St. Louis Cardinals: Deserving All-Star Candidates

Galen Bacharier

Jul 13, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; National League catcher Yadier Molina (4) of the St. Louis Cardinals talks with outfielder Matt Holliday (7) of the St. Louis Cardinals during workout day the day before the 2015 MLB All Star Game at Great American Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports

The 2016 MLB All-Star Game is fast approaching, and the fan voting has come to a close. With nearly half of the season behind us, which St. Louis Cardinals truly deserve to take the field in San Diego?

Just a day or two before fan voting closed for the All-Star Game, St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina lost the lead for the starting spot to the Giants’ Buster Posey, leaving the Cardinals with no position players starting, and only 5 with significant vote support.

A couple of these guys deserve to be in contention for a spot at the Midsummer Classic, and a few don’t. The All-Star Game has always been a maelstrom of confusion among fans; an eternal battle of talent, personality and legacy.

Should this player play based solely on the fact that they’ve played in several years past? Should this shortstop be on the roster because of an incredible glove, despite a middling bat? What stats are important?

With the St. Louis Cardinals, this part is especially tough. This is a team without any guaranteed, perennial All-Star, among the likes of Mike Trout or Bryce Harper (although some may say that a couple are on their way there).

So then, who should play? Which Cardinals truly deserve to play in the Midsummer Classic, or even earn a starting spot? Let’s take a look-see.

Next: Matt Carpenter

Matt Carpenter (3B/2B)

Matt Carpenter‘s days as a diamond in the rough, the most underrated player in baseball, are numbered. He’s now being called a left-handed Jose Bautista, a player reaching superstardom.

It’s no secret that Carpenter is quickly being revealed to the rest of the league as an elite player, something St. Louis Cardinals fans have known since his 55-double 2013 season.

He’s an atypical leadoff hitter, with as much power as arguably any other bat in the lineup, and one of the best eyes in the league. His strikeout rate, one of his only issues in 2015, has gone down 5 points from 23% to 18%. His walk rate is at an impressive 17%, and has gotten on base 40% of the time, while hitting .300.

And his wRC+, which evaluates a player’s offensive value in terms of runs with a league average of 100, is 166. If the number alone doesn’t impress you, this will: the only players with higher wRC+’s this season are David Ortiz, Mike Trout, and Jose Altuve. Fairly good company.

Carpenter’s quandary when it comes to All-Star candidacy, however, is his position. He’s on the ballot as a third baseman, which has been for the majority of the season and is probably where he should be (on the ballot, not on the field).

His competition at 3B includes Kris Bryant, the ever-popular Cubs prodigy who’s having an excellent season, and Colorado’s Nolan Arenado, whose traditional stats make a good case for him to be placed above Carpenter. (It’s worth noting, however, that in terms of wRC+, Bryant is 14th in the league, and Arenado is 36th.)

Were Carpenter on the ballot as a second baseman, he would easily take the cake as the All-Star starter, and probably hold the title as the best overall second baseman in the National League. Hopefully, he’ll make the team as a reserve.

Next: Aledmys Diaz

Aledmys Diaz (SS)

Aledmys Diaz is a victim of a ballot system that is fundamentally broken and ridiculous in countless ways. A ballot system that doesn’t take into account, for instance, starting shortstop Jhonny Peralta hurting his thumb in Spring Training, throwing Diaz into the spotlight.

Even as he’s hit .316, crushed 10 home runs, driven in 40, while sporting a wRC+ above Miguel Cabrera, Bryce Harper, Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor, he remains a write-in.

Even if the St. Louis Cardinals and their fans made a massive push to get Diaz votes, it wouldn’t much matter—write-in players are essentially dead on arrival in an environment such as this.

Which is especially unfortunate, as the competition in the National League isn’t particularly ferocious. Some may say Corey Seager is far more deserving, and at first glance, it seems to hold true—until they realize that Seager has almost 100 more plate appearances and very similar numbers to Diaz.

