John Maine Was Screwed -- By Us
| 20
|
by user DNL
John Maine should be an All-Star. Let’s make that clear. He’s tied for the league lead in wins. Maine is fourth in WHIP, ERA, and ERA+. His 93 strikeouts and 7.63 K/9 place him just outside the top 10 (94 and 7.74 being the respective cut-offs). Let’s lay this to rest: John Maine should be an All-Star, and it truly isn’t close. Most Mets fans would agree.
Take, for example, the large Mets fan group on Facebook. The newly-launched "Global New York Mets Fan Blog", a fellow traveler of the Facebook group, has its pulse on the sentiment:
- In an effort to make sure I was not a homer, I took all five final vote candidates and easily compared their numbers to Maine's. Hands down, John Maine numbers are better in almost every category than every candidate but Chris Young of the Padres. Therefore, I suppose we could all sit back here and argue he got snubbed but what's the use. One of the "bigger name" pitchers will be chosen for that final spot[.] […] Sure there is an outside chance Maine can still make the squad if someone drops out in the coming days, but his numbers thus far earned him a place on the original All-Star staff, not a spot as an afterthought.
And Mets fans aren’t really happy about it. On MetsBlog, Regis Courtemanche sums up the complaints:
- it's just really too bad and seemingly very unfair that maine was passed over again for the popularity contest that is the all-star game...what can you do.
I find Courtemanche’s complaint – “unfair,” “popularity contest,” “what can you do” – to be both intellectually dishonest and unseemly. As Mets fans, we have absolutely no right to complain.
Why?
Two words: Carlos Beltran.
I like Carlos Beltran. I think he’s a great player. But he should not be an All-Star this year. His 118 OPS+ is nowhere near top 10 (Ken Griffey Jr. is 10th with a 142). His 16 homers matches that of Brandon Phillips and Chris Duncan. His .340 OBP is over 50 points out of the top 10, and his .470 slugging is 85 points out of the top 10 there. He’s having a good year, but not an All-Star year. If Beltran doesn’t get in, maybe Hunter Pence does. But Carlos was elected in, and assumedly, Mets fans are the ones who unfairly had him win this popularity contests.
Here’s two more words: David Wright. He’s having a solid year, but it’s not as good as Miguel Cabrera’s. And it’s not as good as Chipper Jones’. Jones isn’t an All-Star, but should be; and would have been, if this weren’t an unfair popularity contest. But, hey, what can you do?
The Mets don’t truly have four All-Stars. They have three: Reyes, Wagner, and Maine. When push comes to shove, it’d be hard, if not impossible, for Tony LaRussa to justify having five Mets go to San Fran.
And let’s face it, that is going to be a factor. If Chipper Jones takes David Wright’s spot, maybe LaRussa passes over Smoltz (9 wins, 96 strikeouts, 3.07 ERA, 1.230 WHIP) for Maine (10, 93, 2.71, 1.140). If Pence goes instead of Beltran, maybe Maine makes the “30th Man” ballot over Oswalt (8, 94, 3.53, 1.378). Who knows. Who cares?
As Mets fans, we shouldn’t point fingers at anyone but ourselves for making the All-Star game about popularity over merit.
