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Wander Franco, despite clearly being one of baseball best players, did not make the All-Star team this year. MLB podcaster Jared Carrabis can't understand why that is. There are snubs every year and deserving players routinely miss out, but this Franco exclusion has much of the baseball world scratching its head.
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Carrabis tweeted:
"There are going to be All Star snubs every year for various reasons, as it is an imperfect process. Loaded talent at a position, several players from the same team etc. Not sure there’s any logical reason to explain why Wander Franco is not an All Star."
Carrabis pointed out that there are plenty of valid reasons that players get snubbed, but that Franco's exclusion is just inexplicable. Franco currently leads all American League players not named Shohei Ohtani in WAR, so he's been the second most valuable player in the league.
He wasn't voted in by fans, as Corey Seager was named the starter. Perhaps this is another reason the fan vote isn't as reliable since Seager was good, but he wasn't on Franco's level in the first half.
Bo Bichette also made it at second half. He, too, hasn't been as good as Franco, though he is also a worthy candidate. Whit Merrifield, Bichette's infield mate, made it in somehow over Franco despite recording 1.2 fWAR to Franco's 3.7.
Wander Franco's exclusion makes no sense
Whit Merrifield is having a fine year. Corey Seager and Bo Bichette are both having very good years. Wander Franco would be an MVP finalist if the season ended today.
His 125 wRC+ is better than Merrifield's 98 (which isn't even league average). Merrifield has -1 total defensive runs saved in various positions, while Franco has an absurd 13, putting him in conversation for a potential Platinum Glove.
Merrifield is a good player, but Franco has quite simply been one of the best in all of baseball. If not for Ohtani, he'd be a shoo in for MVP. How he hasn't been named an All-Star is mindboggling to Jared Carrabis and many others in the community.