Addison Russell, the Cubs’ and presumptively National League’s starting shortstop, is thoroughly undeserving of the accolade, no matter which way you look at it. He’s hitting .235 and has a wRC+ of 93, below league average. Alas, a system based on fan support rather than performance is bound to yield results like this on occasion.

If not for a flawed system, Aledmys Diaz may have gotten his time to shine in the Midsummer Classic; the most we can hope for now is a late-game appearance as a reserve.

Next: Seung-Hwan Oh

Seung-Hwan Oh (RP)

There’s no shortage of things to love about reliever Seung-Hwan Oh. His silky smooth delivery, his fan-favorite translator Eugene, his incredible nicknames … and his utter domination of hitters.

The Korean star and all-time saves leader has been nothing short of incredible in his MLB rookie season, 5th among all relief pitchers in wins above replacement (WAR), accumulating 1.3 so far this year.

To give a comparison, Trevor Rosenthal had 2.1 by the end of the 2015 season, after almost 70 innings and 48 saves, while Oh has been through only 40 frames. Oh’s nearly 12 K/9 and 1.5 ERA are nothing to sneeze at, either. He’s also stayed away from home runs like the plague, resulting in 0.23 allowed per 9 innings, one of the lowest among all relievers.

Oh, unlike Diaz and Carpenter, is nearly a shoe-in for the Midsummer Classic; the only relievers in the league who have been worth more wins than him are the Dodgers’ closer Kenley Jansen and Miami’s David Phelps. Mets closer Jeurys Familia and new Marlin Fernando Rodney are likely selections, with 27 saves and a 0.30 ERA respectively.

Pitchers, unlike the fan-voted position players, are chosen primarily based on performance, so it’s nearly inevitable that the St. Louis Cardinals newcomer takes the mound in a relief role in the Midsummer Classic.

Next: Who didn't make the cut?

Who didn’t make the cut?

Carpenter, Diaz, and Oh have all been tremendous pieces of this St. Louis Cardinals team, despite any media hype or real attention (until recently). The Redbirds may not have any starters, but it can be certain that these three are as good candidates as any to travel to San Diego and rep the birds on the bat.

However, it wasn’t so easy to only select these three. A couple St. Louis Cardinals have made a case for them to represent St. Louis in San Diego, but for one reason or another, didn’t quite make the cut as a completely deserving All-Star.

Stephen Piscotty (OF)

Piscotty was a tough case to make either way. On one hand, he’s had a solid sophomore year at the plate, smacking 9 home runs and knocking in 40 while hovering around the .290-.300 mark in terms of batting average. He gets on base often, around 37% of the time, with a 10% walk rate and 17% strikeout rate.

Piscotty’s defense and baserunning have never been essential parts of his repertoire, and although his defense in right field this season has seemed serviceable, he has in fact been worth negative runs in both categories.

However, going against Piscotty is the fact that the starting outfielders won’t necessarily be those most deserving; specifically, Bryce Harper, who hasn’t even come close to his 2015 numbers or even a real solid stat line.

Meanwhile, the more deserving outfielders (Starling Marte, Christian Yelich, etc.) are stuck behind Jason Heyward, who has been a disappointment at the plate and undeserving of an All-Star appearance (even without personal bias). They will likely be the first in line to be selected for reserves, with Piscotty stuck a few spots behind.

Brandon Moss (1B)

Moss has been a pleasant point of success on the 2016 St. Louis Cardinals, and a bit of relief to most, knowing that last year’s trade that sent pitching prospect Rob Kaminsky to Cleveland was not wasted.

Moss has been one of the biggest power bats in the lineup, smacking 17 home runs, including one this week that broke the Busch Stadium III record in terms of length, clocking in at 477 feet.

Moss’ approach has been what it’s always been: high power, high strikeouts, low average. His numbers back that up: he leads the St. Louis Cardinals in home runs … and strikeouts, while sporting a .251 average (actually on the high side for a hitter of his type).