Washington Nationals: Which Nats Got Snubbed from All-Star Team?

Washington Nationals superstars Max Scherzer and Anthony Rendon were named All-Stars.  Which other Nats should have made the team?

The Washington Nationals, as of today, have two All-Stars: Max Scherzer and Anthony Rendon.

While having multiple All-Stars is great, the fact that the Nats only have two seems too low.

With the inevitability of other All-Stars withdrawing from the game due to injury, or for pitchers, an inability to pitch in the game itself due to fatigue, there will be spots that open up.

For that reason, we are going to examine a few Nationals that should be considered for reserve replacement spots on the National League All-Star team.

Stephen Strasburg — Pitcher

Perhaps the most egregious National snubbed from the game is Stephen Strasburg.

Across 109 innings this season, Strasburg has posted a 3.88 earned run average (3.35 fielding independent pitching) with a 28.1 strikeout percentage.

Strasburg has also cut down on the number of walks and home runs he allows, compared to his 2018 marks.

Strasburg’s 2.7 WAR is tied for 13th best in the MLB and tied for 6th best in the N.L.

And for those that still look to pitcher wins, Strasburg is tied for 2nd in the N.L. with 9.

These elite stats should make Strasburg one of the first replacement pitchers named to the All-Star team this week.  If it happens, it will give Strasburg his fourth All-Star bid, and his third since 2017.

Juan Soto — Outfielder

If the All-Star game were held in the fall, Soto would have made it last season.  His incredible rookie campaign earned him 2nd place in the Rookie of the Year vote and gave Nats fans a glimpse at how special of a player he could be.

Now that he’s got a full spring season under his belt, Soto is shining brighter than ever.

This season, Soto is slashing .297/.402/.534 in 269 plate appearances.  For context, the only players in the MLB this season slashing .300/.400/.500 or better (min. 250 PA) are Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger, and Jeff McNeil.

It may not come as a surprise that all three of those players were named to the 2019 N.L. All-Star team.  Soto should follow them to Cleveland.

Honorable Mentions

If Howie Kendrick were an everyday player, he would be going to Cleveland next week.  On a per at-bat basis, Kendrick is as productive as most players in baseball.  However, he only has 222 plate appearances, meaning he fails to qualify for the league leaderboards.

Patrick Corbin should also be given consideration, but ultimately, he might be left out.  If this were the NCAA Tournament “Bubble Watch,” Corbin would be part of the “First Four Out.”  His 3.72 ERA is good, but each starter currently on the team has a better mark than that.

Corbin would need quite a few withdrawals to make the team.  Unfortunately, the MLB sabermetric community have yet to create a stat to predict those.  So for Corbin, he’ll play the waiting game.