Now that major league baseball has announced the initial All-Star game rosters and touted the biggest stars in the sport, from Los Angeles Angels DH/SP Shohei Ohtani to (checks notes) Oakland Athletics OF Brent Rooker, it is time for everyone's other favorite pastime: discussing the snubs. There were some notable ones, but then again, it is all a bit arbitrary.
We do things a bit differently in the fantasy baseball world. Every player is already ranked, either via our ESPN Player Rater for roto leagues or in terms of total points in points formats. That's why we can, without bias, highlight those deserving of All-Star attention. Note that some of these players will still end up in the All-Star game due to injuries to others (such as New York Yankees OF Aaron Judge).
Regardless, our Player Rater has spoken! Here are just a few of the players that did not get the initial nod from the weekend. You may be surprised.
Wander Franco, SS, Tampa Bay Rays (6th on Player Rater): This is surprising. Franco is a potential candidate for No. 2 AL MVP honors -- because Ohtani is, of course, first again -- and a top-10 fantasy option, though his most valuable fantasy category is stolen bases, which often get overlooked. Still, Franco may hit .300 with 20 home runs, 90 RBI, 100 runs and 50 steals, and show up in Round 1 of 2024 drafts. Fantasy investors love him.
Esteury Ruiz, OF, Oakland Athletics (13th): Ruiz is all about the stolen bases, leading the sport with 42, but providing little else for fantasy managers. Still, 42 steals in the first week of July is quite a few. Nobody stole 42 bases in the major leagues all of last year! Ruiz, the No. 6 outfielder on the Rater, deserves the Athletics' All-Star nod over Rooker, the No. 66 outfielder who hit just .195 in May and June combined.
Lane Thomas, OF, Washington Nationals (16th): Right-hander Josiah Gray is this team's All-Star representative, even though he is the No. 54 starting pitcher on the Rater. Thomas is the No. 7 outfielder, hitting .299 and cruising toward 30 home runs and 100 runs for a bad team. Quite an emergence here.
Christian Yelich, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (20th): Yelich is having his best season since 2019, on pace for 20 home runs and what would be a career-best 36 stolen bases, while also likely to surpass 100 runs. Many fantasy managers gave up on Yelich returning to statistical prominence, as he fell to the 16th round of average live drafts. He may finish the year as a top-20 player.
Josh Lowe, OF, Tampa Bay Rays (21st): Myriad outfielders got pushed out for bigger names, as you can see here, but Lowe is arguably the most underrated of Rays, hitting .285 with 12 home runs and 19 steals in a mostly platoon role versus right-handed pitching.
Kyle Tucker, OF, Houston Astros (24th): Tucker is having another outstanding season of five-category production but, again, outfield is a very crowded position. Nevertheless, this first-round fantasy pick has been well worth it.
Ketel Marte, 2B, Arizona Diamondbacks (28th): For all those who figured that Marte's magical 2019 season was the aberrant one and let him fall to the middle rounds of 2023 drafts, this may end up being his best-ever season when all is said and done.
Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals (29th): The Cardinals are not having a good season, but their first baseman is certainly handling his business, hitting .286 and on his way to perhaps his eighth 30-HR campaign. Goldschmidt is outproducing 3B Nolan Arenado, the Cardinals' representative who sits only 81st on the Rater.
Bobby Witt Jr., SS/3B, Kansas City Royals (31st): Witt has made modest strides in terms of his walk, contact and strikeout rates in this, his second MLB season. However, he still has a ways to go. For fantasy, we covet the stolen bases. One of these years, Witt should really blossom.
Fernando Tatis Jr., SS/OF, San Diego Padres (32nd): He missed the first three weeks of the season serving a suspension, but Tatis has been legitimately terrific, on his way to, believe it or not, his first 30/30 season. Recall that he went 42/25 in 130 games in 2021.
Jordan Romano, RP, Toronto Blue Jays (34th): Romano is tied for the league lead in saves and ranks fifth on the Rater among relief pitchers, but he got squeezed out on the AL All-Star team because every team needs representation (Detroit's Michael Lorenzen made it, for example).
Joe Ryan, SP, Minnesota Twins (39th): Sonny Gray and his 2.50 ERA made it as Minnesota's pick (180th on the Rater), though the case is easily made for Ryan instead. Gray hasn't won since April. Ryan's ERA only recently bloated above 3.00.
Tyler Wells, Baltimore Orioles (43rd): The lone Baltimore starting pitcher rostered in more than 20% of ESPN leagues is also the lone Orioles option among the top-200 SP on the Rater. Wells is permitting an astonishing number of home runs and overachieving his 4.57 FIP, but he is missing bats. Be careful here.
Nico Hoerner, 2B/SS, Chicago Cubs (44th): Hoerner clearly would have been a better All-Star pick than his bigger-name, middle-infield teammate Dansby Swanson (240th on the Rater), but who said life was fair? Hoerner hits for average and should breeze past last season's totals in runs, RBI and steals in July.
Spencer Steer, 3B/1B, Cincinnati Reds (45th) & Jonathan India, 2B, (49th): It's hard to believe that arguably the most exciting young, offense in the sport is not represented (RP Alexis Diaz made it for the Reds), but Steer and India have combined for 25 HR, 95 RBI and 21 SB.
Hector Neris, RP, Houston Astros (47th): Neris, with only two saves, pushes his way into the top 50 thanks to a 1.07 ERA and four wins. Few have noticed, but Neris has Yennier Cano numbers -- and Cano made the team.
Zach Eflin, SP, Tampa Bay Rays (48th): The most expensive free agent in Rays history is enjoying his best season after leaving the Phillies. He already has nine wins, his best ground ball rate, and he's trending toward a career high in starts. Good for him, the Rays, and his investors!