The last time an Indians player started the All-Star game at any position was 2011 when Asdrubal Cabrera manned shorstop only because the voted-in Derek Jeter was injured. Barring a suddenly interested group of fans getting out to vote or a few catastrophic injuries, Cabrera will likely remain the last position player to start the game. And you’d have to go back to 2007 the last time the Indians had more than two players represent the team in the All-Star Game. They had two in 2008, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Not one single Indian player appears in the top five in fan voting at any position currently. Quite the support for a team on an 11 game winning streak and leading their division by six games. Another story for another day.
The Indians have the second best record in the American League and for the first time since 2007, do they have a chance at more than two All-Stars thanks to their record?
At the moment, it appears Danny Salazar is in the conversation to be the American League’s starting pitcher.
As of Tuesday night before all games were completed here is where Salazar ranks among American League starters in categories that get looked at to determine All-Stars.
K/9: 10.32 (3rd)
ERA: 2.40 (2nd)
Wins: 9 (3rd)
He is 3rd in FIP (3.29) and 6th in fWAR (2.1) as well.
Of course, the Indians could theoretically have the top two AL starting pitcher options. Former farmhand Steven Wright is first in the AL in ERA at 2.18 with eight win. But we can get into that another day.
Based on his current turn in the rotation, it’s possible that Salazar could start the Sunday July 10 game, which would take him out of the running for even appearing in the All-Star game, let alone start. The Indians do not have a scheduled off day until July 11, the day before the All-Star game.
Corey Kluber could be considered for the game if AL Manager Ned Yost goes by the theory of the best players instead of those who have had the best three months or some combination of both. Before his eight inning, two runs allowed performance on Tuesday night, Kluber was first in the AL in FIP (2.86) 10th in K/9 (9.03) and tied for 12th in wins (7). He is also 2nd in fWAR (2.9).
Josh Tomlin’s nine wins have him tied for third in the AL. His 3.32 ERA is good for 10th in the AL and while Salazar has the worst BB/9 (4.48) in the league, Tomlin’s 0.81 is best by almost a full walk. He has more wins (nine) than walks (eight). Being in the AL Central and facing Yost and the Royals may give a little boost to Tomlin’s cause, but even with his 9-1 record and command, he might have the least shot of any of the three pitchers.
Of any player on the Indians, Francisco Lindor has the loudest argument to be a starter. Manny Machado technically leads all American League shortstops with a 4.0 fWAR, however he’s listed as a third basemen for All-Star purposes and only played the position while J.J. Hardy was out. Xander Bogaerts leads Lindor in fWAR by a 3.9 to 3.7 margin. But the voting doesn’t reflect this. Instead, it looks like this.
1. Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox: 2,825,025
2. Alcides Escobar, Royals: 1,478,645
3. Troy Tulowitzki, Blue Jays: 1,136,479
4. Elvis Andrus, Rangers: 917,112
5. Carlos Correa, Astros: 694,103
Lindor is currently second among shortstops in stolen bases (12), although he trails Eduardo Nunez (17) of the Twins, who isn’t a full time shortstop. His 10 homers are third among the position (eliminating Machado from SS) and with eight Defensive Runs Saves, he leads all shortstops by a wide margin (Detroit’s Jose Iglesias is second with four).
He won’t show up in the top five in voting in the final round, but he’ll almost assuredly be picked. It looks as if Bogaerts will hang onto the top vote. In the previous update, Escobar led in votes and would have to be the starter and Bogaerts would be the top reserve, leaving Lindor’s spot in a precarious position, but you can probably bank on seeing Lindor’s smiling face in San Diego during All-Star week. He showed it enough times during his multiple Futures Game selections.
The last Indian with a case, although with Lindor being a lock makes his weaker, is Jose Ramirez. He’s cooled off a bit in the month of June but his 1.3 fWAR is 17th in the American League among outfielders, where he is listed. Brock Holt made the All-Star squad in 2015 as a utility player, hitting .292/.379/.412 with two homers and five steals. He had a 117 wRC+ in the first half last season. Ramirez has logged starts in left field, third base, shortstop and second base. As of this writing, Ramirez is hitting .289/.349/.422 with four homers, eight steals and a 109 wRC+. Had Lindor’s spot been in jeopardy because of voting or lack thereof for him, Ramirez had a better shot getting in the way Holt did.
If betting is your thing, Lindor is the only safe bet with Salazar being the next depending on the timing of his starts. He could also be named a starter and just not get to pitch.
One representative who deserves to be in the dugout in San Diego for the All-Star game is Mickey Callaway. Had Carlos Carrasco not gotten hurt and now that Trevor Bauer is 11th among AL starters in fWAR (1.9), both would have or have late cases to make the team. One person at least partially responsible for the words written here about those pitchers is due to Callaway.
It does look as if the Indians should have more than one All-Star this season, even if only one plays.
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