After the announcement of the MLB All-Star rosters, everyone sees some “undeserving” players that made it as well as players that should be there but are not. Some of these snubs might get to San Diego by either the Final Fan Vote or because of injuries to other players, but they deserve to have gotten in before now. These players are deserving of this for many reasons, but with the flood of Cubs and Red Sox fan votes, these players did not have a good shot of getting in.

National League

DJ LeMahieu– 2B Colorado Rockies

Did you know that a top 5 hitting player is left off the roster this year? I bet that you would not have guessed that LeMahieu is the fourth best hitter this year with an average of .336, only 10 points behind leader Jose Altuve. The argument against LeMahieu is that he plays in Coors Field and the hitters tend to get better there, as LeMahieu is hitting .388 at Coors Field and .292 everywhere else, so the Coors Field phenomenon is real. A .292 average is still solid and better than starting shortstop Addison Russell, who is hitting for a poor .238 average. It is more than likely that LeMahieu did not receive an invite because he plays for a bad Rockies team that is forgotten and overlooked.

Jonathan Villar – SS Milwaukee Brewers

Villar is the most unknown player on this list, but he also might be the most deserving of all of these position players. Villar is the MLB leader in stolen bases with a total of 29, two better than Final Vote candidate Starling Marte. Villar is also hitting and getting on base at a great pace hitting for a .296 average. Although not known for his slugging, Villar has a .424 slugging percentage and has hit 6 home runs. He uses his speed well as he has one triple and 20 doubles. The main downside to Villar is how much he strikes out. Currently, he has 97 strikeouts on the year and is in the top 10 in that category that he should not be in. Regardless, he should be in the game because he leads the league in an important offensive category.

Drew Pomeranz– P San Diego Padres

Pomeranz was the best young pitcher to not even be considered for an All-Star spot, much less the start for the game. Should Pomeranz be an All-Star if other pitchers get injured or get held out of the game? Yes, not just because of his Petco Park inflated stats, but also because he deserves it. Overall, Pomeranz has a 2.47 ERA, good for 6th in the NL, while allowing a batting average of .184. Pomeranz has a 2.32 road ERA and a 2.64 home ERA so the PPF (Petco Pitching Factor) argument is moot. Pomeranz did not receive an invite most likely because he plays for a bad Padres team, even though they are the host team.

American League

Yunel Escobar– 3B Los Angeles Angles

Escobar is definitely the most surprising choice as a snub as he is 33 and has not been relevant since, well, ever. Escobar was a highly thought of prospect for the Braves when he first came up in 2007, but has not produced at the level he was expected to. In the past year and a half, however, Escobar has posted his highest batting average since his rookie year. His averages of .314 last year and .327 this year so far are third and first best in his career. Along with his average, Escobar owns a .374 OBP and a .426 slugging percentage, which is amazing for a 33-year-old former top prospect. He also has three home runs for the year, so he isn’t slugging but still producing for his team.

Chris Davis– 1B Baltimore Orioles

Chris, or as he is known in Baltimore, “Crush” Davis is known for his home runs as he hit 50 just a few years back. This year, Davis has 21 homers so far, which is good for tied for 9th in the Major Leagues. Davis has also played in all of his team’s games, which is not an All-Star Game breaker, but a good thing for Davis. One knock for Davis is that he has struck out 119 times already and is on pace to beat his previous season strikeout totals. Davis is having a true power or nothing for the year as he has a batting average of .235, another reason that Davis is not included. There also is no shortage of power at the game with the top 3 hitters in the home run category getting a nod.

Aaron Sanchez– P Toronto Blue Jays

Sanchez is one of the best pitchers so far this year as he has helped spearhead the Blue Jays rotation along with his teammate Marco Estrada. Estrada is an All-Star this year with a 2.93 ERA, which leads his team. But going strictly off ERA, Sanchez should be in San Diego as well. Sanchez owns a 2.94 ERA, only a tick above his teammate and 7th best on the AL. Sanchez also boasts a .231 average against which is tied for 25th in the Major Leagues. However, AL manager Ned Yost chose to go more relievers than starters for his team. Even so, Sanchez deserves a spot on this team before injuries.

Although some of these players do not have the stats that All-Stars should have, looking at you Chris Davis’ batting average, other players have been completely looked over because their team is not winning. Maybe some of these snubs get in next year and they finally get recognition if they can repeat this season’s numbers again.