All right, who is excited for the MLB All-Star game? No, I mean the actual game, not the build up to it.
::Crickets::
Yeah, that’s what I thought. Last year’s All- Star Game drew a record low television rating.
We’re just going to talk about it on Twitter till July 12th yet not watch it like we have done every other year. Right?
While there is no shame in that game, I think there are a few compelling tidbits of information concerning pitchers and their participation in the All-Star festivities.
AL Starting Pitchers Are Lacking Strength
Pitching may cause a few problems at this year’s All-Star game. Kansas City Royals manager and this year’s American League coach, Ned Yost has a tough road ahead of him. There are few starting pitchers on the American League side that stand out enough to warrant a few innings on July 12. The Red Sox Steven Wright, Danny Salazar, and the White Sox Jose Quintana top the list with the lowest ERA in the American League. Trouble is numbers do not tell their whole story making them questionable candidates. Wright is a terrific knuckleballer, and Quintana has lost 5 of his last 6 starts, a streak that ended against my beloved Red Sox. Both may get pretty beat up. Salazar is hanging in there with a 3.16 ERA with 8 wins. He may be the best of what there is to offer. There are others, and hopefully, they will emerge to lead the defense and earn the World Series home-field advantage for the American League. It will be real interesting whom Yost chooses.
Pitchers Want to Hit
On the National League side, coached by the Mets’ Terry Collins, there is plenty of pitching talent. Everywhere you look their pitching supremacy is evident. There will be no problem staffing the mound over nine innings. The biggest question for pitchers like Madison Bumgarner, Noah Syndergaard, and Adam Wainwright is not about throwing the ball but hitting it. These guys want to slug it out in the Home Run Derby. Although the All- Star Game has more viewers than the Home Run Derby, last year’s Derby was the most-viewed and highest rated derby since 2009. Still, let’s spice things up. Let them play! The league must make the decision for the inclusion of these pitchers, and soon.
Adding the pitchers into the Home Run Derby is a simple way for the league to make the game more interesting. What will Mark Trumbo or Edwin Encarnacion think of batting alongside Bumgarner? The entertainment value is incredible if you think about it. All of the best hitters in baseball mixed in with the best pitchers that can hit, too. There will be lots of surprises and a full spectrum of talent on display.
Could a pitcher win it all? What would Todd Frazier say (or do)? He won the Home Run Derby last year. Does this take away from the event or add something to it?
There are lots of questions and just as many opinions, for sure.
Either way, Major League Baseball must make up their mind soon about the pitching issues facing the American and National League. Only a few weeks remain before the All-Star Break.
