The Minnesota Twins are leading the American League Central, but when the starters were announced for this year’s MLB All-Star Game, there were no Twins in the lineup.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan believes this is an oversight by baseball fans as he has Byron Buxton and Luis Arraez in his starting lineup over Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Altuve.
My All-Star position starters:
American League
C Kirk
1B Arráez
2B Altuve
SS Bogaerts
3B Devers
LF Trout
CF Buxton
RF Judge
DH ÁlvarezNational League
C Willson Contreras
1B Goldschmidt
2B Chisholm Jr.
SS Swanson
3B Machado
LF Schwarber
CF Acuña Jr.
RF Betts
DH HarperClose.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 8, 2022
While Passan didn’t elaborate on why Buxton and Arraez should get in, he wasn’t alone. In a panel of ESPN experts, Buxton received three votes for the starting lineup and Arraez received two – one at first base and one at second base.
Buxton has a strong case to be an All-Star starter thanks to his tremendous power numbers. He has more home runs and a higher slugging percentage than Stanton and plays Gold Glove defense while Stanton primarily serves as a designated hitter.
The same applies to Arraez, who leads the American League in batting average and on-base percentage. While Altuve has the reputation of a seven-time All-Star, former AL MVP, and World Series Champion* it can be argued that Arraez is having the better season.
If Twins fans should be mad at anything, however, it’s how MLB decides its starters. With two rounds of fan voting, the process is a popularity contest, giving an advantage to players in bigger markets. As a result, only three players – Jorge Polanco (2019), Joe Mauer (2008, 2009, 2010, 2013) and Torii Hunter (2002) – have started the All-Star game for the Twins.
The Twins also fall victim to what’s going on in baseball. Stanton plays for the New York Yankees, who are currently on pace to break the 2001 Seattle Mariners record for most wins in a season. While the Houston Astros are on top of a similarly weak division in the AL West, they are considered legitimate contenders due to their previous history as World Series Champions*.
Buxton and Arraez will likely make the game as reserves, giving Twins fans some representation at the game. With how their seasons are going, they at least have an argument that they should be starting in Los Angeles.
