Not many people, however, expected he'd fill them so capably. Salty enters Sunday's tilt against the Mariners hitting .254 with 15 home runs and 37 RBIs, along with an .838 OPS. The home runs lead American League catchers, while the OPS is third and the RBIs are tied for third.
While these may seem like All-Star numbers, though, the majority of fans, players and coaches did not think so. Saltalamacchia is not on the American League roster.
Instead, Mike Napoli, Matt Wieters and Joe Mauer will be the catchers at AL manager Ron Washington's disposal on July 9 in Kansas City.
Napoli, voted to start by the fans, is batting .238 with 12 homers and 30 RBIs for the offensive juggernaut otherwise known as the Texas Rangers. It's a bit of a down year for him, coming off his monster season last year, but he remains a dangerous offensive threat regardless.
Wieters, the former top prospect with the Orioles, offers fantastic defense to go along with a .249 average, 11 home runs and 38 RBIs.
Mauer, the lone bright spot in another miserable season for the Twins, is making a nice comeback after being sidelined for much of last season with lingering injuries from offseason knee surgery. He's batting a robust .325 with four home runs and 36 RBIs.
What's your take? Did Salty deserve a spot in KC?
Was Jarrod Saltalamacchia snubbed in this year's All-Star vote?
