Chicago White Sox: 4 All-Star Game snubs this year
The Chicago White Sox are in a good spot going into the second half of the season. After battling through a lot of injuries so far this season, there is a lot to be proud of. The three players that have been selected to be American League All-Stars are a big reason why. Without Lance Lynn, Carlos Rodon, and Liam Hendriks, they might not be where they are in the standings.
Carlos Rodon’s story is literally like a Hollywood movie script. He was let go after years of never reaching his potential as a third overall pick. He was brought back late in the offseason and had to battle against Reynaldo Lopez for that fifth spot in the rotation. He earned it and excelled like we thought he would when he was first drafted.
As for Lance Lynn and Liam Hendriks, they are both players that were new to the team going into the season. Lynn had been an elite starter for a few years and Hendriks has been an elite closer as well. Both of them met expectations this season which has helped the White Sox overcome all of the injuries that they have dealt with. Everyone should expect them both to represent the organization well during the summer’s biggest event.
The Chicago White Sox also has a few snubs from the 2021 MLB All-Star Game.
Although it is fitting that the White Sox are sending three pitchers based on how the season has gone so far, there are a few snubs as well. Every team in the league needs to send some players so there will naturally always be snubs but it would have been nice for these four to be there:
Jose Abreu. 79. player. 128. . 1B. Chicago White Sox
The reigning AL MVP deserves to represent the Chicago White Sox at the All-Star Game.
Jose Abreu has been the Chicago White Sox best player for a long time now. He has already been an All-Star three times but won’t be going this year. It is a shame that the reigning AL MVP isn’t going to be there. He is clearly one of the best first basemen in the American League but they didn’t feel that he deserves to be there this year.
He certainly isn’t having as good of a year as he had last year but that would be a little unrealistic to expect from him. Of all the snubs on the White Sox, this one probably feels the worst because of the fact that he has helped this team through thick and thin. Abreu was voted into the “final three” to be a starter in the game but was ultimately beaten out. After that, a snub came his way.
For Abreu, this isn’t that big of a deal. He wasn’t as impactful in the first half as we are used to seeing him so you can expect a huge second half. If he is the Abreu that we know he can be down the stretch and into the playoffs, they are going to be very scary for the rest of the teams in the league.
Chicago White Sox. Tim Anderson. 7. player. 128. . SS
Tim Anderson is consistently one of the Chicago White Sox best players.
The Chicago White Sox has one of the best shortstops in the league. He still has never made the All-Star team in his career but this isn’t going to be the year that changes. He is well-deserving but is going to be a snub yet again. He has a batting title and a Silver Slugger on his resume now but the elusive trip to the All-Star Game is going to have to wait.
It is a very deep position in terms of Major League talent but it feels like an event Anderson should be attending. He is one of the faces of baseball at this point but they aren’t going to have him along. It feels like a mistake made by the league because of the way they market him but they are also just going by baseball skills with this. He is having a great year but as mentioned before, there are a lot of elite players that play shortstop.
Anderson is the type of player to be mad about this snub. He will come out in the second half of the season and play as you have never seen him play before. You know he wanted to be there and is going to try and prove that he belonged there. That is good for the White Sox because they need him at his best to make a long run this season.
128. . 3B. Chicago White Sox. Yoan Moncada. 10. player
The Chicago White Sox are so lucky to have a player like Yoan Moncada right now.
Yoan Moncada isn’t as flashy as some of the other stars in the game right now. He won’t ever flip his bat or do anything like that but he is an elite baseball player. He is a player that has everything you need in a third baseman. He can hit for power or contact along with playing outstanding defense. He is, as of right now, the best position player on the Chicago White Sox right now and it isn’t close. He was the first piece in the rebuild and now we know why.
Moncada has never appeared in an All-Star Game and that will have to wait at least another year. You would think that multiple trips to the mid-summer classic are on the horizon for him but he has a long career ahead of him.
A few days off in the middle of July are going to be good for Moncada. He is currently dealing with a little bit of a hand injury but it shouldn’t affect him too badly going forward. It would have been nice to see him playing third base at some point for the American League All-Stars this year but it just wasn’t meant to be.
Chicago White Sox. Yasmani Grandal. 24. player. 128. . C
The Chicago White Sox catcher has been mostly amazing so far this season.
Yasmani Grandal is one of the more interesting players on the Chicago White Sox roster right now. His batting average is only .190 which isn’t very good but every other number besides that tells us how valuable he is to the team. He absolutely deserves to be an American League All-Star. Few catchers have the impact on their team that Grandal has on the White Sox. Of all the White Sox snubs, Grandal is the biggest.
He was one of the “final three” for the American League catchers but didn’t win the starting job. It is a shame because he would have been great as an AL catcher this year. He has already been an All-Star twice but they both came in the National League. When you look at his power numbers, WAR, and OPS, you can see just how valuable he is to the team.
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The most important thing for Grandal now, and the rest of the snubs, is to rest up during the break. There are still a few games to go before that but they will get there eventually. This team is so good and is only going to get better as they get healthy. Grandal is a big part of the team, especially lately, and deserves credit for the way he played. Hopefully, he is able to lead this team to where they want to be in late October.