MLB announced the AL and NL All-Star starters on Wednesday. For the SF Giants, they were shut out of the selection process.
SF Giants shut out of NL All-Star starter selection
This is not a terribly surprising outcome. The All-Star starters are determined by two phases of fan votes. The first phase allows fans to vote in a wide field of options. By the time the second phase comes around, fans have two options at each position.
The Giants did not have any players make the second phase of the selection process, confirming that they would not have any All-Star starters at this point in time.
The Philadelphia Phillies led the way with three starters, including Bryce Harper (first base), Trea Turner (shortstop), and Alec Bohm (third base). This was followed by two from the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers. The Padres will be sending Fernando Tatis Jr. (center field) and Jurickson Profar (left field), whereas the Brewers will have Christian Yelich (right field) and William Contreras (catcher).
The Arizona Diamondbacks (Ketel Marte) and Los Angeles Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani) each have one All-Star starter apiece.
The All-Star voting is flawed in a lot of ways and there are only nine spots to fill. Typically, teams with better records tend to be more effective at mobilizing fanbases to get involved in the All-Star vote.
The Giants have a 42-45 record, so it would be hard for them to have more than one starter. That said, you could make the case that both Heliot Ramos and Patrick Bailey deserved more recognition for their strong starts. Even LaMonte Wade Jr. was performing at an All-Star level before landing on the injured list.
Bailey is in the midst of a solid second season in which he is slashing .279/.354/.426 (126 wRC+) with six home runs, 28 RBI, and 25 runs in 227 plate appearances. This includes an 11.0 percent walk rate, 19.8 percent strikeout rate, and a .147 ISO.
Plus, the 25-year-old backstop continues to excel in terms of pitch framing, making him one of the more valuable catchers on the defensive side. It would be tough to make the argument that he should have been selected over someone like Contreras. They are both some of the better catchers in baseball. It is hard to say that one is definitively better than the other.
Perhaps, the biggest knock on Bailey is that he missed a lot of time in May as he dealt with concussion symptoms. He has appeared in 24 fewer games than Contreras.
The same could be said for Heliot Ramos. The power-hitting outfielder has arguably been not only one of the biggest surprises for the Giants, but in baseball this season.
Ramos has registered a .294/.371/.515 line (152 wRC+) with 11 home runs, 38 RBI, and 23 runs in 221 plate appearances in 2024. His 152 wRC+ is fifth among qualified outfielders since he was recalled by the Giants on May 8.
The few players in front of him include Aaron Judge (285 wRC+) and Juan Soto (184 wRC+) during that same span. That is good company.
Similar to Bailey, Ramos is light on games appeared at no fault of his own. He has been a steady presence in the lineup and has likely etched him name in stone for the foreseeable future.
Both Bailey and Ramos are candidates to be added as All-Star reserves along with Logan Webb. For the time being, we would like to congratulate those who made the All-Star team. That is a tremendous achievement.
