Each year after the Major League Baseball All-Star Game rosters are announced, there always seems to be some reaction to a specific player who gets snubbed.
And this year proved to be no different.
After Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Blake Snell did not appear on the American League roster, many fans voiced their disappointment. But Snell had one person in particular back him on social media, saying it was a “joke” that the pitcher with the best ERA in the AL was left off the roster.
Fellow Rays pitcher Chris Archer posted a video on his Instagram account saying how ridiculous it is that his teammate wasn’t a unanimous decision for the Midsummer Classic.
“Something like that can’t happen,” Archer said in the video. “(Snell) leads the league in ERA. That means he’s given up the fewest amount of runs per nine innings out of any starting pitcher in the league. … Players, coaches, managers — we have to do a better job with the selection process so we can put the best talent out on the field for the fans in the Midsummer Classic.”
Archer also laid out a case for Snell on Twitter.
Although Snell still has a chance to make the roster, the pitcher said it’s not nearly the same being voted in as an alternate rather than a starter.
“I feel like being an alternate, it’s not satisfying,” Snell said, via ESPN. “I feel like I earned it but being an alternate, it doesn’t feel the same.”
It’s hard to argue with Snell. The lefty is 12-4 on the season with a 2.09 ERA with 132 strikeouts over 116 innings pitched. His 12 wins ties him for second in the AL, while his 14 quality starts tie him at third.
The All-Star Game is set to take place July 17 from Nationals Park in Washington D.C.
