Three players are representing the Boston Red Sox at the 2025 Major League All-Star Game in Atlanta tonight, but there should be at least one more.
By the numbers, Ceddanne Rafaela deserves to be there. After a torrid hot streak to end the first half, he enters the All-Star Break with a .271/.314/.483 batting line, 14 home runs, 13 stolen bases and 3.4 WAR.
While he got off to a slow start, Rafaela has been one of the best players in baseball this year, ranking 17th among position players in WAR according to FanGraphs. He’s been even better lately, tying Aaron Judge for the second-most WAR (2.7) in MLB since May 27, behind only Cal Raleigh (3.4).
Despite Rafaela’s MVP-caliber first half, however, he was not named an American League All-Star. He fell short in the fan vote and was not chosen as a reserve or injury replacement, being passed over multiple times.
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That’s disappointing for the 24-year-old, who did everything he could to earn a spot over the last seven weeks and deserves to be there. However, was he the biggest All-Star snub this year?
In the AL, absolutely. He has the most WAR for a non-All-Star in the AL, followed by teammate Carlos Narváez (2.8). In that sense, the Red Sox arguably have the AL’s two biggest omissions.
In terms of WAR, FanGraphs deems Rafaela the second-biggest snub behind Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner, who narrowly leads him 3.7-3.4. Baseball-Reference also has Rafaela as the second-biggest snub at 3.9 WAR (tied with Juan Soto) behind Turner’s teammate, Cristopher Sánchez (4.5).
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Regardless, both sites agree that Rafaela was the biggest snub in the AL. While he was robbed of his first career All-Star nod this year, he’s only in his second full season and appears destined for the honor eventually.
Featured image via Brian Fluharty/Imagn Images
