has been 41% better. The left fielder also enjoys an advantage in fWAR, 3.4 to 2.8. Of course, in a half season sample, the value of that difference is highly debatable.

Benintendi is also coming off of a more noteworthy 2017 season where he hit 20 HR and stole 20 bases. Bogaerts managed just 10 HR and 15 SB, and the steals have fallen off this season. While the All Star game is for the 2018 season, that carry over is likely impacting votes. And Benintendi is one of the most popular players in Boston, which certainly hasn’t hurt. Bogaerts, while popular in his own right, has been inconsistent enough to develop some detractors.

Shortstop is a crowded position in the AL this year.

There are also a lot of deserving candidates at short this year, which stretches out the vote pool. Machado and Lindor as the representatives makes sense, since they have separated themselves from the pack a bit. Correa’s popularity is covered above. Beyond that trio, however, there are Andrelton Simmons, Jean Segura, Didi Gregorius, and Jurickson Profar. All of them are having above average seasons at the plate and are worth pointing out.

Both Simmons and Segura are significantly better defenders than Bogaerts while posting wRC+ figures within sniffing distance of his (126 and 130 respectively). Bogaerts isn’t a poor defender, mind you, but Simmons is one of the best in the game and Segura is no slouch. And while Gregorius and Profar are clearly a step behind with wRC+’s of 106 each, both are better defenders. Plus, Gregorius plays in New York and would have no shortage of laundry based supporters. Not that Bogaerts lacked for partisan support, of course. But in the end, there were a lot of places for people to throw their votes, and two very clear front runners at the position. That they will appear in the game is just.

Next: Christian Vazquez to the DL.

Yes, the All Star game is a popularity contest, so there is an argument that the players getting the most votes deserve to be there regardless of the stats. But in the end, it’s hard to argue with Machado and Lindor. And while the offense isn’t quite there, the defensively gifted Simmons being in the final vote group is refreshing. Defense deserves its moment in the spotlight too. Have any thoughts on the All Star rosters? Let us know in the comments!

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