Demilio: Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds an Egregious All-Star Snub
The Pirates have two All-Stars this year but won’t have anyone competing in Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
Paul Skenes and Braxton Ashcraft will not pitch for the National League on Tuesday night, meaning there will not be a player on the field representing the Pirates.
It’s a shame that Pirates won’t get the chance to watch a player participate. Pittsburgh is 50-47 this season and finds itself in the thick of a playoff race. There was a lot of excitement at PNC Park this weekend when the Pirates swept the first-place Brewers in three games.
It’s especially a shame considering the the Pirates have arguably the top offense in baseball, and not one hitter was named to the National League All-Star team.
The Pirates are tied with the Nationals for the most runs in baseball this season with 516. Pittsburgh ranks first in team batting average (.263), second in OBP (.342) and OPS (.768), third in slugging percentage (.426), and sixth in home runs (125).
It’s been a drastic turnaround for an offense that was the worst in baseball last season, one that finished last in runs and a distant 30th with 117 homers.
Among position players, there are several candidates who have a case to be an All-Star. Brandon Lowe is among the league leaders in home runs and RBIs and has played a great second base in his first season with the Pirates. Had Ryan O’Hearn, Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz not missed time with injuries, they could’ve been selected.
But no snub is bigger than outfielder Bryan Reynolds, who deserves to be an All-Star for the third time in his career.
Reynolds has had an excellent bounce-back season and has been a key reason the offense has taken such a large step forward. In an MLB-high 97 games, the 31-year-old owns a .283/.400/.477 batting line with 22 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs, 59 RBIs and has gone a perfect 7 for 7 in stolen base attempts.
Reynolds ranks fourth among National League outfielders in OBP, eighth in OPS (.877) and is second with 69 runs. His 3.4 bWAR, meanwhile, is ranked 5th in he Senior Circuit. He also has four defensive runs saved as a left fielder. And he’s somehow not an All-Star.
It’s a travesty one of the best offenses in the sport won’t have anyone competing in this year’s All-Star Game. And it’s particularly egregious that Reynolds will be watching the game from his couch.
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I don’t think most people any longer care about the all star game. More fans do watch the homerun derby but since baseball put in on Netflix it simply increased the disinterest and further alienated fans.
The main reason I’m not watching it